How sustainability non-profit ATP manages talent across multiple African markets

Organizations launching projects in Africa from overseas quickly discover that multi-country payroll and compliance are a significant hurdle. Managing staff across multiple African markets is highly complex and the risks of non-compliance cannot be ignored, so selecting the right strategy for solving these requirements is crucial.

This blog explains how Allied Talent Partners (ATP) overcame the challenges of multi-country payroll and compliance. By selecting a partner that could respond to their needs with robust processes and agility, ATP was able to launch with minimal friction.

Within months they were hiring staff and contractors across Africa, from Malawi to Côte d’Ivoire, and delivering positive impact much faster.

ATP’s mission for positive impact across Africa

Allied Talent Partners (ATP) is an international, not-for-profit organization. Their innovative talent marketplace connects experienced professionals with opportunities in sustainable development and emerging economies.

By providing key talent at just the right moment, ATP helps organizations across the public and private sectors to overcome limitations in capacity, remove bottlenecks, and accelerate beneficial projects across Africa.

Many of these projects operate on tight timelines. Specialized talent may be needed to complete a specific project, or to fill temporary positions in key leadership or advisory roles. By quickly filling these gaps, ATP can revive stalled projects and help them deliver more impact.

To provide high-quality solutions, ATP’s marketplace aggregates the best talent across the entire African continent and matches each one with stakeholders in their African ecosystem.  This is an innovative business model; instead of hiring employees, they contract independent professionals and consultants to work on specific projects on a fixed-term basis.

The potential impact is huge, but the difficulty of managing staff and talent legally and compliantly was a clear obstacle.

Preparing to launch

ATP needed to hire local teams and manage contractors across the continent, without any restrictions. They had to be able to hire the right talent for stakeholders, regardless of whether they were based in Zambia, Kenya, South Africa, or Malawi. Most importantly, they needed end-to-end compliance and benefits administration.

Compliance is a significant factor for any organization, but for ATP’s market segment it has enhanced significance. To attract the best talent, they must demonstrate they are a reliable partner; one that always hires legally, compliantly, and offers good benefits like medical cover and pensions.

However, as a US-based company they were unable to hire employees directly, at least not without first forming an entity or subsidiary in each country.

This process can be notoriously costly and slow, with different requirements in each country. Considering the complex compliance landscape across Africa countries, ATP needed a way to meet all requirements without adding friction.

With this in mind, Sarah McNeilly (Managing Director at ATP), started to look for an Employer of Record (EOR) provider that could also offer an Agency of Record (AOR) service to power their talent marketplace.

Key selection criteria emerged:

• An Africa-based provider.
• Flexibility to use both EOR and AOR solutions.
• A partner willing to build the right-fit solution with ATP.
• Coverage across the continent, from Algeria to Zambia.
• The ability to hire contractors on a fixed-term basis.
• Full compliance across all markets.

How ATP selected the best-fit partner for their African growth

ATP’s entry into the African market came at a pivotal moment in their growth journey. It was important that they select the right partner for this stage, because they needed more than just a solution. They needed a partner that could match their need for flexibility and agility with the capacity to pivot and develop new solutions.

They also wanted to select an African provider that could leverage physical presence and pan-African expertise to support ATP’s goals. After looking at numerous options for EOR providers, Sarah McNeilly found that Workpay was the only partner that ‘checked all the boxes’.

“I wanted an African company to help us build our African company… We wanted to hire contractors all across the continent, from Zambia to Malawi to Cote d'Ivoire to Senegal to Kenya. I needed someone who had that coverage.”

• Sarah McNeilly, MD at ATP

By partnering with Workpay, ATP could ensure that compliance, medical coverage, and other benefits would be entirely taken care of. As well as leveraging the EOR model to hire staff directly, ATP found that Workpay had the flexibility and capability to adapt.

Together, they could create a tailor-made AOR offering that could support ATP’s talent marketplace.

What benefits has this partnership delivered for ATP?

Compliance across Africa: ATP knows that compliance, benefits, and all legal requirements are fully covered, and multi-country payroll is easy to manage.

Focus and speed: Instead of losing their forward momentum, they can focus on finding the right talent and delivering impact. With coverage across the continent and the ability to pivot between EOR and AOR models, they can operate without restrictions.

“I worry less about being compliant. I worry less because I have a trusted partner.”

• Sarah McNeilly, MD at ATP

Direct contact: The day-to-day collaboration is very effective. ATP has a designated contact person, who is always available, informed, and capable of solving queries. The communication is open, allowing continuous improvement on both sides of the partnership. This feedback loop means that processes become more efficient and comprehensive, and regular updates mean that everyone is kept informed.

Low-touch, robust processes: As a part of this partnership, ATP and Workpay have also co-created processes for onboarding. These allow them to set up one or two onboardings per week with minimal effort. Because these processes have been rigorously set up, ATP knows that they can be trusted and do not need monitoring or oversight. They just work.

“It just works like clockwork...Allied Talent Partners’ success is Workpay’s success, and I have no doubt that they are going to continue to be there to grow with us.”

• Sarah McNeilly, MD at ATP

Key takeaways for a successful African launch:

• Draw up a list of all countries on your roadmap
• Determine which HR/payroll tasks you plan to manage in-house (eventually)
• Decide which you can initially outsource (reduce time-to-market and risk)
• Create a clear ‘must have’ list of requirements for providers
• Write a shortlist of candidate providers
• Discuss your requirements with potential candidates
• Eliminate ones that don’t offer the coverage, services, or flexibility required

As Allied Talent Partners has demonstrated, by carefully selecting a partner that can support every stage of your growth plan, organizations can easily manage the complexity and risk of expanding across multiple African markets.

Want to compare notes on multi-country payroll readiness? Reach out for a strategic conversation.