How sustainably ATP manages talent across multiple African markets

Allied Talent Partners (ATP) is an international, not-for-profit organization that connects experienced professionals with opportunities in sustainable development and emerging economies. Their innovative talent marketplace aggregates the best talent across the African continent and matches each one with stakeholders in their African ecosystem. Many projects operate on tight timelines, with specialized talent needed to complete specific projects or fill temporary positions in key leadership or advisory roles.

As a US-based company, ATP was unable to hire employees directly without first forming an entity or subsidiary in each country. This process is notoriously costly and slow, with different requirements in each country. Considering the complex compliance landscape across African countries, ATP needed a way to meet all requirements without adding friction. They needed to hire local teams and manage contractors across the continent without restrictions, ensuring they could hire the right talent for stakeholders regardless of location—from Zambia to Kenya to South Africa to Malawi. Most importantly, they needed end-to-end compliance and benefits administration to attract the best talent and demonstrate they are a reliable partner that always hires legally, compliantly, and offers good benefits like medical cover and pensions.

ATP partnered with Workpay to provide both Employer of Record (EOR) and Agency of Record (AOR) services. Sarah McNeilly, Managing Director at ATP, selected Workpay based on specific criteria:

- An Africa-based provider with physical presence and pan-African expertise
- 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

Workpay was the only partner that "checked all the boxes." By partnering with Workpay, ATP could ensure that compliance, medical coverage, and other benefits would be entirely taken care of. Together, they created a tailor-made AOR offering that could support ATP's talent marketplace. ATP and Workpay co-created processes for onboarding that allow them to set up one or two onboardings per week with minimal effort. These processes have been rigorously set up so ATP knows they can be trusted and do not need monitoring or oversight.

ATP has achieved significant benefits from the partnership:

- Compliance across Africa is fully covered with multi-country payroll easily managed
- Can hire staff and contractors across Africa from Malawi to Côte d'Ivoire without restrictions
- Launched with minimal friction and began hiring across multiple African markets within months
- Low-touch, robust onboarding processes allow one to two onboardings per week with minimal effort
- Designated contact person is always available, informed, and capable of solving queries
- Direct communication enables continuous improvement on both sides of the partnership
- Can operate without restrictions, focusing on finding the right talent and delivering impact
- Processes work like clockwork, requiring no monitoring or oversight
- Flexibility to pivot between EOR and AOR models as needed