Payroll Specialist

Department

HR / Payroll / Shared Services

Reporting To

Payroll Manager / HR Manager

Purpose of Role

The Payroll Specialist will be responsible for processing accurate, timely payrolls for employees deployed in Saudi Arabia (and potentially other KSA-based entities), ensuring full compliance with KSA labour law, social insurance (GOSI), WPS, expatriate/iqama requirements, and will also manage and configure the ZenHR platform to support payroll, time-attendance, leave, and employee self-service workflows.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Compliance (KSA)

• Collect, validate and process monthly payroll inputs (salaries, overtime, allowances, deductions, leave / absence).
• Built In+4
• Wuzzuf+4
• Calculate statutory contributions (GOSI for Saudis, any expatriate equivalents if applicable), WPS compliance, end-of-service benefits, final settlement for off-boarding employees. Built In+2
• Maintain and update payroll records, reconciliations, reporting (monthly, annually) and support audit functions.
• Serve as point of contact for employee queries regarding payroll, benefits, payslips, and ensure timely resolution.
• Keep abreast of changes in Saudi labour law, Saudization requirements (Nitaqat), visa/iqama/immigration controls, and ensure compliance across payroll-HR interface. Built In+1

ZenHR HRMS Implementation & Administration

• Configure, maintain and optimise the ZenHR platform modules relevant to payroll, time & attendance, leave/absences, employee self-service (ESS) and manager self-service (MSS) for the Saudi operations. ZenHR HRMS+2
• Capterra+2
• Work with provider or internal technical team to ensure localisation settings (Arabic/English interface, WPS, GOSI, social security, tax/deductions) are correctly applied for KSA. ZenHR HRMS+1
• Develop and maintain dashboards, reports and analytics from ZenHR for payroll/HR KPIs (e.g., overtime, leave usage, cost per employee). Capterra+1
• Train HR colleagues and end-users (employees & managers) on ZenHR functionalities (salary slips, leave requests, attendance clocking, mobile app). Capterra+1
• Liaise with IT/finance/HR teams to ensure integrations (e.g., payroll output files for banking, GOSI portal feeds) and troubleshoot issues.

Shared Services / Process Improvement

• Collaborate with the finance, accounting, HR shared-services teams to align payroll data with general ledger, cost centre allocations, accruals.
• Identify process improvements in payroll/HR operations (especially via ZenHR automation), propose and implement best practices.
• Support off-boarding, transfers, promotions and salary changes ensuring payroll inputs reflect HR changes promptly.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting or related field.
• Minimum 3-5 years of payroll experience (ideally in Saudi Arabia or GCC), with strong exposure to KSA payroll and labour regulation. Wuzzuf+2
• GulfTalent+2
• Proven experience using HRMS / Payroll software; experience configuring or administering ZenHR is a
  strong advantage
  .
• English and Arabic language proficiency (both verbal & written) preferred.
• Strong knowledge of Saudi labour laws and regulations (GOSI, WPS, Saudization/Nitaqat, visa/iqama) and payroll practices in KSA. Built In+1
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, dashboards) plus ability to work with payroll output files and databases.
• Excellent attention to detail, confidentiality, organisational ability, ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Good communication and stakeholder management skills (employees, HR, finance, external providers).

Success Measures / KPIs

• Payroll processed with
  zero major errors
  (e.g., incorrect pays, late distributions).
• Timely compliance with statutory filings (GOSI, WPS) and audit readiness.
• High user adoption of ZenHR modules (e.g., ESS/MSS utilisation, leave requests via platform).
• Reduction in manual payroll/attendance-adjustment work and process improvements implemented.
• Positive employee feedback regarding payslip queries and self-service functionality.