Payroll Specialist (South Africa)

One platform a whole world of opportunity

Right now the best jobs are limited to people in a handful of the worlds wealthiest cities yet brilliant people are everywhere . Driven to overturn the status quo and distribute opportunities equally around the world Oyster launched its global employment platform to help companies hire pay and care for talent anywhere.

When it comes to global employment we walk the walk. Were proof that companies dont need an office to create a highly-engaged culture. Since the companys inception in January 2020 Oyster has :

Created a fully-distributed vibrant team of 400 employees across 60 countries

Featured in Forbes having ranked #9 in Flexjobs Top 30 Companies for remote jobs

Established a diverse leadership team and an employee base thats 60% female

Achieved one of the highest employee engagement scores in its class

Raised $286 million to date with a current valuation of $1.2 billion!

B Corp status achieved in 2023

Our momentum speaks to the power of global employmentand were just getting started! If you want to change the world with Oyster and be empowered to work remotely while doing so wed love for you to apply!

The Role

Location : While this position is posted in a specific location all of Oysters positions are fully remote and you can work from home. Forever. To create the best experience for this employee and to meet the business needs this role requires you to be based within 1 / 3 UTC..

Role Summary

Are you a payroll professional who believes that the best operational support is accurate reliable and client-focused Do you enjoy ensuring processes run smoothly and providing clear supportive answers We invite you to join our Payroll Operations Team at Oyster as a Payroll Specialist.

The Payroll Operations team is the engine behind Oysters promise to deliver a seamless global employment experience through accuracy compliance and outstanding support. As a Payroll Specialist you will be a key contributor to this mission. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your expertise in a global environment focusing on flawless payroll execution and assisting clients with their day-to-day inquiries.

Your solid knowledge of payroll principles and proficiency with professional payroll software is the foundation for this role. However your ability to communicate clearly your attention to detail and your desire to learn will be the key to your success and growth at Oyster. You will be supported by a team of experts to ensure our clients feel understood and confident at every step.

Key Responsibilities

Ensure the accurate and timely processing of payroll transactions for employees in South Africa following established procedures and checklists.

Respond to routine payroll inquiries from employees and clients providing clear and helpful information in line with our SLAs and escalate more complex cases to the Senior Payroll Specialist / Manager.

Perform regular data reconciliations and audits before and after payroll runs to support the overall data integrity of our system.

Assist in preparing and submitting accurate payroll records and reports to relevant government agencies as directed.

Support key payroll and HR procedures such as managing deductions and assisting with employee onboarding and offboarding data collection.

Stay up-to-date with fundamental local payroll regulations to ensure compliance in day-to-day tasks.

Assist in maintaining our payroll knowledge base and playbooks by flagging outdated information and documenting standard procedures.

Support the Senior Payroll Specialist / Manager and the wider team on special projects and process improvement initiatives as required.

Minimum Requirements

3 years of hands-on experience in processing the end-to-end payroll cycle for South Africa with a solid understanding of local taxation compliance and labor laws.

Proficiency and hands-on experience using a major enterprise-level payroll software.

A proactive mindset with a genuine interest in process improvement and technology.

Clear and professional communication skills with the ability to explain payroll topics to employees and clients.

Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and / or Google Sheets including the use of functions like VLOOKUPs and Pivot Tables.

Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage tasks effectively to meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced fully remote environment.

Bonus Points If You Have...

A recognized local payroll qualification or certification.

Broader HR administration experience beyond pure payroll.

Previous experience in a high-growth global technology company.

Exposure to payroll in other countries.

Youll also need

A reliable home internet connection (or be able to get one)

Fluent English language skills

How we work together at Oyster

Our values guide the work we do the decisions we make and the culture that makes us special. We elevate talent. We build trust. We thrive together.

Our mission is to create a more equal worldone global hire at a time. Everything we do ladders up to our missionand that doesnt just mean building software. We develop programs participate in workshops and create dedicated teams to ensure we successfully support companies and knowledge workers in this new world of work.

We embrace asynchronous communication and collaborative workand we share how we work in the Oyster Public HQ to help other global teams learn from our experiences.

How YOU work

Different countries have different statutory benefits different cultures have different norms and different people have different needs! In order to best support and encourage our diverse team weve created How YOU Work; a program of policies practices and perks to support your whole human experience as an employee at Oyster.

Work from anywhere : Oyster is a borderless HQ-less company. As long as your work gets done on time your team has the support they need and youre authorized to work where you live the world is truly your Oyster.

Paid time off : Were all about taking breakswe all need it. Oyster provides employees with 40 days off each year which includes public / bank holidays and vacation / holiday leave (unless your country mandates more).

Mental health support : We consider your mental health a top priority. We offer access to Plumm a mental well-being service to support your mental health.

Wellbeing allowance : Each month Oyster will top up your ThanksBen wallet with a wellbeing allowance. You can get pretty much anything that your heart desires! ThanksBen offers a wide array of options for spending your wellbeing allowance. Check out their benefits catalogue here for inspiration.

Flexible parental leave : Families are created in lots of different ways. Our parental leave policy applies to all employees who are becoming parents regardless of how they become a parent. Oysters are eligible for a minimum of three months of paid parental leave and your job will be held for 12 months (or longer if required by local jurisdiction).

WFH stipend : Stipend to spend on your laptop and any other equipment you need for your home office; well get you up and running in no time!

The best jobs should be available to everyone

At Oyster we celebrate a variety of perspectives and experiences and weve intentionally built our product and our company with an inclusive global mindset. We know from experience that people from underrepresented groups often dont apply for roles they dont feel they meet all the criteria for. Were committed to elevating talent by creating a trust-based environment where we can all thrive together. So if you think you have what it takes but dont necessarily check every single box please consider applying. Wed love to hear how you might contribute to our mission and our team.

Oyster is committed to ensuring equal opportunity of employment for qualified persons with disabilities and actively fosters an inclusive work environment. If you require reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process please email with the subject line : Interview Accommodations.

Our available positions are published on our careers page and should you be invited to interview with us our recruitment team will only ever contact you directly from an @ email address. We will never ask you to send us money as part of a job offer. If you receive a suspicious email relating to opportunities at Oyster from any other email domainwhere someone is claiming to be a part of our recruitment team or are directed to anywhere other than to view our available jobswe encourage you to submit a report through our Compliance and Ethics Helpline .

Required Experience :

Unclear Seniority

Key Skills

Data Entry,Paychex,QuickBooks,Accounting,10 Key Calculator,Paylocity,Microsoft Excel,Payroll,ADP,Administrative Experience,Human Resources,Bookkeeping

Employment Type : Full-Time

Department / Functional Area : Finance

Experience : years

Vacancy : 1