Payroll Manager

Red Ember Recruitment is seeking to appoint an experienced Payroll Manager based in Plattekloof, on behalf of our client.

The Payroll Manager will be responsible for the full payroll function, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timeous payroll processing while providing leadership to the payroll team. The successful candidate will possess strong technical payroll expertise, a sound understanding of South African payroll legislation, and proven managerial experience.

Payroll Operations & Accuracy

• Ensure payroll is processed accurately, compliantly, and on time for each pay period.
• Maintain a payroll error rate below 0.5% through rigorous controls.
• Perform comprehensive payroll pre-processing checks and internal audits.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and up-to-date employee payroll records with all supporting documentation.
• Administer payroll deductions, statutory payments, and employee benefits in line with legislation and company policy.
• Oversee the preparation and distribution of payroll documentation and management reports.
• Compile payroll data and produce weekly, monthly, quarterly, and year-end reporting.

Payroll Systems & Automation

• Manage, maintain, and evaluate payroll system performance, ensuring a minimum 99% system uptime.
• Lead the successful implementation of system upgrades and additional modules within approved timelines.
• Drive the streamlining and automation of payroll and related administrative processes.
• Integrate payroll with Time & Attendance (T&A) and other HR systems to ensure seamless data flow.
• Ensure 100% alignment between T&A records and payroll data.
• Monitor T&A system uptime (target 99%) and ensure accurate and timely import of hours worked.

Remuneration, Benefits & Incentives

• Administer annual salary increases and Short-Term Incentives (STIs) in line with approved timelines and guidelines.
• Manage Long-Term Incentives (LTIs) and Phantom Share Schemes.
• Partner with HR on job grading, provident fund administration, and risk benefit management.
• Conduct annual remuneration benchmarking and provide data-driven improvement recommendations.
• Ensure accurate leave provisions and bonus accrual calculations in accordance with policy and balances.

Legislative & Statutory Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with BCEA, SARS regulations, Labour Legislation, and applicable sectoral agreements (including Sectoral Determinations 9 and 14).
• Accurately and timeously process EMP
  201, EMP
  501, UIF, COIDA, and ETI submissions and reconciliations.
• Maintain compliance with all statutory, regulatory, and bargaining council requirements.
• Oversee payroll-related statutory filings and ensure audit readiness at all times.

Financial Control & Reporting

• Manage payroll workload planning and operational delivery.
• Review and reconcile payroll accounts monthly.
• Ensure correct mapping of payroll codes to the General Ledger.
• Conduct payroll error analysis and drive continuous process improvement initiative
• Deliver accurate payroll financial reconciliations and reporting to Finance and HR stakeholders.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Ensure the payroll team is appropriately resourced, skilled, and trained to meet operational demands.
• Identify training and development needs and implement structured performance coaching
• Recognise high-potential employees and support succession planning initiatives.
• Address performance gaps through structured performance improvement plans (PIPs) where required.

• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma.
• Certified payroll practitioner.
• 5-8 years' relevant experience, with at least two years’ experience in a managerial role.
• In-depth knowledge and experience of payroll calculation and processing.
• Proficiency in relevant payroll and accounting software (SAGE 300 and ESS)
• Experience and understanding of various Bargaining Councils i.e. MIBCO, BCRCAT, BCFOOD (Advantageous)
• Strong planning and organisational skills.
• Effective people management and leadership skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to perform under pressure and manage high-stress situations.
• Demonstrates accountability and ownership of deliverables.
• Solid business and financial acumen.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Delegates effectively to build team capacity.
• Results-oriented with a strong drive for performance.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite, particularly Excel; experience with payroll and HRIS systems advantageous.