Partner, Africa Payroll at Mastercard Foundation

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Controller, the Partner, Africa Payroll will be passionate about effective execution of payroll processes across the continent of Africa. This candidate requires extensive experience managing global payroll with proven capability to interact with all levels of employees across the Foundation to address complex data and pay transactions. This role will work independently and will work closely with Human Resources and be able to collaborate with internal and external partners on a day to day basis. 

LOCATION: Nairobi, Kenya or Accra, Ghana preferred

WAYS YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE  

• Develop, implement, coordinate and complete multi-country payroll processing, practices and programs. 
• Responsible for the integrity and accuracy of payroll. Maintain compliance with the Foundation’s policies, government regulations, and local labor and tax reporting requirements. 
• Process bi-monthly and monthly payroll for approximately 20-60 employees including shadow payroll for US and African employees. 
• Build cross-functional relationships with Accounting, P&C and other departments within the organization. 
• Manage and prepare the calculation of wages and deductions to ensure compliance with all applicable tax laws and legislation. 
• Serve as the business owner of all international payroll providers in Africa and identify opportunities to leverage technology. 
• Manage vendor relationships and ensure that systems and processes correctly compute and record time, earnings, deductions, taxes, etc. 
• Develop and/or maintain documentation of all payroll controls and procedures; coordinate and manage the production of all audit deliverables relating to payroll and related systems. 
• Implement controls as required to ensure consistent and robust compliance with all required accounting policies and controls. 
• Ensure all payroll–related accounts are timely and accurately reviewed and reconciled to ensure the integrity of the corporate financial records. 
• Research and interpret government regulations affecting payroll procedures and educate the Controller as needed to ensure payroll is compliant. 
• Ensure all payments, tax filings and government reports are completed accurately and on time. 
• Develop and update payroll policy and procedures, contingency plans and process improvements by leveraging existing tools and processes. 
• Liaise with accounting to ensure timely financial reporting and accruals.  
• Review and reconcile payroll registers and benefit statements and prepare journal entries as required; identify risk areas and act to mitigate risk. 
• Perform various payroll–related activities to support the business such as audits, review of calculations and processing payments, as well as any additional tasks relating to payroll processing and reporting requirements. 
• Partner with Human Resources in aligning and implementing changes and controls leading to best practice operations. 
• Responsible for preparing payroll budget/forecast for African operations and partnering with Human Resources to maintain up to date headcount. 
• Travel requirements of up to 20%.  

WHO YOU ARE 

• You have a minimum of seven (7) years of payroll experience for a global organization, handling multi country payrolls. 
• Certified Payroll Professional certification is strongly preferred (CPP). 
• Global Payroll Management Certificate preferred (GPMI). 
• Knowledge of global mobility policies, practices and compensation. 
• Experience processing shadow payroll would be an asset. 
• Demonstrated knowledge of accounting principles and thorough knowledge of internal controls. 
• Strong critical thinking, financial acumen and data organization skills.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to make timely, sound decisions and implement agreed–upon solutions.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Demonstrates good business judgment and takes initiative to drive results.
• Able to maintain a high level of discretion and confidentiality at all levels.
• Strong verbal and written communication and writing skills in English.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a humble demeanor.
• Professional maturity and is sensitive to working within different cultures.
• Impeccable integrity.
• You have the ability to work independently, and report to a manager that works in another country. 
• You are flexible, adaptable, and able to execute a range of job duties and changing priorities. 
• You possess excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to articulate information to a variety of constituents across cultures. 
• You possess professional maturity, sensitivity with different cultures, and impeccable integrity that exemplify the Foundation’s values.