People Operations Coordinator

About the Job:

In preparation for Sama’s next phase of growth, we are searching for a seasoned People Operations Coordinator; you are an individual who can think beyond People Operations and People Management, be agile and solution-oriented.

This role will be based in Gulu and will support all aspects of the People Operations function across East Africa, with a focus on employee issue resolution, communication, employee experience, payroll, statutory changes, and short-term contracts. 

The People Operations Coordinator will be a key partner to the Senior Program People Operations Manager and will report directly to this position. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Payroll: Manage payroll data and validation, resolve payroll issues, oversee end-to-end payroll processing and reporting. Handle HRIS platforms such as Sage, Zoho, Netsuite, or similar systems. Partner with the Payroll Manager for East Africa (EA) to ensure smooth payroll operations.
• Provide payroll support to address employee queries in a timely and accurate manner.
• Act as the People Operations point of contact for the Gulu delivery center, ensuring a customer-centric approach to all matters.
• Collaboration: Work closely with the Benefits Administrator to address benefits-related needs in Gulu. 
• Partner with the Contracts Administrator to ensure that contracting requests are complete, timely, and understood by employees.
• Assist with employee separation processes, including resignation, clearance documentation, and ensuring a positive exit experience in collaboration with the Contracts Administrator.
• Support the Records Department in ensuring that staff change records are accurately shared and managed.
• Collaborate with the East Africa People Operations team to ensure smooth onboarding for both physical and virtual employees.
• Work closely with Bench Management personnel to ensure effective staff transitions, logical movement of staff on the bench, and support for initiatives across East Africa.
• Assist with the implementation and adherence to People Operations policies, contributing to the development of new policies based on trends, emerging issues, or feedback.
• Perform other related duties as assigned by the line manager
  

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities, Sociology, or a related field, plus a Diploma in Human Resources.
• 3 years of experience in a People Operations-related role, with hands-on experience using HRIS systems.
• Excellent knowledge of employment laws, particularly within East Africa.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to create reports and presentations (e.g., PowerPoint).
• Ability to prioritize tasks and work with a sense of urgency.
• Strong time management and analytical skills, with the ability to work independently and as part of a team.  

Required:

• A commitment to confidentiality and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• An interest in Gen Z, impact, diversity, and culture—someone who is a fast learner and adaptable.
• A people person who is energetic, engaging, and capable of building authentic connections with colleagues.
• Naturally authentic, empathetic, and genuinely caring.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Preference for candidates residing in Gulu or its surrounding areas. 

About the People Team: “We are a power team, comprised of great people from diverse backgrounds. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it strengthens our company. We bring the ‘humanity’ into employment experiences."

About Sama 

Sama provides high-quality training data that powers AI technology for Fortune 2000 companies such as Google, Walmart, Ford, Microsoft, and Marriott. We’re experts in data curation and data annotation for 2D and 3D image, video, and sensor data for machine learning algorithms. Sama offers the highest quality SLAs in the industry, along with cutting-edge ML-assisted annotation tools, QA processes, and security and compliance standards. 

Founded in 2008 on the belief that “talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not”, Sama is driven by the mission to expand opportunities for those who are underprivileged. As a certified B-corp, Sama has provided worker training programs to increase economic opportunity for more than 13,000 people from underserved communities. By connecting our customers with amazing talent in East Africa, we've impacted more than 59,000 workers and their dependents.

Today, our vision is to provide data scientists, ML engineers, and data operations teams with an indispensable, integrated platform for AI data preparation, labeling, and collection. 

For more information, visit www.sama.com.

More information can be found at:

• Featured in Forbes: How Ethical Is Your AI?
• Sama Honored on Inc. Magazine’s Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies — the Inc. 5000
• Reversing Poverty - Ted Talk by our founder Leila Janah

Our Culture:

Sama is quite unique. We are a technology company with a social mission. People that thrive in a high-growth environment, love working on the bleeding edge of technology, and really care about having a positive impact on the world are a great fit for the Sama culture. Our core values are One Team, One Goal - Deliver. Period. - Trust & Transparency - Customer First - Humanity.

Our Benefits:

Sama is proud to offer competitive compensation corresponding to market data & level of experience. Sama also offers benefits packages based on country of employment, including but not limited to medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, holiday and vacation policies, professional development stipends and a paid sabbatical program. Our Talent Acquisition team would be happy to discuss our benefits packages with you in more detail during the interview process.

At Sama, we pride ourselves in being a diverse and equal opportunity employer.