Payroll Specialist

About this role

To manage the end-to-end payroll function across C-Care East Africa, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant payroll processing while strengthening payroll governance, statutory compliance, data integrity, employee service and payroll-related HR systems. The role supports a complex multi-site healthcare workforce, including clinical and non-clinical employees, locums, consultants, agency staff and expatriates, and ensures that all payroll practices are aligned with approved C-Care policies, internal controls, Group standards and applicable legislation.

Responsibilities

• 1. End-to-End Payroll Management
• • Coordinate and process the monthly payroll cycle for all assigned C-Care East Africa entities in accordance with the approved payroll calendar.
• • Validate payroll inputs including appointments, confirmations, promotions, transfers, salary changes, allowances, deductions, benefits, exits and final dues.
• • Ensure all payroll changes are supported by approved documentation and authorized in line with the delegation of authority.
• • Perform pre-payroll and post-payroll reconciliations and resolve variances before salary release.
• • Maintain accurate payroll records and ensure pay slips and payroll reports are generated and distributed within agreed timelines.
• 2. Healthcare Payroll Administration
• • Administer payroll requirements arising from a 24/7 healthcare operating environment, including shift-related payments, overtime, call-duty, standby and other approved clinical allowances.
• • Coordinate payroll inputs for permanent employees, fixed-term employees, locums, consultants, visiting specialists, agency staff and other approved healthcare workforce categories.
• • Validate clinical payroll inputs against approved rosters, attendance and Time & Attendance data before processing.
• • Work closely with Nursing, Medical Services, Operations and HR Managers to ensure clinical workforce payments are accurate, authorized and supported by source records.
• • Maintain appropriate payroll controls for high-volume and variable healthcare payments to minimize leakage, duplication and overpayment.
• 3. Payroll Governance, Controls & Compliance
• • Maintain robust payroll controls, maker-checker arrangements and segregation of duties across the payroll process.
• • Review payroll exception reports and investigate unusual movements, duplicate payments, unexplained allowances or other anomalies.
• • Ensure compliance with applicable tax, social security, pension, labor and payroll-related statutory requirements in each jurisdiction.
• • Coordinate timely statutory remittances and maintain supporting schedules, confirmations and reconciliations.
• • Maintain payroll SOPs, process maps, checklists and control documentation in line with C-Care governance requirements.
• 4. HRIS, Time & Attendance and Data Integrity
• • Maintain payroll master data within SeamlessHR and other approved HR/payroll systems.
• • Ensure alignment between employee master data, payroll, contracts, HR records, Time & Attendance, rosters and Finance records.
• • Support payroll system configuration, testing, upgrades and process automation in collaboration with HR, IT and Finance.
• • Monitor data quality and resolve payroll-related master-data discrepancies promptly.
• • Protect employee payroll information and ensure appropriate confidentiality, access controls and data privacy.
• 5. Payroll Reporting & Workforce Analytics
• • Prepare monthly payroll reports covering payroll cost, headcount, overtime, allowances, deductions, locum/consultant costs, expatriate costs and material payroll movements.
• • Prepare payroll variance analysis against prior month, budget and approved establishment.
• • Provide payroll data and insights to support workforce planning, productivity analysis and manpower-cost management.
• • Support the Head of HR – East Africa with accurate payroll information for executive reporting, HR dashboards and workforce reviews.
• • Identify cost trends, control gaps and opportunities for efficiency and provide practical recommendations.
• 6. Audit & Risk Management
• • Support internal, external, statutory and other payroll-related audits and ensure required documentation is readily available.
• • Track payroll audit findings and support timely closure of agreed corrective actions.
• • Identify payroll risks and escalate material control, compliance or data-integrity issues to the Head of HR – East Africa.
• • Maintain complete payroll audit trails for all changes and transactions.
• 7. Employee Payroll Services
• • Provide professional and confidential support to employees on payroll enquiries, payslips, deductions, tax matters and approved payroll corrections.
• • Resolve payroll queries within agreed service levels and maintain appropriate query logs for recurring issues.
• • Coordinate final-pay calculations for exiting employees in line with policy and statutory requirements.
• • Provide clear payroll guidance to HR Managers and relevant business stakeholders.
• 8. Continuous Improvement & Digitalization
• • Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize and automate payroll processes.
• • Reduce manual interventions, duplicate work and spreadsheet dependency where approved system functionality exists.
• • Support continuous improvement initiatives across payroll, Time & Attendance and HR Services.
• • Contribute to a culture of accuracy, accountability, service excellence and disciplined execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or a related field.
• • Professional payroll, accounting, HR or tax qualification/certification is an added advantage.
• • Minimum 4–6 years’ progressive payroll experience in a medium to large, multi-site organisation.
• • Healthcare payroll experience is strongly preferred, particularly experience supporting a 24/7 workforce with shifts, overtime, locums, consultants or other variable-pay arrangements.
• • Demonstrated experience using HRIS/payroll systems; experience with SeamlessHR or a comparable platform is an advantage.
• • Experience supporting payroll audits, statutory compliance, payroll reconciliations and payroll controls.
• • Experience working with HR, Finance and operational stakeholders in a complex service environment is preferred