1. Quantity Surveyor

2. Senior Payroll Accountant

Tatu City Careers: Quantity Surveyor and Senior Payroll Accountant Opportunities

Tatu City Limited has opportunities for experienced professionals in two very different areas of its operations. The available positions for a Quantity Surveyor and Senior Payroll Accountant are both full-time roles based in Kiambu, but each requires a distinct professional background and a strong level of practical experience.

One position sits within the construction and project environment, where cost planning, contracts, procurement and financial control are central to the work. The other is positioned within Finance and focuses on managing payroll across multiple Kenyan legal entities, statutory compliance, payroll accounting, variable compensation and future systems development.

For professionals considering either opportunity, the requirements point to roles where accuracy, technical knowledge and the ability to take ownership of complex responsibilities are particularly important.

Quantity Surveying at the centre of project cost control

The Quantity Surveyor position is designed for a professional who understands the financial side of major construction projects. The role involves much more than calculating individual project costs. It covers the process from early estimates and budgeting through procurement, contract administration, financial monitoring and final account settlement.

A major part of the work begins during the planning stages of a project. The Quantity Surveyor will prepare preliminary cost estimates, feasibility studies and detailed budgets across different design stages. Bills of Quantities and tender documents will also form part of the work, requiring the professional to understand both the financial and technical sides of construction.

Cost control continues after the initial budget has been established. The successful candidate will monitor project expenditure, forecast final costs and track whether projects remain within their financial constraints. Completed work will need to be valued, with interim valuations and progress payment certifications forming part of the financial management process.

The role also requires the Quantity Surveyor to look for ways of achieving value without compromising quality. This includes advising on cost-efficient materials and construction methods and applying value engineering where appropriate.

Construction procurement requires commercial judgement

Procurement and tendering form another significant part of the Quantity Surveyor's responsibilities. The professional will support contractor and subcontractor selection and participate in bid evaluations.

Tender and contract costs will need to be prepared, analysed and negotiated. The Quantity Surveyor will also recommend suitable procurement approaches, including traditional and design-and-build arrangements.

This means the role requires someone who can assess construction costs while understanding how procurement decisions affect the wider financial position of a project. Experience with large-scale residential complexes and industrial warehouses is particularly relevant to the position.

The successful candidate is expected to have at least five years of hands-on, site-based supervision experience in large-scale residential complexes and/or industrial warehouses. A solid understanding of the Kenyan construction market, including relevant suppliers and contractors, is also required.

Contracts, claims and financial risks

Construction projects can involve changes, claims and disagreements, making contract administration an important part of the Quantity Surveyor's responsibilities.

The role requires experience administering contracts such as FIDIC, as well as an understanding of other contract forms including JCT and NEC. The successful professional will handle claims, disputes and extension-of-time requests and work with legal teams when contractual matters require further attention.

Financial risks must also be identified before they become larger problems. The Quantity Surveyor will be expected to propose mitigation strategies and support risk assessment through effective site reporting and documentation.

Strong reporting skills are therefore important. Progress tracking, identifying risks and documenting corrective actions are all part of the position. The professional will also need to interpret engineering drawings, Bills of Quantities and construction methodologies when carrying out technical and commercial assessments.

The work does not end when construction is completed. Final accounts must be concluded, including the treatment of variations and retention releases. Outstanding disputes and other financial matters will need to be resolved, while post-project cost analysis can help capture lessons from completed work.

Professional standing matters in the Quantity Surveyor role

The position requires a Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Building Economics or a related field from a recognised institution. A Master's degree is preferred.

Professional registration is also required. Candidates should be registered with the Board of Registered Architects and Quantity Surveyors of Kenya or an equivalent regulatory body. Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is desirable, while membership of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is considered a strong advantage.

The role calls for a combination of technical and commercial ability. Analytical and problem-solving skills are important, particularly when interpreting construction information and dealing with costs, contracts and disputes.

For a professional who has developed substantial site experience and understands the financial management of large construction projects, the position offers a broad Quantity Surveying remit rather than a role limited to estimating alone.

A payroll role built around accuracy and control

The Senior Payroll Accountant opportunity takes a completely different direction. Based within Finance, the position carries responsibility for accurate, timely and compliant payroll across Tatu City's Kenyan legal entities.

The role covers the complete payroll cycle. This includes collecting and validating information such as new employees, exits, salary changes, overtime, leave, allowances and deductions before calculating gross-to-net pay and preparing the necessary payment information.

Because payroll operates across multiple legal entities, the position also requires separate and auditable payroll arrangements for each entity. The Senior Payroll Accountant will maintain relevant registrations, pay groups and cost centres while handling inter-entity secondments, recharges and staff cost allocations.

Accuracy is supported by strong controls. The position involves maker-checker reviews, separation of duties, controls over employee master data and bank-detail changes, and maintaining a clear audit trail for adjustments.

