HR & Payroll Specialist

Role Description

Wave is now the largest financial institution in Senegal, with over 7 million users. We are looking for an experienced Data Analyst to join our People Tech team. As our HR and Payroll Specialist, you will be responsible for managing payroll, HR operations, and benefits within the US Hub, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency across multiple countries. A strong and practical understanding of U.S. and Canadian HR and payroll legislation is essential to succeed in this role, as you will be expected to apply this knowledge to ensure legal compliance and best practices. This position combines expertise in payroll management with a strategic HR focus, supporting the full employee lifecycle—including onboarding, benefits administration, and policy implementation.

In this role, you’ll:

• Process multi-state payroll, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations.
• Ensure accurate and timely payrolls for assigned countries in compliance with local tax and labor regulations, including variable pay, stock, supplemental pay runs, and tax deposits.
• Manage relationships with external payroll providers across assigned regions.
• Maintain payroll records, process adjustments, and address payroll-related queries promptly.
• Identify and implement improvements in payroll systems and workflows to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Support internal and external payroll audits.

U.S./Canada specifics:

• Apply knowledge of IRS guidelines and forms: (W-2, W-4).
• Apply knowledge of immigration guidelines, as needed.
• Fringe benefits taxation and reporting, FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) and overtime classification rules.
• Support ACA compliance, in collaboration with benefits brokers.
• Ensure compliance with CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) and provincial payroll tax rules.
• Administer contributions and filings: EI, CPP, QPP, T4, T4A, R1, ROE.

HR & Benefits Operations:

• Oversee HR administrative tasks such as employee onboarding, health insurance setup, open enrollment, and compliance with local labor laws.
• Serve as the point of contact for HR and benefits-related queries from employees, offering guidance on salary, benefits, and employment policies.
• Oversee public and private healthcare coverage, including renewals and employee communication.
• Support the design and implementation of HR policies and procedures that align with company objectives and local laws.
• Assist in handling sensitive HR cases, including employee relations, contract management, and terminations.
• Collaborate with global HR and finance teams to align payroll and HR practices across regions.
• Maintain relationships with misc. vendors, brokers, CSMs, accounting firms, etc.

U.S./Canada specifics:

• Administer health and retirement benefits: open enrollment, renewals, 401(k), ERISA, HSA, COBRA.
• Manage leave programs: PTO, sick leave, and state-specific paid leave laws.
• Handle disability claims (short and long-term) and workers' compensation.
• Ensure compliance with employment regulations, including I-9 verification, E-Verify, and background checks.
• Support statutory leave programs: maternity, parental (EI-funded), sick leave, bereavement leave.
• Manage provincial workers’ compensation programs (e.g., WSIB in Ontario).
• Ensure compliance with employment standards acts (e.g., Ontario ESA, BC ESA).
• Handle background checks, just cause termination, and constructive dismissal processes.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in global payroll management, with a strong focus on the US and Canada.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field.
• Payroll/HR Certification: US: CPP (Certified Payroll Professional). Canada: CPP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) or CPM (Certified Payroll Manager) and any other HR certification (PHR, CPHR…).
• Deep understanding of tax regulations, and employment laws in the US and Canada.
• Proven ability to navigate complex payroll and HR challenges, offering innovative solutions while maintaining compliance.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and a strong sense of ownership.
• Strong Google Sheets knowledge, analytical skills and flux analysis.
• Experience with major payroll and HR software such as Workday, Gusto, ADP Workforce Now…

Requirements

• Equity compensation and expat payroll knowledge.
• Global mobility practices and employee relocation knowledge.
• Experience with benefits management outside the US.
• Exposure to payroll processing in other European/African countries.
• Experience using BambooHR, Insperity, Dayforce or Payslip.

Benefits

• Subsidized health insurance for you and your dependents and retirement contributions (both vary from country to country).
• 6 months of fully paid parental leave and subsidized fertility assistance.
• Flexible vacation, with most folks taking between 21-30 days exclusive of statutory holidays.
• $10,000 annual charitable donation matching.

Company Description

Our team has a rapidly growing in-country presence in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon, plus remote team members spread across the world. We are deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most. We foster autonomy for our employees, allowing them to own their projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring their solution in production. We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021, with world-class investors including Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.