Payroll Consultant - 3 Months Contract

Role Overview

This is a short-term, delivery-focused payroll position supporting a busy workforce on a three-month contract. You will own the complete monthly payroll cycle from start to finish, ensuring every employee is paid correctly and on time while all statutory obligations are met. The role exists to bring immediate, reliable payroll expertise to the organisation and to leave behind a clean, well-documented handover when the engagement concludes.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end monthly payroll run for all employees, coordinating inputs from multiple departments and working strictly to internal and statutory deadlines.
• Collect, validate, and process timesheets covering daily, weekly, and monthly attendance, including production staff and shift-based workers with variable hours.
• Maintain payroll records for the full employee lifecycle, including new hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, and salary adjustments, ensuring all changes are accurately captured before each pay run.
• Calculate and remit all required Kenyan statutory deductions and returns, including PAYE, SHIF, NSSF, NITA, Housing Levy, and HELB, keeping clear documentation for reconciliation and audit purposes.
• Generate and distribute payslips in a timely and confidential manner, and respond to employee payroll queries with professionalism and discretion.
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies, performing root-cause analysis and escalating significant issues before they affect employees or compliance.
• Participate in a structured handover at the start of the contract to understand existing processes and documentation, and deliver a comprehensive handover at the end to ensure continuity.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A diploma or degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related discipline.
• At least three years of hands-on payroll experience in Kenya, with full ownership of a monthly payroll cycle in a previous role.
• Strong working knowledge of Kenyan statutory payroll obligations, including all applicable deductions and returns, alongside familiarity with the Employment Act 2007.
• Advanced Excel skills, including the ability to work with large datasets, use formulas such as VLOOKUP and IF statements, and produce clear payroll summaries.
• Proven accuracy and attention to detail when working under tight deadlines, and the ability to handle sensitive employee data with absolute confidentiality.
• Availability to start immediately and remain committed for the three-month contract duration.
• A CPA qualification, either part-qualified or fully qualified, is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience processing payroll in manufacturing or another high-headcount, multi-shift environment is an advantage.
• Experience with casual, contract, or seasonal worker payroll arrangements is also desirable.