Payroll Manager | Johannesburg | Permanent

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
Lead a high-impact payroll function supporting a workforce of 3,500+ employees across multiple regions and operational structures. This is an opportunity for an experienced payroll professional to take ownership of a complex, high-volume environment where precision, compliance, and leadership are critical. Our client is seeking a seasoned Payroll Manager to oversee the end-to-end payroll function, ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing while driving operational excellence across the payroll department. You will manage a well-established payroll team and work closely with Finance, HR, auditors, and external stakeholders to ensure seamless payroll execution and regulatory compliance. This role requires a hands-on leader with deep expertise in South African payroll legislation, Sage 300 People, bargaining council agreements, and large-scale payroll operations. The successful candidate will play a key role in strengthening controls, improving efficiencies, and ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time in a fast-paced operational environment. The environment is structured, deadline-driven, and continuously evolving, offering the opportunity to influence systems, processes, and payroll best practices at scale. What You’ll Do Lead and mentor a payroll team including Supervisors, Senior Administrators, and Payroll Administrators Oversee the full payroll cycle for 3,500+ employees across multiple regions and earning structures Ensure accurate and timeous payroll processing on Sage 300 People Review and validate overtime, commissions, incentives, allowances, deductions, terminations, and payroll adjustments Ensure compliance with BCEA, Labour Relations Act, UIF, PAYE, SDL, NBC agreements, and SARS regulations Reconcile payroll-related third-party payments including medical aid, pension funds, UIF, garnishees, and loans Manage statutory submissions including EMP201, EMP501, IRP5s, and related declarations Investigate payroll variances, discrepancies, and escalated employee queries Partner with Finance and HR to ensure data integrity and reporting accuracy Drive payroll process improvements, controls, and automation initiatives Support internal and external audits and maintain payroll governance standards What You Bring Relevant tertiary qualification in Payroll, Finance, HR, or related field Payroll Management certification such as SAPA or Sage certification 10+ years payroll experience with at least 7 years in a leadership role Proven experience managing large-scale payroll environments of 3,500+ employees Strong working knowledge of Sage 300 People payroll system Advanced understanding of South African payroll legislation and bargaining council requirements Strong Excel and reporting capabilities Exceptional attention to detail and analytical ability Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills Ability to work under pressure in a deadline-driven environment What Success Looks Like Accurate and compliant payroll processing across all regions Strong payroll governance and audit readiness Improved payroll efficiencies and reporting accuracy High levels of employee trust and payroll query resolution Effective leadership and development of the payroll team Strong collaboration between Payroll, HR, and Finance functions