Compensation & Benefits Manager

Role Overview

This specialist ensures that compensation, benefits, and HR analytics strategies are implemented effectively to support the company’s goals and remain competitive in the market. Day‑to‑day work involves managing HR data accuracy, overseeing regional payroll processing, optimizing benefits programmes, and using HRIS tools to drive data‑backed decisions. The role is critical for maintaining compliance, streamlining operations, and providing leadership with actionable workforce insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the functional lead for SAP SuccessFactors, driving system optimisation, upgrades, testing, and new functionality rollouts while partnering with IT and external vendors to maintain seamless integration.
• Oversee group payroll administration across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda – including induction for new hires, collection and preparation of payroll materials, reconciliation reports, and financial journal postings.
• Manage the full lifecycle of employee benefits: medical insurance, pension schemes, wellness programmes, and leave policies – from enrolment and vendor negotiations to data integration with the HRIS.
• Ensure accurate and timely filing of all statutory returns (PAYE, NSSF, NHIF, COTU, BIFU, HELB, NITA) across the group.
• Monitor leave compliance by ensuring staff log leave in the HRIS, tracking departmental leave plans, enforcing continuous two‑week leave periods, limiting carry‑forward to five days, and performing monthly reconciliations.
• Design and maintain HR dashboards to track turnover, retention, performance, engagement, and productivity; analyse workforce trends to provide data‑driven recommendations for talent acquisition, retention, and workforce planning.
• Process staff loan applications – validating eligibility, ensuring policy compliance, and coordinating accurate payroll deductions.
• Support HR audit and finance reconciliation activities, including review of HR‑related expenses and accounts.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field.
• At least six years of professional HR experience, with a minimum of three years specifically in Compensation & Benefits and HR Analytics.
• Hands‑on experience as an HRIS functional lead – preferably SAP SuccessFactors – including system configuration, data integrity management, and training end‑users.
• Proven ability to manage multi‑country payroll processing, reconciliations, and financial journal preparation.
• Strong knowledge of employee benefits administration (medical, pension, wellness) and vendor management, including negotiating service‑level agreements.
• Familiarity with local statutory requirements (PAYE, NSSF, NHIF, etc.) and labour regulations.
• Certification in SAP HRIS (or equivalent experience with SAP HR modules) is required; CHRP certification and data analytics certifications (Power BI, Tableau, Python, R, VBA) are strong advantages.
• Experience processing staff loans and supporting reconciliations is desirable.