Description PayInc is a purpose-driven payments provider building on over 50 years of trusted history in South Africa’s payments ecosystem. Our mission is to connect people, businesses, and economies through secure, efficient and inclusive digital payments infrastructure and be a catalyst for financial inclusion and economic growth. From EFTs and cards to PayShap, PayInc provides the backbone that enables money to move safely across the economy. At our core, we exist to make great connections, empowering participation, enabling growth, and ensuring no one is left behind. PURPOSE As Senior Manager Total Rewards you are responsible for the design, governance and management of the organisation’s remuneration, benefits, recognition and reward strategies to ensure a compelling employee value proposition, regulatory compliance and supporting a high-performance culture. The role provides strategic execution on compensation, benefits, job architecture, incentive structures and reward governance while enabling PayInc to attract, motivate, and retain critical skills in support of a high-performance and values-led culture. You will engage with the following stakeholders: CPO CEO ExCo Finance Audit NomRemCom Your key responsibilities include: Total Rewards Strategy Develop and execute a multi-year Total Rewards strategy aligned to business objectives, workforce needs, regulatory changes, and market competitiveness Maintain and evolve remuneration philosophy, governance frameworks, principles and policies (e.g., pay philosophy, job architecture, pay mix). Ensure compliance with labour legislation (BCEA, LRA, EEA), SARB/NPS regulatory expectations, King IV, and tax requirements. Lead annual Nomination Remuneration Committee (NomRemCom) submissions, modelling, and remuneration reviews Ensure Rewards practices support performance, accountability and talent retention Partner closely with Finance on budgeting, workforce planning and incentive modelling Compensation And Benefits Management Provide insights to salary benchmarking, market analysis and remuneration reviews Oversee annual salary reviews and incentive processes Manage and enhance short-term and long-term incentive frameworks Support internal equity and consistency across remuneration decisions Lead executive and critical talent reward structures in partnership with CPO and CEO Oversee employee benefits programmes including medical aid, retirement funds, risk benefits and wellness offerings Ensure benefits remain competitive and aligned to employee needs. Organisational Grading Partner with Human Capital Business Partners in the governance of job evaluation, job grading, and job architecture frameworks Ensure alignment between role scope, level and remuneration Maintain competitive salary structures, pay scales and bands using South African and global fintech/payments benchmarks. Conduct regular market benchmarking and external participation in reward surveys (e.g., PwC, Mercer, REMchannel). Reward Governance & Compliance Ensure compliance with all relevant labour legislation, tax regulations, governance requirement and remuneration standards Develop and evolve reward-related policies, frameworks and approval processes Support audit, risk and NomRemCom requirements Stakeholder Management Act as trusted advisor to executives and business leaders on reward-related matters Manage relationships with benefit providers, consultants and brokers Support Human Capital Business Partners and Talent Acquisition Partners with remuneration guidance and reward related matters Drive data-driven decision making and inputs Provide insights and recommendations to executive leadership based on market and workforce data Produce insights on pay equity, pay gaps, internal parity, turnover cost, critical skills shortages. Lead EE and pay audit reporting ensuring compliance with regulatory submissions Payroll Governance Oversee payroll governance, accuracy, reconciliation and statutory compliance. Implement controls, audit readiness, and system improvements to ensure accuracy and risk mitigation. Leverage HRIS to improve automation and reward reporting. Key Capabilities & Skills Deep knowledge of Total Rewards, job evaluation (e.g., Paterson, Hay, Mercer), and remuneration methodologies. Analytics and financial modelling abilities. Strong understanding of South African reward legislation, tax optimisation and governance. Understanding of Tech talent markets (engine