HR & Payroll Specialist - US/Canada

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 9 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 Wave 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. 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 disa…