How UCSF streamlines Global Payroll with Mauve Group

The Institute for Global Health Sciences, part of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), leverages Mauve’s HR technology to deliver compliant, on-time payments to its internationally deployed research teams.

As one of the world's leading academic and medical institutions, UCSF advances critical global health initiatives and programmes through interdisciplinary research, education, and policy work. But managing payroll for staff on long-term overseas assignments quickly posed operational challenges in countries where UCSF lacked the legal infrastructure to hire directly.

The challenge

In 2024, UCSF IGHS began a multi-year project working with the Vietnam Ministry of Health to promote high-quality HIV services through targeted technical assistance. But UCSF didn’t have the infrastructure in place to hire local staff directly in Vietnam.

Without a human resources or payroll system in place in Vietnam, UCSF needed a partner that could pay our project staff, process travel reimbursements, and help us confidently track international project expenditure.

- Andrew Maher, Learning Design Lead and Programme Manager, UCSF

Partnering for success: finding the solution

To keep its global workforce supported and its projects moving, UCSF turned to Mauve Group for a streamlined, fully compliant payroll solution for its locally employed staff in Vietnam.

Mauve’s award-winning HR tech, Mauve Insight, provides a user-friendly interface for submitting expenses and ensures compliant processing of payments.

There is a sense of security on our part that we know [our staff] are going to receive their payments on time, and that there is a robust system in place for reimbursements for expenses like travel.

Knowing these payments are going to happen quickly and compliantly is a huge benefit.

- Andrew Maher, Learning Design Lead and Programme Manager, UCSF

Key takeaways

• Staff in Vietnam are paid compliantly, correctly, and on time.
• Real-time operational clarity for UCSF.
• Mauve Insight has ensured compliance and efficiency while offering a reliable system for expense reimbursement.
• Five UCSF staff members use the Mauve Insight platform, including three local employees and two internal managers overseeing approvals.
• Mauve’s Account Managers provide UCSF with personalised support.

Client recommendation

Karen and Abi are very quick to respond to questions. If they don’t have an answer immediately, they let us know they’re working on it, with things like interpreting local labour laws and negotiating service rates.

Our overall experience working with Mauve has been very positive. Mauve has provided a great combination of customer and technical support.

They have allowed us to pay our staff quickly and compliantly and given us a platform for processing payments and reimbursements that's very easy to use, user friendly and gives us a high degree of confidence that everything is being processed according to our needs.

I would recommend working with Mauve.

- Andrew Maher, Learning Design Lead and Programme Manager, UCSF