Role Overview:

As the Associate Analyst for Payroll & People Analytics, you will take charge of the payroll function while harnessing the power of data analytics to provide valuable insights. Reporting to the Senior Manager - HR Shared Services and Compensation & Benefits, you will play a critical role in optimising payroll processes and contributing data-driven perspectives for informed decision-making.

What You'll do:

Payroll Processing (40%)

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for Cellulant Group entities with high accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ensure full compliance with statutory regulations, tax filings (e.g., KRA, NSSF, SHA), and remittance schedules across all operational regions.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance payroll efficiency and support technology integration.

Payroll Administration (35%)

• Proactively resolve payroll discrepancies and manage payroll inquiries to ensure employee satisfaction.
• Maintain accurate records and streamline payroll workflows to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the People & Culture team and the finance department for payroll budgeting and forecasting.
• Monitor and analyze team budget utilization to ensure expenditure remains within approved limits.
• Conduct periodic audits to verify payroll data accuracy, statutory adherence, and internal policy compliance.
• Generate regular and ad-hoc payroll reports and communicate findings effectively to Finance and HR stakeholders.

Benefits Administration (15%)

• Administer company benefit programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, and leave management.
• Act as the primary point of contact for employees regarding benefits enrollment, changes, and eligibility inquiries.
• Collaborate with insurance providers and vendors to ensure timely enrollment and accurate plan administration.
• Ensure all benefit-related data is updated in HRIS systems and aligns with data protection regulations.

Data-Driven Payroll & People Analytics (10%)

• Leverage data analytics to optimize payroll operations, identify cost-to-company trends, and track workforce metrics.
• Develop and maintain robust dashboards to provide leadership with actionable insights into payroll and people data.
• Collaborate with HR stakeholders to support data-driven talent acquisition and retention strategies, utilizing reports from HRIS and payroll systems.

What we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience in end-to-end payroll processing, including statutory deductions, tax compliance, and benefit administration.
• Demonstrated expertise in statutory filing (e.g., KRA, NSSF, NHIF, and other regional statutory bodies) and payroll reconciliations.
• Proven proficiency in payroll systems (e.g., Sage, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, or similar Payroll software).
• Strong data handling skills, specifically advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, Formulas) and experience in building basic HR/Payroll dashboards.
• High degree of organization, with a proven ability to manage strict deadlines and high-volume data without compromising accuracy.

Key Competencies

• Payroll Operations & Compliance: Solid understanding of the full payroll lifecycle, including end-to-end processing, tax regulations, and statutory remittances. Ability to interpret labor laws and internal policy to ensure 100% compliance.
• Operational Rigor: Highly organized and structured approach to work. Proven ability to handle high-pressure deadlines and manage complex reconciliations with high attention to detail.
• People Analytics: Proficiency in leveraging data to track payroll trends, cost-to-company analysis, and workforce metrics. Ability to translate raw payroll data into actionable insights for leadership.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to bridge communication between Finance and HR stakeholders, ensuring seamless payroll integration and budgeting accuracy.

Why Work for Us?

At Cellulant, we are more than a payments company: we are bridge-builders. We believe that by simplifying the way people pay and get paid, we are connecting companies to their ambitions, people to opportunities, and Africa to the global economy. Our work goes beyond payments—it’s about what people, businesses, and communities can do when the movement of money becomes more dependable, seamless, and secure.

Some exciting things about us...

• We have an extensive footprint: We have an office presence in 10 countries, and our products serve 24 countries across Africa, with a global workforce of about 300 employees.
• We believe innovation is at the heart of Fintech: Thousands of market leaders and top enterprises trust our technology to power their payments. Our customers are in various sectors, including financial services, travel and hospitality, telecom, e-commerce, remittance companies, SaaS, and the gig economy.
• We support a diverse and inclusive workforce: We focus on the growth and development of our employees through well-developed, individualised career paths, ensuring you reach your full potential in a supportive and delivery-oriented environment.
• We put our employees first: At Cellulant, your contribution is rewarded competitively. We use clear career levels and role titles, and benchmark our base pay against data and a well-established internal process. Your actual salary will reflect your experience, skills, impact and the scope of the role, as well as our business needs and prevailing market conditions. We also offer generous personal time off, and medical and life insurance benefits (markets permitting).
• We seek collaborative builders: At Cellulant, we believe that great ideas happen when we come together. Therefore, we nurture a collaborative work environment that challenges, engages, and empowers each person to contribute to the growth and success of the business.
• We solve Africa's digital economy: We’re solving payment challenges on the continent to create opportunities and accelerate economic growth for all of Africa.

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for Cellulant Group entities with high accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ensure full compliance with statutory regulations, tax filings (e.g., KRA, NSSF, SHA), and remittance schedules across all operational regions.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance payroll efficiency and support technology integration.
• Proactively resolve payroll discrepancies and manage payroll inquiries to ensure employee satisfaction.
• Maintain accurate records and streamline payroll workflows to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the People & Culture team and the finance department for payroll budgeting and forecasting.
• Monitor and analyze team budget utilization to ensure expenditure remains within approved limits.
• Conduct periodic audits to verify payroll data accuracy, statutory adherence, and internal policy compliance.
• Generate regular and ad-hoc payroll reports and communicate findings effectively to Finance and HR stakeholders.
• Administer company benefit programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, and leave management.
• Act as the primary point of contact for employees regarding benefits enrollment, changes, and eligibility inquiries.
• Collaborate with insurance providers and vendors to ensure timely enrollment and accurate plan administration.
• Ensure all benefit-related data is updated in HRIS systems and aligns with data protection regulations.
• Leverage data analytics to optimize payroll operations, identify cost-to-company trends, and track workforce metrics.
• Develop and maintain robust dashboards to provide leadership with actionable insights into payroll and people data.
• Collaborate with HR stakeholders to support data-driven talent acquisition and retention strategies, utilizing reports from HRIS and payroll systems.

• Payroll processing
• Statutory compliance
• Tax filings
• Payroll reconciliations
• Payroll systems proficiency (Sage, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, or similar)
• Advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, Formulas)
• HR/Payroll dashboard building
• Data handling
• Organization
• Deadline management
• People analytics
• Cross-functional collaboration

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience in end-to-end payroll processing, including statutory deductions, tax compliance, and benefit administration.
• Demonstrated expertise in statutory filing (e.g., KRA, NSSF, NHIF, and other regional statutory bodies) and payroll reconciliations.
• Proven proficiency in payroll systems (e.g., Sage, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, or similar Payroll software).
• Strong data handling skills, specifically advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, Formulas) and experience in building basic HR/Payroll dashboards.
• High degree of organization, with a proven ability to manage strict deadlines and high-volume data without compromising accuracy.