{"id":226407,"url":"https://alion.io/job/wave-hr-payroll-specialist-uscanada","title":"HR & Payroll Specialist - US/Canada","company":{"id":65,"name":"Wave","domain":"wave.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/wave","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":6,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.5,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":68,"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"}},"role":"HR","role_family":"HR","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":null,"max":115200,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":115200},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Google Sheets","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-05-20T12:58:11Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-14","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:22Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":156,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":156},"description":"Our mission\nWe're making Africa the first cashless continent.\nIn 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.\nWe'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 9 countries and are growing fast.\nOur goal is to make Africa the first cashless continent and that's where you come in...\nHow you’ll help us achieve it \nWave is now the largest financial institution in Senegal, with over 7 million users. And, we’re still in the early days of our product roadmap and potential impact on people’s everyday lives. We are looking for an experienced Data Analyst to join our People Tech team. \nAs 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.\nIn this role, you’ll;\nProcess multi-state payroll, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations.\nEnsure 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.\nManage relationships with external payroll providers across assigned regions.\nMaintain payroll records, process adjustments, and address payroll-related queries promptly.\nIdentify and implement improvements in payroll systems and workflows to enhance efficiency and accuracy.\nSupport internal and external payroll audits.\nU.S./Canada specifics: \nApply knowledge of IRS guidelines and forms: (W-2, W-4).\nApply knowledge of immigration guidelines, as needed.\nFringe benefits taxation and reporting, FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) and overtime classification rules. \nSupport ACA compliance, in collaboration with benefits brokers.\nEnsure compliance with CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) and provincial payroll tax rules.\nAdminister contributions and filings: EI, CPP, QPP, T4, T4A, R1, ROE.\nHR & Benefits Operations:\nOversee HR administrative tasks such as employee onboarding, health insurance setup, open enrollment, and compliance with local labor laws.\nServe as the point of contact for HR and benefits-related queries from employees, offering guidance on salary, benefits, and employment policies.\nOversee public and private healthcare coverage, including renewals and employee communication.\nSupport the design and implementation of HR policies and procedures that align with company objectives and local laws.\nAssist in handling sensitive HR cases, including employee relations, contract management, and terminations.\nCollaborate with global HR and finance teams to align payroll and HR practices across regions.\nMaintain relationships with misc. vendors, brokers, CSMs, accounting firms, etc.\nU.S./Canada specifics: \nAdminister health and retirement benefits: open enrollment, renewals, 401(k), ERISA, HSA, COBRA.\nManage leave programs: PTO, sick leave, and state-specific paid leave laws.\nHandle disability claims (short and long-term) and workers' compensation.\nEnsure compliance with employment regulations, including I-9 verification, E-Verify, and background checks.\nSupport statutory leave programs: maternity, parental (EI-funded), sick leave, bereavement leave.\nManage provincial workers’ compensation programs (e.g., WSIB in Ontario).\nEnsure compliance with employment standards acts (e.g., Ontario ESA, BC ESA).\nHandle background checks, just cause termination, and constructive dismissal processes.\nKey Details\nCandidates must be based in the Eastern Time Zone, USA\nWave covers travel once per year to one of our operating countries in Africa, as well as a yearly stipend of $1,200 to meet with coworkers.\nOur salaries are competitive and are calculated using a transparent formula. For this role, we are offering a salary of up to $115,200 USD plus a generous equity package.\nMajor benefits:\nSubsidized health insurance for you and your dependents and retirement contributions (both vary from country to country).\n6 months of fully paid parental leave and subsidized fertility assistance.\nFlexible vacation, with most folks taking between 21-30 days exclusive of statutory holidays.\n$10,000 annual charitable donation matching.\nRequirements\n7+ years of experience in global payroll management, with a strong focus on the US and Canada.\nBachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field.\nPayroll/HR Certification : US: CPP (Certified Payroll Professional).\nCanada: CPP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) or CPM (Certified Payroll Manager) and any other HR certification (PHR, CPHR…).\n\nDeep understanding of tax regulations, and employment laws in the US and Canada.\nProven ability to navigate complex payroll and HR challenges, offering innovative solutions while maintaining compliance.\nDemonstrated organizational skills and a strong sense of ownership. \nStrong Google Sheets knowledge, analytical skills and flux analysis.\nExperience with major payroll and HR software such as Workday, Gusto, ADP Workforce Now…\nBonus points if you have: \nEquity compensation and expat payroll knowledge\nGlobal mobility practices and employee relocation knowledge\nExperience with benefits management outside the US\nExposure to payroll processing in other European/African countries\nExperience using BambooHR, Insperity, Dayforce or Payslip\nYou might be a good fit if you \nKnow the value of an excellent employee experience and are eager to provide support to employees.\nAre excessively detail-oriented and seek to achieve excellence in everything you do.\nAre driven to face tasks head-on, complete them efficiently, and move on to the next ones.\nAre eager to think outside of the box when faced with potential roadblocks.\nAre eager to leverage both internal and external data to guide our decision-making.\nHave previously worked for a remote company and enjoy working independently and within a team.\nAre a self-starter and proactive about achieving ambitious targets.\nOur team\nWe have a rapidly growing in-country team in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Uganda, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon plus remote team members spread across the world.\nWe're deeply passionate about our mission of bringing radically affordable financial services to the people who need them most.\nWe foster autonomy for our employees. You'll own your projects at every stage, from understanding the problem to monitoring your solution in production.\nWe 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.\nWe are on Y Combinator's top companies by revenue.\nHow to apply\nFill out the form below, and upload a resume in English and a cover letter describing your interest in Wave and the role.\nWe review applications frequently and recommend that you apply to the role that most closely aligns with your skills, experience and career goals.\nWave is an equal-opportunity employer. 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