Payroll Officer

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Payroll Officer is responsible for the complex end of payroll operations, including payroll validation, reconciliations, controls, statutory and third-party obligations, the payroll costing interface with Finance, and time-and-attendance data governance. The role strengthens payroll resilience through documented procedures, cross-skilling and operational cover during peak periods, absence or transition.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Payroll operations and processing

• Process and support accurate weekly and monthly payroll runs within agreed payroll calendars and cut-offs.
• Validate payroll inputs, including engagements, terminations, transfers, promotions, rate changes, overtime, allowances, benefits, deductions and garnishees, ensuring that approved supporting documentation is in place.
• Calculate and verify complex payroll items such as retrospective and back-pay, wage-agreement increases, final payments, leave pay-outs, overpayment recovery, ETI and tax directives.
• Review pre-run and post-run reports, investigate variances and resolve discrepancies before payment is released.

Payroll controls, compliance and governance

• Perform and evidence pre-run and post-run payroll control checks and reconciliations for every pay cycle.
• Prepare or review statutory submissions and third-party schedules, including PAYE, UIF, SDL, EMP201, EMP501, IRP5/IT3(a), COIDA, retirement and provident funds, medical aid, union dues, loans and garnishees.
• Maintain complete audit trails and apply segregation-of-duties and payroll authority requirements.
• Identify recurring errors, control gaps, payroll risks and potential fraud indicators, and escalate these with recommended corrective action.

Payroll costing and Finance interface

• Support payroll-to-general-ledger reconciliation and investigate costing, cost centre and allocation discrepancies with Finance.
• Provide labour cost, overtime and headcount data for variance analysis, budgeting and management reporting.
• Resolve payroll-related general ledger, bank and third-party payment queries within the month-end timetable.

Payroll systems and time-and-attendance governance

• Support the accurate flow of time-and-attendance data into payroll, including hours, overtime, shifts, public holidays and absences.
• Monitor Jarrison or equivalent exception reports and escalate unapproved, late, missing or anomalous clockings to responsible line managers.
• Assist with configuration, testing and validation of pay, overtime, allowance and shift rules, including parallel runs and payroll export checks.
• Investigate system-related payroll issues with HRIS, IT, Operations and external service providers, and maintain process documentation and control checklists.

Employee and stakeholder service

• Resolve payroll queries from employees, line managers, Human Capital, Finance, unions and service providers professionally and within agreed turnaround times.
• Explain payslips, deductions, tax, benefits, leave impacts and payroll corrections clearly and respectfully.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and escalate sensitive, disputed or precedent-setting matters to the Payroll Manager.

Transformation, capability building and operational cover

• Support payroll consolidation, pay-group migration, the Jarrison implementation, and the rollout of employee and manager self-service.
• Identify and eliminate duplicate checking, manual workarounds, recurring errors and post-pay corrections.
• Act as operational backup to the Payroll Manager during absence, leave or peak periods.
• Coach and cross-skill payroll colleagues, review complex or high-risk items, and ensure critical tasks are documented and can be performed by more than one person.

Safety, housekeeping and records management

• Comply with Hulamin safety, health and environmental requirements and lead by example.
• Maintain secure, organised payroll records and confidential documentation in accordance with company policy and POPIA.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS AND EXPERIENCE

• A relevant BCom degree or equivalent qualification in Accounting, Finance, Payroll Administration, Business Administration or Human Resources.
• A recognised payroll qualification or certification would be advantageous.
• A minimum of 5 years end-to-end payroll processing experience in a medium-to-large payroll environment of 500 or more employees, covering weekly/wage and monthly/salaried pay groups.
• At least 3 years experience in payroll reconciliations and controls, including pay-run validation, statutory and third-party schedules, payroll-to-general-ledger reconciliation, and audit support.
• Working knowledge of South African payroll legislation and statutory compliance, including PAYE, UIF, SDL, ETI, COIDA, EMP201, EMP501 and IRP5/IT3(a).
• Working knowledge of the BCEA, LRA, Income Tax Act and applicable collective or recognition agreements as they affect pay, overtime, shifts and leave.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capability, including lookups, pivot tables, high-volume reconciliation and variance analysis.
• Clear criminal and credit record, a signed confidentiality undertaking, legal right to work in South Africa, and compliance with POPIA requirements.
• SAPA membership or accredited payroll practitioner status.
• Sage 300 People certification and at least 3 years experience in Sage 300 People, SAP HCM, VIP Premier or a comparable enterprise payroll system.
• Formal training in payroll tax and SARS statutory reconciliation.
• At least 2 years experience in a manufacturing, industrial, shift-based and unionised environment with an integrated time-and-attendance system such as Jarrison, Kronos or Uniclox.
• Exposure to payroll system implementation, pay-group migration or payroll transformation.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• High attention to detail, strong payroll reconciliation and investigative ability, and a consistent focus on quality and work standards.
• Integrity, confidentiality and trustworthiness when handling sensitive remuneration and employee information.
• Strong accountability, resilience and composure under deadline and volume pressure.
• Customer-focused communication and the ability to explain payroll outcomes clearly to employees, managers, Finance and union representatives.
• Constructive assertiveness when challenging incomplete, incorrect or unapproved payroll inputs.
• Ability to coach, cross-skill and document payroll procedures, checklists and controls clearly.
• Self-starting drive and energy, with the ability to sustain momentum through peak payroll cycles.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Availability during payroll cut-off, pay-run, month-end, tax year-end and wage-negotiation implementation periods, including after-hours and occasional weekend work.
• Willingness to work overtime when required and support payroll during system implementation, migration and transformation activity.

Hulamin is committed to prioritising transformation in line with diversity, inclusion and all legislative requirements in its recruitment and appointment processes.

Hulamin reserves the right to withdraw, alter and re-advertise any vacant position based on its operational requirements.

Hulamin does not require or solicit any payments for any recruitment process. Please report any such request to the Hulamin Ethics and Fraud Hotline at 080 2255 688.

Closing Date: 15 September 2026