Benefits Manager

Role Purpose

This position involves providing strategic leadership and operational oversight for employee benefits and payroll administration throughout Equity Bank's group entities in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and DRC Congo. The role aims to efficiently manage HR costs, coordinate benefits programs, ensure payroll accuracy, comply with statutory requirements, oversee account reconciliations, measure productivity metrics, and uphold service delivery standards. Responsibilities include optimizing employee cost structures and managing schemes such as Group Life, Medical, Group Personal Accident (GPA), Pension, and Benevolent funds. The role also focuses on automating key reward processes, reinforcing internal controls, maintaining audit-ready documentation, and ensuring regulatory alignment across multiple jurisdictions while coaching subsidiaries towards consistency and operational excellence in total rewards execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead management of HR benefits structures and staff cost leadership initiatives, ensuring alignment with Group policies.
• Oversee payroll support across multiple countries, ensuring adherence to service level agreements, minimal errors, and timely completion of annual reviews.
• Maintain precise administration of benefits including updates to Group Life, processing GPA claims, managing medical memberships, and pension plan administration.
• Support monthly reconciliations of HR financial accounts such as Oracle disbursements with a commitment to 100% accuracy in medical databases and pension trustee accounts.
• Drive automation projects for benevolent benefit management and other workflow improvements by collaborating with key stakeholders.
• Ensure full compliance with statutory obligations across all operating regions, achieving zero penalties or operational losses.
• Maintain comprehensive audit-ready documents and provide support during internal and external audits.
• Promote risk awareness, strengthen internal controls, and manage an updated risk register related to benefits.
• Conduct at least two staff education sessions quarterly to increase awareness of benefits.
• Ensure timely delivery of benefits services and collaborate with medical teams to guarantee full medical coverage and swift resolution of employee queries.

Core Accountabilities and Deliverables

• Financial Accountability: Avoid penalties and operational losses through stringent compliance and financial controls; ensure accurate monthly reconciliations by the 5th; maintain precise general ledger postings and audit-ready financial documentation.
• People Accountability: Strengthen benefits teams by providing training, coaching, and technical support; foster engagement and transparency in addressing employee and stakeholder inquiries; conduct a minimum of two benefits education sessions per quarter.
• Processes and Systems Accountability: Ensure full adherence to benefits and payroll SLAs; promote automation, standardization, and digital transformation to minimize manual processes and improve accuracy; maintain up-to-date SOPs and benefits governance frameworks; oversee periodic internal control self-assessments and process reviews.

Qualifications

• Technical Skills: Compensation and benefits administration; multicountry payroll and statutory compliance; benefit accounting and financial reconciliations; HRIS/ERP systems for payroll, medical, and pension; group life, medical, GPA, and pension scheme management; risk management and internal control; data accuracy, reporting, and analytics; SLA and service delivery governance.
• Leadership Competencies: Analytical thinking and problem-solving; stakeholder management and communication; capacity building and coaching; change management and process transformation; maintaining integrity, confidentiality, professional conduct; decision-making and accountability.

Experience Requirements

• At least seven years of HR experience with direct involvement in compensation, benefits, and multicountry payroll and benefits processes.
• Expertise in HR systems, payroll legislation, and benefit regulations for Kenya and regional markets.
• Strong skills in financial reconciliations, statutory reporting, and internal control frameworks.
• Proven track record managing group life, medical, GPA, pension, and other benefit schemes.
• Experience working within SLA-focused service frameworks and precise reporting structures.
• High standards of documentation, process discipline, and proactive resolution of issues.

Academic Qualifications and Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related fields.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA-Kenya) or Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) certification.
• Additional certification or diploma in Human Resources preferred.

Additional Information

• Employment Type: Full-time Permanent
• Job Level: Manager
• Shift: Day