HR & Payroll Specialist - US/Canada

About the role

This position sits within the People Tech function and focuses on payroll, HR operations, and benefits for the US hub. The role calls for strong hands-on knowledge of U.S. and Canadian payroll and employment legislation, with responsibility for keeping processes accurate, compliant, and efficient across multiple countries. It also supports the broader employee lifecycle, including onboarding, benefits administration, policy execution, and sensitive HR cases.

Responsibilities

• Run multi-state payroll while staying aligned with federal, state, and local tax requirements.
• Deliver accurate and timely payroll for the assigned countries, including variable compensation, stock-related processing, supplemental payrolls, and tax remittances.
• Coordinate with external payroll vendors across the regions under your scope.
• Keep payroll documentation current, apply payroll corrections, and respond quickly to employee payroll questions.
• Look for opportunities to improve payroll tools and workflows so the process becomes faster and more reliable.
• Support both internal reviews and external payroll audits.
• Use U.S.-specific rules and forms such as W-2 and W-4, and apply immigration-related guidance where needed.
• Handle taxation and reporting for fringe benefits, FLSA overtime classification, and ACA compliance in partnership with benefits brokers.
• Apply Canadian payroll rules from the CRA and provincial tax authorities, including EI, CPP, QPP, T4, T4A, R1, and ROE filings.
• Manage HR administration such as onboarding, health insurance setup, open enrollment, and adherence to local labor laws.
• Act as a first point of contact for employee questions on salary, benefits, and workplace policies.
• Oversee public and private healthcare coverage, including renewals and employee communications.
• Help design and roll out HR policies and procedures that fit company goals and local legal requirements.
• Support sensitive employee matters, including employee relations, contract administration, and terminations.
• Work closely with global HR and finance partners to keep payroll and HR practices aligned across regions.
• Maintain relationships with vendors, brokers, customer success managers, accounting firms, and other external partners.
• Administer benefits such as open enrollment, renewals, 401(k), ERISA, HSA, and COBRA.
• Manage leave programs including PTO, sick leave, and state-mandated paid leave.
• Process disability claims, both short-term and long-term, as well as workers’ compensation cases.
• Ensure compliance with employment checks and verification steps such as I-9, E-Verify, and background screening.
• Support statutory leave programs, including maternity, parental leave funded through EI, sick leave, and bereavement leave.
• Oversee provincial workers’ compensation programs such as WSIB in Ontario.
• Apply employment standards legislation such as the Ontario ESA and BC ESA.
• Assist with background checks, just-cause termination handling, and constructive dismissal processes.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of experience in global payroll, with substantial exposure to the U.S. and Canada.
• A bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or a closely related field.
• Professional payroll or HR certification is required: in the U.S., CPP (Certified Payroll Professional); in Canada, CPP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) or CPM (Certified Payroll Manager), plus any other HR credential such as PHR or CPHR.
• Strong command of U.S. and Canadian tax rules, payroll legislation, and employment law.
• Ability to solve complex payroll and HR issues while maintaining compliance and introducing practical improvements.
• Well-developed organizational skills and a strong sense of ownership.
• Advanced Google Sheets ability, analytical thinking, and experience with variance/flux analysis.
• Familiarity with major payroll and HR platforms such as Workday, Gusto, and ADP Workforce Now.
• Bonus experience includes equity compensation, expatriate payroll, global mobility, relocation support, benefits administration outside the U.S., payroll exposure in Europe or Africa, and systems such as BambooHR, Insperity, Dayforce, or Payslip.
• The ideal candidate values employee experience, works with strong attention to detail, can execute tasks efficiently, thinks creatively through obstacles, uses data to guide decisions, and is comfortable working independently in a remote setting as well as within a team.

Perks and benefits

• Annual travel coverage to one of the company’s operating countries in Africa.
• A yearly stipend of $1,200 to help facilitate coworker meetups.
• Competitive pay of up to $115,200 USD, based on a transparent compensation formula.
• A generous equity package.
• Subsidized health insurance for employees and dependents, plus retirement contributions, depending on country.
• Six months of fully paid parental leave and subsidized fertility support.
• Flexible vacation policy, with most team members taking 21-30 days excluding statutory holidays.
• $10,000 in annual charitable donation matching.

Eligibility

Applicants must be based in the Eastern Time Zone in the United States. The role is suited to experienced payroll and HR professionals with strong knowledge of U.S. and Canadian compliance requirements, and candidates should be comfortable working remotely.

Additional information

The organization’s mission is to help make Africa the first cashless continent by providing financial services that are affordable, immediate, and widely accepted. The company launched its mobile app in Senegal in 2017 for cash deposits, withdrawals, peer-to-peer payments, and business payments, and now serves millions of users across nine countries.

The team includes members across Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon, along with remote staff around the world. The company emphasizes autonomy, ownership, and end-to-end responsibility for projects. It also notes that it raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021 and is among Y Combinator’s top companies by revenue.

To apply, candidates are expected to submit a resume in English and a cover letter explaining their interest in the company and the role.

The employer is an equal-opportunity organization committed to building an inclusive workplace.