Open to opportunities

Sarrian Pillay

@sarrianpillay

Message

Experienced payroll and HR data management specialist focused on accurate, compliant payroll delivery.

South Africa

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek a payroll/HR role where I can apply my payroll expertise, drive process improvements, work with modern payroll systems, and support a collaborative, compliance-focused team.

I am an experienced Payroll and Human Resources Data Management Specialist with extensive experience delivering accurate, compliant payrolls across South Africa and multiple African countries. I hold a Bachelor of Social Science (Industrial Organizational & Labour Studies; Management) and have worked on enterprise and outsourced payrolls, managing large headcounts and complex statutory requirements.

I excel at process improvement, ticketing and support workflows, and training users on payroll systems. My achievements include managing payrolls of up to ~6,000 employees, working with systems such as Sage VIP, SAP/Workday, ResourceLink and Jira, and delivering reliable payroll reconciliation, statutory submissions and payroll analytics.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Payroll Officer

Vector Logistics

Feb 2025 - Apr 2025 (2 months)

Managed end-to-end monthly payrolls for ~2,000 employees, ensured accurate statutory calculations, POPIA-compliant record keeping and provided payroll analytics to business stakeholders.

SAP GUI Workday Payroll Payroll Compliance Reporting

Payroll Analyst (Customer Support)

Omnipresent

Dec 2023 - Feb 2024 (2 months)

Supported UK and South Africa payroll clients remotely via ticketing systems, improved SLA metrics, drove process improvements and maintained up-to-date legislative guidance.

Payroll Support Jira Intercom SLA Management Process Improvement Knowledge Management

Freelance Payroll Consultant

Self Employed

Nov 2022 - Nov 2023 (1 year)

Resumed freelance payroll consulting for small businesses, handling payroll processing, statutory filings and client payroll support using Excel-based solutions.

Payroll Processing Excel)Statutory Filings client support Payroll Reconciliation Data Management Excel

Freelance Payroll Consultant

Self Employed

Nov 2019 - Jun 2022 (2 years 7 months)

Provided end-to-end payroll services to small and medium enterprises, performing gross-to-net calculations, statutory submissions and ad-hoc payroll analyses using Excel.

Excel Payroll PAYE UIF client support Payroll Reconciliation

Senior Payroll Consultant

The Employ Africa Group

Nov 2018 - Nov 2019 (1 year)

Delivered outsourced payroll services for ~2,500 employees across numerous African markets, maintained compliance, produced reconciliations and improved payroll auditability.

Sage VIP Premier Payroll Compliance Client Management Reporting GL Reconciliation Process Improvement

Payroll Officer

MassMart

Jul 2015 - Oct 2018 (3 years 3 months)

Managed payroll processing for ~6,000 employees across South Africa and multiple African countries, ensuring accurate fortnightly payrolls, statutory submissions and GL reconciliations.

Payroll Processing Sage VIP SAP Payroll Compliance Reconciliations PAYE UIF SDL Excel)Excel

HRBP Trainee

Alexander Forbes

Jun 2014 - May 2015 (11 months)

Supported HR procedures across the coastal region, assisting with policy implementation, benefits administration, recruitment and HR records maintenance to improve departmental efficiency.

HR & Administration Benefits Administration Recruitment Policy Implementation HRIS Reporting Employee Relations

Foreign Banking Consultant

Bidvest Bank

Apr 2013 - May 2014 (1 year 1 month)

Completed a structured learnership covering corporate, private, retail, investment and foreign banking, acquiring practical and theoretical banking experience.

Client Servicing Banking Operations Training & Compliance Communication Cash Management Documentation

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of KwaZulu-Natal

Bachelor of Social Science, Industrial Organizational and Labour Studies; Management

Three-year Bachelor of Social Science (NQF Level 7) with double majors in Industrial Organizational and Labour Studies and Management, completed in 2012.

Merebank Secondary School

Grade 12, General Secondary Education

Activities and societies: Served as a Prefect (2008).

Completed Grade 12 in 2008 with higher-grade subjects including English, Afrikaans, Mathematical Literacy, Accounting, Economics, and Business Studies.