Payroll Administrator

Red Ember Recruitment is seeking an experienced Payroll Administrator to join an established Business Services team on a 9-month fixed-term contract, based at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.

The successful candidate will provide day-to-day payroll administration and support the end-to-end processing of a payroll of approximately 1,400 employees, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant payroll delivery.

The role follows a hybrid working model, with the successful candidate required to work a minimum of 4 days per week in the office at the V&A Waterfront. This role is suited to an experienced payroll professional who is comfortable working in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and collaborating closely with an established payroll team.

Key Responsibilities

• Daily Payroll Administration
  
• Manage payroll-related queries via the shared mailbox, ensuring agreed service levels are maintained.
  
• Prepare employment contracts, generally on a twice-weekly basis.
  
• Process employee contract changes and payroll-related information.
  
• Respond to employee and manager payroll queries professionally and efficiently.
  

Monthly Payroll Processing

• Support end-to-end monthly payroll processing for approximately 1,400 employees.
  
• Process new starters, terminations, overtime, commissions, benefits and other payroll inputs.
  
• Capture and validate payroll information accurately.
  
• Prepare payroll reports according to business requirements.
  
• Identify and resolve payroll discrepancies and exceptions.
  

Quarterly & Annual Payroll Support

• Assist with regulatory and statutory submissions, including:
  
  • IRP5
    
  • COID
    
  • STATS SA
    
  • UIF
    
• Assist with the preparation of financial year-end reports for external auditors.
  

General Team Support

• Assist with payroll projects and process improvement initiatives.
  
• Provide general payroll and administrative support to the wider team.
  
• Track outstanding queries and ensure matters are followed through to resolution.
  
• Support the team during peak payroll periods and work additional hours when required to meet payroll deadlines.
  

Requirements

• BCom, BTech, diploma or relevant qualification in Payroll, Accounting, HR or a related field.
  
• 2–3 years' experience in payroll processing and administration.
  
• Good understanding of payroll processes, payroll tax and relevant payroll legislation.
  
• Experience working with high-volume payrolls.
  
• Strong knowledge of MS Office, particularly intermediate to advanced Excel.
  
• Experience with SARS e@syFile and eFiling.
  
• Experience with SAGE People and Business Central will be advantageous but is not essential.
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
  

Technical Skills

• MS Outlook
  
• MS Word
  
• Intermediate to Advanced Excel
  
• SAGE People – advantageous
  
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – advantageous
  
• SARS e@syFile
  
• SARS eFiling