Senior Payroll Officer

As a Senior Payroll Officer, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the smooth operation of payroll services for thousands of employees. Your day-to-day activities will involve managing the full spectrum of payroll functions—from data validation to payment processing—while maintaining strict adherence to policies and legislative requirements. You will act as an escalation point for complex queries within the team, offering guidance on challenging cases and supporting colleagues in achieving accuracy. Your responsibilities extend beyond routine tasks; you will also contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by analysing existing processes and recommending enhancements. By building effective relationships with stakeholders across HR, Finance, ITDS, and external agencies such as government bodies or superannuation providers, you will help foster a responsive service culture. Success in this role requires not only technical proficiency but also excellent communication skills to provide clear advice on entitlements and policy interpretation. Your ability to juggle competing priorities while maintaining confidentiality will ensure that both individual staff members’ needs and organisational objectives are met. * Deliver end-to-end payroll services for all staff by validating payroll data, processing payments accurately, and ensuring compliance with relevant agreements and legislation. * Maintain the integrity of employee records within the Human Resources Information System (HRIS), ensuring all data is up-to-date and accurate. * Identify and resolve payroll anomalies such as underpayments or overpayments by investigating discrepancies and following up with relevant teams. * Collaborate with Information Technology & Digital Services to address system issues promptly, test solutions, and ensure seamless payroll operations. * Manage complex demands from multiple stakeholders while meeting customer expectations for timely service delivery. * Coach, mentor, and support the payroll team by monitoring work flow accuracy and providing guidance on best practices in payroll processing. * Stay current with best practice payroll functions by continually developing knowledge in legislative requirements, audit standards, and international payroll processes. * Prepare year-end financial processing for payroll, ensuring all statutory obligations are met through accurate reporting and documentation. * Provide expert advice on employee entitlements, termination payments, salary estimates, and interpretation of workplace agreements to internal stakeholders. * Participate actively in HR projects aimed at process improvement, compliance enhancement, and system upgrades across the organisation.

To excel as a Senior Payroll Officer in this environment you will bring substantial hands-on experience managing complex payroll operations—ideally gained within large-scale institutions or similarly regulated sectors. Your proven track record includes not only technical expertise but also an empathetic approach when advising colleagues on sensitive matters such as entitlements or terminations. You are adept at navigating intricate legislative frameworks while remaining approachable for those seeking guidance. Your attention to detail ensures accuracy even when handling high volumes of transactions under pressure. In addition to your technical acumen you possess strong interpersonal skills which enable you to build trust-based relationships across departments—facilitating collaboration between HR teams finance professionals IT specialists external agencies alike. Your proactive attitude towards continuous improvement means you are always looking for ways streamline processes enhance compliance outcomes support broader organisational goals.

• Extensive experience in payroll administration within large or complex organisations with thorough knowledge of pay, tax, leave, and superannuation legislation.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver professional advice on payroll matters while managing performance expectations within a team environment.
• Proven analytical skills with experience resolving issues through multiple customer contact channels in fast-moving environments.
• Strong background in interpreting workplace agreements, policies, procedures, and guidelines related to salary administration.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills including written and oral communication abilities coupled with a commitment to outstanding client service.
• Excellent time management capabilities allowing you to plan ahead, anticipate challenges, balance priorities effectively, and meet tight deadlines consistently.
• Commitment to promoting organisational values such as integrity, respect for others’ perspectives, collegiality among peers, pursuit of excellence in outcomes achieved—and discovery through ongoing learning.
• Experience using large Payroll systems or similar HRIS platforms for payroll processing.
• Relevant business degree or equivalent combination of education/training plus practical experience in payroll or accounting activities.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are encouraged to apply.
To apply please click apply or call Patrick Teixeira Dutra on 08 8216 3534 for a confidential discussion.