Senior HR, Payroll & Costing Officer

Senior HR, Payroll & Costing Officer

Anglo Recruitment | Fully Remote | South Africa

Job Overview

• Job Title: Senior HR, Payroll & Costing Officer
• Location: Remote – South Africa
• Employment Type: Full-time
• Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 09:30–18:00 SAST
• Salary: R30,000–R40,000 per month, plus benefits
• Reports To: Managing Director

About the Role

Anglo Recruitment is seeking an experienced Senior HR, Payroll & Costing Officer to take ownership of the day-to-day HR operations, payroll administration and employee cost recovery processes for a growing business.

This is a senior, hands-on position suited to an independent HR professional who combines strong employee relations and labour law knowledge with practical payroll management, financial analysis and cost reconciliation skills.

The successful candidate will act as a trusted adviser to management, oversee employee lifecycle processes, maintain compliance with South African employment legislation and ensure that payroll costs are accurately allocated, reconciled and recovered through client recharges.

The role requires exceptional attention to detail, sound judgement, discretion and the ability to manage deadlines independently in a fully remote environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. HR Operations & Management

• Manage day-to-day HR operations and advise managers on HR policies, procedures and employee matters.
• Develop and maintain HR plans, processes, policies and documentation.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR workflows, controls and service delivery.
• Maintain accurate, confidential employee records and personnel files.

2. Recruitment, Onboarding & Performance Management

• Coordinate the full recruitment process, from job advertisements and candidate screening to interviews, references and offers.
• Manage onboarding, induction, employment contracts and probation reviews.
• Coordinate performance reviews, objective-setting and performance improvement plans.
• Identify training needs and support employee development initiatives.

3. Employee Relations & Labour Law Compliance

• Advise managers on disciplinary matters, grievances, misconduct, incapacity and workplace conflict.
• Coordinate investigations, disciplinary hearings and grievance processes.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee relations records.
• Support management with CCMA preparation and related dispute-resolution processes where required.
• Ensure HR practices align with applicable South African labour legislation, including the BCEA, LRA and Employment Equity Act.

4. Payroll & Benefits Administration

• Oversee the monthly payroll cycle, including salary changes, overtime, leave, deductions, bonuses, terminations and final payments.
• Review payroll reports, investigate discrepancies and maintain appropriate approval controls.
• Coordinate payroll reconciliations with Finance.
• Administer employee benefits and respond to payroll queries confidentially.
• Coordinate applicable PAYE, UIF and SDL administration and submissions with Finance or external advisers.

5. Payroll Costing, Cost Centre Analysis & Client Recharges

• Prepare and review monthly employment-cost reports, including salaries, benefits, employer contributions, overtime, allowances and bonuses.
• Allocate payroll costs accurately across clients, departments and cost centres.
• Calculate monthly client recharges in accordance with agreed commercial terms.
• Reconcile payroll reports, costing schedules, accounting records and client billing information.
• Investigate under-recoveries, over-recoveries, unbilled expenses and incorrect allocations.
• Prepare supporting schedules for client invoicing and management reporting.
• Work closely with Finance and client-facing teams to meet monthly billing deadlines.
• Improve Excel models, reconciliation processes and reporting controls to support accurate cost recovery.

6. Policies, Reporting & Employee Engagement

• Draft, review and maintain employment contracts, HR policies, letters and procedures.
• Monitor legislative changes and recommend updates to HR processes where necessary.
• Prepare HR reports covering headcount, recruitment, turnover, absenteeism, leave, probation and employee relations.
• Support employee engagement, well-being, internal communication and workplace culture initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve HR systems, reporting accuracy and process efficiency.

Minimum Requirements

To be considered, candidates must meet the following requirements:

• A relevant degree or diploma in Human Resources, Industrial Psychology, Labour Relations or a related field.
• At least 5–7 years of progressive generalist HR experience, including substantial responsibility for HR operations and employee relations.
• Practical experience managing or overseeing the full payroll cycle.
• Demonstrable experience advising managers on disciplinary, grievance, performance and probation matters.
• Strong working knowledge of South African labour legislation and HR compliance.
• Proven experience in payroll costing, cost centre allocations, reconciliations and client or intercompany recharge calculations.
• Advanced or strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, including PivotTables, SUMIFS and lookup functions.
• A sound understanding of bookkeeping principles, financial controls, cost recovery and invoice support.
• Experience using payroll software and HR information systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, analytical skills and attention to detail.
• The ability to work independently, handle confidential information and meet strict deadlines in a remote environment.

Advantageous Experience

• Experience in a growing business or an internationally connected organisation.
• Experience supporting complex employee relations matters or CCMA proceedings.
• Experience implementing HR policies, systems, dashboards or process improvements.
• Exposure to employment equity reporting, skills development administration and workforce planning.
• Experience in outsourcing, BPO, employer-of-record or client-billed service environments.
• Familiarity with Xero or similar accounting software.
• Experience preparing client billing schedules and supporting monthly invoicing processes.

Key Competencies

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong judgement, integrity and professional confidence.
• The ability to advise and challenge management constructively.
• Excellent organisation, planning and deadline management.
• High levels of confidentiality and discretion.
• Strong analytical, numerical and problem-solving skills.
• Accuracy in payroll, costing and HR administration.
• Resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Empathy, fairness and accountability when handling employee matters.
• The ability to communicate proactively and work independently.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will deliver:

• Accurate and timely monthly payroll with clear review and approval controls.
• Consistent, compliant handling of employee relations matters and HR documentation.
• Effective recruitment, onboarding, probation and performance management processes.
• Reliable HR reporting and continuous improvements to operational processes.
• Accurate payroll cost allocations and fully reconciled client recharge schedules.
• Timely identification and resolution of billing discrepancies and unrecovered costs.
• Professional, responsive support to management and employees.

How to Apply

If you have the required combination of senior HR experience, payroll expertise and financial costing or client recharge experience, we encourage you to apply.

Please submit your updated CV, highlighting your experience in employee relations, end-to-end payroll, South African labour legislation, payroll costing, cost centre reconciliations and client recharges.

Please note: This is a fully remote position within South Africa, with working hours of 09:30–18:00 SAST. Applicants must be comfortable working independently and managing confidential HR information and monthly payroll and client billing deadlines.

Pay: R30 000,00 - R40 000,00 per month

Education:

• Bachelors (Preferred)

Experience:

• HR, payroll, employee relations and cost recovery: 5 years (Required)

Work Location: Remote

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