HR Lead – Southern Africa & Payroll Shared Services

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Are you passionate about growing and transforming companies, and do you view Human Resources as essential to their successful management? Do you excel in structuring global operations while remaining a trusted local business partner?

In the context of our growth, Enko Education is looking for a HR Lead – Southern Africa & Payroll Shared Services. Joining our dynamic HR team, you will split your time between two critical missions: leading the strategic implementation of our Payroll Shared Service Center (SSC) across multiple countries, and providing operational HR Lead support to our entities in the Southern Hemisphere, including our local school in South Africa.

We are seeking a courageous, assertive, and highly rigorous professional who thrives in complex, multi-country environments and possesses deep technical expertise in payroll systems and international HR project management.
 

Main Missions

1. Payroll Shared Service Center (SSC) Implementation & Management 

• SSC Strategy & Design: Lead the design, structuring, and roll-out of the Group’s Payroll Shared Service Center to centralize and professionalize payroll operations across multiple countries.

• Process Standardization: Define, harmonize, and implement group-wide payroll processes, ensuring efficiency, automation, and strict compliance with local regulations in each operating country.

• Vendor & Tool Management: Identify, deploy, and manage payroll software solutions and external vendors/partners across the scope.

• Audit & Compliance: Establish robust control systems, regular payroll audits, and reporting mechanisms with clear KPIs to guarantee 100% accuracy and compliance.

2. Regional Coordination & Operational HR Support (Southern Hemisphere)

• Regional Supervision: Coordinate and oversee HR operations for 2 to 4 countries within the Southern Hemisphere entity.

• On-site School Support: Act as the proximity HR Business Partner for our school in South Africa (Amazing Grace Private School), guiding school leadership from organizational planning to daily HR challenges.

• Talent Acquisition & Onboarding: Partner with school directors to define recruitment strategies, conduct interviews, and tailor impactful onboarding plans for local teams.

• Employee Relations & Disciplinary Management: Guide and upskill school managers through difficult conversations, performance tracking, conflict resolution, and disciplinary actions in compliance with local labor laws.

• Social Climate: Foster a healthy, motivating, and trusting work environment aligned with Enko Education’s culture and values.

3. Professionalizing the Manager’s HR Role

• Capacity Building: Conduct regular audits of HR practices within the schools to identify gaps.

• Training: Design and deliver practical training sessions for school leaders to strengthen their skills as proximity managers.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Experience: Proven experience in HR management with a strong focus on Payroll operations and a successful track record in setting up or managing a Shared Service Center (SSC) in a multi-country/multi-currency environment.

• Education: Holds a Master’s degree or MBA in Human Resources, Business Management, or Labor Law.

• Technical Skills: Exceptional rigor, analytical skills, and deep expertise in payroll systems, compensation & benefits, and international labor standards.

• Project Management: Strong ability to lead change management, implement complex processes, and monitor cross-border projects.

• Interpersonal Skills: Outstanding communicator and negotiator. You can build trust quickly with school directors, regional stakeholders, and corporate teams. You are a natural educator with the ability to persuade and inspire engagement.

• Language & Location: Must be based in Johannesburg and fully fluent in English (written and spoken). Proficiency in French or Portuguese is a strong asset given the multi-country scope.

(French version)