Our mission
We’re making Africa the first cashless continent.
In 2017, over half the population in Sub-Saharan Africa had no bank account. That’s for good reason—the fees are too high, the closest branch can be miles away, and nobody takes cards. Without access to financial institutions, people are forced to keep their savings under the mattress. Small business owners rely on lenders who charge extortionate rates. Parents spend hours waiting in line to pay school fees in cash.
We’re solving this by building financial services that just work: no account fees, instantly available, and accepted everywhere. In places where electricity, water and roads don’t always work, you can still send money with Wave. In 2017, we launched a mobile app in Senegal for cash deposit, withdrawal, and peer-to-peer and business payments. Now, we have millions of users across six countries and are growing fast.
Our goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that’s where you come in…..

How you’ll help us achieve it
As a Payroll & Benefits Manager with a proactive attitude and a strong drive for results, you will spearhead and manage payroll and benefits operations as we expand our business rapidly in Senegal.

In this role, you’ll
Payroll management :
• Develop and implement country strategies, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with local regulations and company standards.
• Manage a team of payroll professionals, ensuring accurate and timely payment of salaries, taxes, and benefits.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders such as HR, finance, legal, and IT departments to streamline payroll processes and resolve any issues and discrepancies.
• Ensure compliance with local tax laws, labor regulations, and reporting requirements in each country of operation.
• Manage relationships with external payroll vendors, service providers, and government agencies to ensure smooth payroll operations.
• Provide guidance and support to local payroll teams or vendors to address complex payroll matters.
• Conduct regular audits and reviews of payroll data to identify and rectify errors, discrepancies, or areas for improvement.
• Keep abreast of payroll laws, regulations, and best practices changes, and implement necessary updates or adjustments.
• Analyze payroll-related data and metrics to generate insights and reports for management review and decision-making.
• Lead payroll projects, such as system implementations, process improvements, or expansion into new markets.

Benefits Administration management
• Supervise a team responsible for benefits administration
• Collaborate with HR departments and management to develop effective benefits strategies.
• Manage administration of health insurance, retirement, disability, and other employee benefits plans.
• Ensure that benefits programs comply with relevant laws and regulations.
• Conduct thorough fraud analysis of benefits programs, including vacation, gym, lunch, and travel expenses, to identify potential cases for investigation by the HR team.
• Manage relationships with benefits vendors.
• Monitor benefits costs and propose measures to optimize spending.
• Provide support and service to employees for all benefits-related inquiries.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records on employee benefits.
• Along with Wave’s HR teams:
• Analyze market trends and best practices in benefits to propose improvements.
• Design, implement, and manage employee benefits programs.

Key details
• The location is based primarily in Dakar, with possible short-term relocation within Senegal.
• Work authorization in Senegal is required.
• This is a permanent position.
Our salaries are competitive and calculated using a transparent formula. We run performance reviews twice a year and award bonuses to strong performers who have been with the company for more than 6 months.
We offer generous health insurance for yourself and your dependents.
We support working parents – we offer 26 weeks of parental leave for mothers and 4 weeks for fathers, in addition to subsidized child care when they return to work.
Airtime reimbursement.
Free food and a beautiful office space.


Requirements
• + 8 years experience in a previous role, ideally for an international company.
• Proven experience in managing payroll teams.
• Proficiency in basic accounting principles, including understanding financial transactions, performing calculations, and interpreting financial data in compliance with accounting standards.
• Strong knowledge of the Senegalese labor and HR compliance.
• Experience with major payroll software such as Workday, ADP Workforce Now, and Sage.
• Proficient in MS Office (especially Excel).
• Proficiency in English, with the ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• At least a Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Human Resources.

You might be a good fit if you
• Are excessively detail-oriented and seek to achieve excellence in everything you do.
• Have exceptional leadership skills.
• Demonstrate tenacity and a willingness to go the distance to get something done.
• Adjust quickly to changing priorities and conditions and cope effectively with complexity and change.
• Are analytical in your approach to problems.
• Have strong organizational skills.

Our team
• We have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte D’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gambia, and Uganda, plus remote team members spread across the world.
• We’re deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.
• We foster autonomy for our employees. You’ll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.
• We raised the largest Series A in Africa in 2021. Our world-class investors, include Founders Fund, Sequoia Heritage, Stripe, Ribbit Capital, Y Combinator, and Partech Africa.
• In 2022, we were on Y Combinator’s top 50 companies by revenue.

How to apply
Fill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.
We review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.
Wave is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.