Payroll variance analysis is another important responsibility. The successful professional will review changes in headcount, gross pay, statutory deductions and net pay before payroll is released according to the established payroll calendar.

Kenyan statutory compliance is a major responsibility

The payroll position requires detailed knowledge of Kenyan payroll legislation and statutory requirements. PAYE calculations, filing and remittance through KRA iTax form part of the role, alongside other statutory obligations involving bodies and schemes such as SHA and NSSF.

The Senior Payroll Accountant will also need to monitor changes in legislation and ensure that payroll systems and processes are updated accordingly. This requires keeping current with changes that affect employee taxation, deductions and payroll reporting.

The role also involves handling taxable benefits and other compensation elements. These may include company cars, housing, employer-paid school fees, club memberships, meals and staff loans, as well as per diems and reimbursements.

Year-end work includes preparing P9 forms, completing payroll reconciliations and supporting employees with their annual iTax returns. The position will also respond to compliance checks and audits involving KRA, SHA and NSSF.

Confidentiality is equally important. Payroll contains employee personal information, so the role requires appropriate handling of payroll data in line with the Data Protection Act, 2019.

Commissions, expatriate pay and complex compensation

The payroll position goes beyond ordinary monthly salaries. A particularly important area involves property sales commissions.

The Senior Payroll Accountant will calculate commissions according to approved plans, including arrangements involving milestones, split sales, tiered rates, accelerators and clawbacks. Calculations will need to be reconciled with the CRM, sales ledger and cash collections before payment.

The role also covers bonuses, retention payments and various allowances, together with staff loans, salary advances and employee property purchase or discount schemes. The successful professional must ensure that these different forms of compensation receive the appropriate payroll and statutory treatment.

Expatriate payroll adds another layer of complexity. The position requires experience with tax residency assessments, net-to-gross calculations, tax-protected or tax-equalised packages and split or shadow payroll arrangements.

The professional will also work with HR and immigration advisers on matters connected to work permits, dependant passes, KRA PIN registration and the relationship between immigration status and payroll status. Foreign employees' social security position, arrival and departure payroll events and year-end tax equalisation are also covered.

Payroll accounting is more than processing salaries

The Senior Payroll Accountant will also connect payroll activity with the wider accounting function. Payroll journals must be posted to the general ledger for each entity and cost centre, while payroll control accounts, statutory liabilities, net-pay clearing accounts, staff loans and advances require regular reconciliation.

The position includes calculating month-end accruals and provisions for areas such as bonuses, commissions, leave pay and gratuity in line with IFRS requirements relating to employee benefits.

Payroll and staff-cost reporting will be prepared by entity, department and project, including headcount, costs and budget-versus-actual information. The role will also support annual budgeting and forecasting and act as a key payroll contact during internal and external audits.

The future of the payroll function is part of the role

One distinctive feature of the Senior Payroll Accountant position is its involvement in the planned 2027 migration to a Tier-1 ERP.

The successful candidate will lead the payroll workstream during the migration, contributing to requirements and process design, data cleansing, system integration, parallel payroll runs, testing, cut-over and post-launch support.

The role also requires the individual to act as the Sage 300 People super-user, maintaining payroll elements, statutory tables and entity configurations while developing standard reports.

Process improvement is therefore part of the job. The Senior Payroll Accountant will maintain payroll policies, procedures, the annual payroll calendar and controls matrix while looking for opportunities to simplify and automate manual processes.

Two senior opportunities requiring proven experience

Although the Quantity Surveyor and Senior Payroll Accountant positions belong to completely different professional disciplines, both demand candidates who can take responsibility for technically demanding work.

The Quantity Surveyor position requires a minimum of five years of hands-on site-based experience, particularly in large residential complexes and/or industrial warehouses, together with knowledge of FIDIC contracts, cost management, construction documentation and dispute-related processes.

The Senior Payroll Accountant position requires seven to eight years of progressive payroll and payroll accounting experience, preferably involving multiple legal entities. A Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or a related field is required, together with CPA (K) and ICPAK membership in good standing. ACCA or an equivalent qualification may also be considered.

The payroll position further calls for strong knowledge of Kenyan payroll law, experience with expatriate payroll and complex variable compensation, and strong working knowledge of Sage 300 People or a comparable payroll system. Advanced Excel skills and an understanding of IFRS payroll accounting are also required.

For both positions, the level of experience requested indicates that these are opportunities for professionals who can work independently, maintain high standards of accuracy and manage responsibilities with significant financial or operational consequences.

Professionals whose experience closely matches either vacancy can therefore consider the relevant Tatu City opportunity based on their area of expertise: construction cost and contract management for the Quantity Surveyor position, or multi-entity payroll, statutory compliance and financial control for the Senior Payroll Accountant role.

Application

• Quantity Surveyor

• Senior Payroll Accountant