Global Payroll Manager

Optasia is seeking a dynamic Global Payroll Manager with deep experience of managing payroll across multiple international markets, coupled to a strong understanding of startup and scaleup culture. This is a key role in a growing organization - an opportunity to work in a company where a go-getter spirit and customer orientation are valued as highly as technical excellence. The ideal person will possess strong payroll governance, analytical, and stakeholder management skills, together with the ability to deliver accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations in a complex international environment. Join us in shaping the future of Optasia as we grow together.

Optasia is a real-time financial intelligence company. Our platform is built for markets where conventional credit data is limited or absent. We supply the intelligence, the decisioning and the governance; our partners hold the customer relationship and the lending capital. Optasia operates across multiple markets and regions, processing more than a billion credit decisions every month. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: OPA).

Company Overview

Optasia is a real-time financial intelligence company. We turn alternative data — the everyday signals of how people use their mobile services and manage payments — into a precision intelligence layer that makes credit decisions instant, accurate and auditable. Our platform is built for markets where conventional credit data is limited or absent. It integrates into the systems people already use, so partners across diverse sectors including financial services, telecommunications, digital commerce and others, can extend responsible credit at scale without building risk infrastructure of their own. We supply the intelligence, the decisioning and the governance; our partners hold the customer relationship and the lending capital. Growth and control are the same discipline here. Every market, partner and product runs on the same governed architecture — explainable models, continuous performance monitoring, and decision logic that stands up to regulatory scrutiny. Optasia operates across multiple markets and regions, processing more than a billion credit decisions every month. The company is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE: OPA). Everything we build serves one purpose: turning potential into financial progress.

Quick Details

• Salary Range: Not Applicable
• Job Type: Full-time
• Experience: 5 Year+
• Qualifications: Not Specified

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the accurate and timely delivery of payroll across multiple countries, coordinating internal inputs and external providers to ensure payroll is processed correctly and on schedule.
• Own payroll governance, controls, calendars, reconciliations, and audit readiness, ensuring payroll processes are well-documented, compliant, and scalable.
• Partner closely with People, Finance, Legal, and third-party vendors to manage payroll-related changes including new hires, exits, compensation changes, benefits deductions, equity-related inputs and statutory updates.
• Monitor local payroll legislation, tax, social security, and reporting requirements, escalating risks and ensuring appropriate operational responses.
• Drive continuous improvement in payroll processes, systems, data quality and reporting, using metrics and root-cause analysis to reduce errors and improve efficiency.
• Identify and manage new payroll vendors in new geographic locations as the company expands into new markets. Integrate acquisitions, restructures, and changes to employment models where relevant.

Requirements

• Progressive global payroll experience with meaningful leadership responsibility for multi-country payroll operations.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processes, controls, reconciliations, compliance requirements, and vendor management in international environments.
• Experience working across multiple countries, with good understanding of payroll legislation and employment-related statutory requirements in the markets where the company operates.
• Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with Finance, People, Legal, and external providers on complex payroll matters.
• Data-driven, detail-oriented, and business-oriented approach to payroll governance and service delivery.
• Experience in a challenging, dynamic, and complex business environment with a focus on multiculturalism and internationalism.

Benefits

• Work From Anywhere Policy
• Competitive remuneration package
• Performance-based bonus scheme
• Extra day off on your birthday
• Comprehensive private healthcare insurance
• All the tech gear you need to work smart