Remote opportunity at
Wave Mobile MoneyPayroll Systems Analyst
Wave Mobile Money is a fintech business aiming to turn Africa into a cashless region. Its mobile app supports cash deposits and withdrawals as well as…
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About This Role
Wave Mobile Money is a fintech business aiming to turn Africa into a cashless region. Its mobile app supports cash deposits and withdrawals as well as person-to-person transfers and business payments, with no account fees, and serves users in nine countries. The Payroll Systems Analyst role sits in the HR Technology team and reports to the HR Systems Lead. The analyst will map how payroll runs in each market, covering…
Job Description
Wave Mobile Money is a fintech business aiming to turn Africa into a cashless region. Its mobile app supports cash deposits and withdrawals as well as person-to-person transfers and business payments, with no account fees, and serves users in nine countries. The Payroll Systems Analyst role sits in the HR Technology team and reports to the HR Systems Lead.
The analyst will map how payroll runs in each market, covering the data that feeds payroll, timing windows, sign-offs, hand-offs between teams, and local vendors. The aim is to find manual, duplicated, or risky steps, set global standards and controls, and keep room for local statutory requirements.
A major part of the role is building an in-house tool that matches payroll results from outside providers with records in the HRIS and ledger, spanning entities and countries. The analyst will own it from scoping through construction, testing, and launch, and will agree matching logic with Payroll and Finance covering headcount, gross-to-net pay, employer costs, accruals, mapping of cost centres and entities, currency conversion, and variance thresholds. Automated ingestion of provider reports and HRIS extracts, plus clear exception reporting, will keep the team focused on discrepancies rather than matching rows.
Ongoing work includes stabilising data flows from HRIS to payroll once the new system goes live, so that changes reach payroll on time. The role also reduces manual inputs between HR, Payroll, and Finance, tests statutory updates such as tax tables and social contributions, owns payroll data quality through regular audits, and builds reporting that shows payroll spend per legal entity and per country. Access to confidential salary and bank details must be governed under GDPR and similar rules.
Candidates should have working fluency in both English and French, hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline, and bring at least three years of experience in HRIS or payroll work, ideally across several entities. Remote work is possible from listed countries within a UTC-8 to UTC+4 window. The annual gross salary is USD 88,100 to 125,900, depending on level and location.
Responsibilities
- Map how payroll operates in each market, from inputs and timing to vendors and approvals
- Set global payroll standards and controls while leaving space for local tax rules
- Define how payroll requests and issues are logged and resolved through a service desk
- Train payroll staff on the new processes and tooling, acting as their main systems contact
- Own design and delivery of the internal payroll-to-finance matching utility
- Agree matching rules with Payroll and Finance, covering variance limits and FX
- Automate data intake from provider reports and HRIS extracts
- Build exception reports so teams focus on discrepancies
- Steady the flow of data from HRIS into payroll once the new system launches
- Analyse payroll integrations and recommend ways to cut manual work
- Coordinate testing for law changes and system releases, such as tax tables
- Lead payroll data quality checks and regular audits
- Build payroll reporting and dashboards for HR, Finance, and business leaders
- Protect sensitive pay and banking data under GDPR and related rules
Requirements
- Working fluency in English and French
- At least three years in HRIS, payroll operations, or payroll accounting environments
- Working knowledge of the full payroll lifecycle, from data intake and pay timing through tax withholding and disbursement
- Practical background matching payroll totals to the ledger, including accruals and employer-side costs
- Experience with outside or country-specific payroll vendors and the data links between HRIS, payroll, and finance
- A record of writing down and improving procedures, controls, sign-off paths, and responsibility matrices
- Strong skills in data handling, analysis, and report building
- Hands-on work creating tools or automations with scripts or low-code platforms, or a clear wish to learn
- Practical use of BI tools such as Sigma, Power BI, or Looker
- Clear communication across Payroll, HR, and Finance, translating technical detail for non-specialists
- Advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills
Qualifications
- Payroll exposure in francophone West Africa, including CNPS, IPRES/CSS, and ITS/IRPP contributions, or OHADA accounting
- Familiarity with Workday or a comparable large-company HRIS platform
- A payroll credential such as CPP, FPC, or CIPP
Core Skills
Benefits
- Subsidised health insurance covering the employee and dependants
- Retirement contributions, varying by country
- Six months of fully paid parental leave
- Subsidised fertility assistance
- Flexible vacation, with most staff taking 30 to 40 days a year
- Annual charitable donation matching of USD 10,000
- Salaries set by a transparent formula
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Can this role be done remotely?
Yes. Remote work is allowed from listed countries, within a UTC-8 to UTC+4 window, with reliable internet access.
What is the salary range?
The posting lists an annual gross salary of USD 88,100 to 125,900, depending on level and location.
What experience is expected?
Three or more years working with HRIS or payroll functions is expected, preferably across several legal entities.
Is the employment full-time?
The listing is for a full-time role.
How do I apply?
Applications go through the form on the posting, which asks for an English-language CV and a cover letter explaining why the candidate wants to work at Wave.
Sample Interview Questions
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