REGIONAL PAYROLL MANAGER

Wanted
Exceptional professional to oversee transition to new payroll system and manage payroll processes across all East Africa operations.

Job Location
Nairobi (with travel throughout east Africa)

Duration

Minimum two year's commitment, full-time job.

Organization Description
Most of the world's poor are farmers, representing the largest and most uniform group of poor people in the world. One Acre Fund is a start–up NGO in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi that is innovating a new way of helping farm families to achieve their full potential. Instead of giving handouts, One Acre invests in farmers to generate a permanent gain in farm income. We provide farmers with a "market bundle" that includes education, finance, seed and fertilizer, and market access. Our program is proven impactful – every year, we weigh thousands of harvests and measure more than 100% average gain in farm income per acre. We have laser–like focus on generating better lives for the people that we serve.

Job Description

We have almost 2,000 employees in four countries. As we continue to expand, we need to develop and maintain a payroll system that strikes a balance between meeting each country's unique needs, and standardizing common practices across countries.

We are seeking an exceptional professional to serve as Regional Payroll Manager. This person will oversee our software system (Sage VIP Payroll), and manage the payroll process across all our East African operations- this includes 4 countries currently, with continual additions of countries expected in upcoming years.

The Manager will be responsible for day-to-day managing and overseeing of a regional payroll team of approximately 2-3 Payroll Associates, each of whom will perform all payroll information gathering, communication, and data-entry for 1-2 countries. The Manager will be expected to approve final reports for payroll, taxes, and any other statutory payments for all countries, and ensure that all employees in a country are paid timely and accurately. Additionally, he/she will be responsible for tax and other statutory remittances including filing of any yearly reports as well as acting as the primary contact for any audit needs related to payroll.

The Manager will work with finance and HR leadership in each of our countries of operation to improve and formalize existing payroll processes, and ensure compliance with these formalized standards across countries. The Manager will also be the primary party responsible for maintaining up-to-date knowledge on tax and payroll laws in each of our countries of operation and ensuring that we maintain all legal compliance as it relates to payroll.

He/she will interface with VIP to oversee configuration changes to our payroll database and design excel-based report templates for standard reporting across all countries.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and mentor team of payroll associates and data-entry specialists
• Liaison with each country office’s HR, Finance and other departments as necessary
• Liaison with statutory and governing bodies responsible for collecting and monitoring payroll taxes in each country
• Manage outside payroll vendor relationship
• Review payroll processes, procedures, making changes while ensuring adequate controls are in place and followed
• Ensure that all procedures are thoroughly documented, included checklists to ensure steps are completed when processing the payroll
• Ensure compliance with a given country's payroll tax deadlines
• Ensure payroll tax liabilities for all countries are reported to the appropriate tax authority and reconciled to the GL and underlying payroll sub ledger
• Recommend improvements to the payroll process.  Work with each country office and outside payroll vendor on recommendations and changes
• Ensure that all payroll processes are thoroughly tested before going live
• Develop procedures to ensure that all GL account reconciling items that impact payroll entries are resolved timely and completely
• Liaison with internal & external audit on payroll issues
• Resolve employee's escalated payroll issues.
• Remain current on country payroll legislative updates and actions taken on the part of regulatory bodies with regard to effect on payroll procedures

Qualifications

We are looking for somebody truly extraordinary for this role.  We encourage applicants who fit the following criteria to apply:

• Minimum 5 years payroll or finance/HR experience, with 3 years of management experience
• Must have supervised minimum of 3 staff
• Degree in accounting, finance, economics or business administration preferred
• Strong excel skills, including work with creating reports, and general IT knowledge
• Excellent communication, management, and mentoring/training skills – we are seeking someone who can provide effective remote support to departments in other countries
• Experience performing or managing payroll tax filings
• Experience with payroll year end process and reporting
• Experience driving process improvements
• Thorough knowledge of payroll Laws and Regulations and taxes in Kenya and the rest of East Africa
• Must possess integrated HR/Payroll systems experience and knowledge of accounting as it relates to payroll.
• Strong multi-tasking skills—must be able to work on a number of different projects at the same time as well as prioritize staff's workload
• Able to meet deadlines and work under time constraints
• Possess strong analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent English and Basic French required

Preferred Start Date
ASAP.

Compensation

Modest starting salary + significant benefits. This is a career-track role with meaningful salary increases and long-term placement with One Acre Fund for high performers.

Benefits

Health cover, immunizations, flight, room and board.

Career Development
One Acre Fund will make significant ongoing investments in your career development through real-time mentoring, quarterly career reviews, and opportunity for increasing responsibilities that will challenge you and help you grow.

To Apply

1. Complete this form.
2. Email cover letter and resume to jobs@oneacrefund.org (Subject line: "Regional Payroll Manager Search" + name of the site that referred you).
3. If you are a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV), please submit a copy of your Description of Service (DOS).