About EMPLOI
We're building the corridor between US companies and South African talent.
One route, done right. EMPLOI is the Employer of Record built exclusively for US companies hiring in South Africa - combining deep local labor expertise, world-class payroll infrastructure, and a talent bench that runs on the same clock as your team.
Our mission
Talent should move faster than paperwork.
South Africa has one of the deepest engineering, finance, and support talent pools in the emerging world - English-first, US-timezone-friendly, and priced 40–60% below equivalent US hires. And yet most US companies never touch it, because standing up an entity in South Africa is a nine-month legal project.
We built EMPLOI to make that nine months feel like nine days. You interview. We hire, pay, benefit, and protect. Your new team member starts on Monday.
One corridor. Deep expertise. Zero compromise on compliance.
What we believe
Four values we hire, fire, and ship by.
Compliance as craft
Employment law (BCEA), dismissal law (LRA), privacy law (POPIA), and tax (SARS) - we treat every clause as design. Zero shortcuts, zero surprises for our clients or our talent.
Talent-first, always
Great placements need great homes. We pay fairly, benefit generously, and advocate loudly for every person we employ.
Borderless by design
One corridor, done well. We say no to global sprawl so we can say yes to the deepest expertise on the SA–US route.
Ship the boring stuff
Payroll, contracts, tax. If it's operational, we automate it. If it's human, we show up in person.
Our story
From one painful hire to a hiring corridor.
The idea becomes a company
We spotted a gap: US companies wanted South African talent, but had no compliant, local way to hire it. We launched Veridian Global in the UK to prove the model - local EOR expertise, deep talent relationships, and a compliance-first approach.
UK traction, US expansion
The UK operation gained strong traction: fast onboarding, happy talent, and clients who came back for more roles. We saw the same opportunity in the US market and launched EMPLOI - the Employer of Record built exclusively for US companies hiring in South Africa.
Where we are now
100+ placements across 20 US customers. A growing team across Cape Town and New York - and we're just getting started.
Leadership
Operators who've walked the corridor themselves.
Jesse Stevenson
Co-founder & CEO
Co-founder and CEO. Leads EMPLOI's mission to build the compliant US-South Africa hiring corridor.
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Joubert Botha
CO-FOUNDER
Co-founder and President. Drives operations, client delivery, and talent experience across the corridor.
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Chris Staines
SVP of Finance
SVP of Finance. Oversees payroll, treasury, and financial operations for clients and talent.
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Mandy Burns
Corporate Controller
Corporate Controller. Oversees accounting, financial reporting, and client billing operations across the corridor.
LinkedInReady to walk the corridor with us?
Book a 30-minute call with a founder. We'll map your first three roles, share market-rate comps, and show you what compliant SA hiring looks like end-to-end.