Exciting Career Opportunity: Senior Payroll Manager – Lead, Innovate, and Drive Impact.

Are you ready to step into a pivotal leadership role where your expertise in payroll can shape the future of a growing, people-focused organisation?

Appreciating Payroll Recruitment is looking for a Senior Payroll Manager who’s passionate about accuracy, compliance, and delivering exceptional service, to join an expanding service provider based in Melbourne's Inner East.

In this dynamic role, you’ll be at the heart of their operations, ensuring all payroll processes run seamlessly, on time, and with precision. But this isn’t just about numbers. You’ll work closely with the Head of People, Culture & Safety, the Senior Employee Relations Advisor, and the broader People & Culture team to drive continuous improvement across payroll systems, policies, and workflows.

You'll be the strategic lead for all things payroll, developing and maintaining the frameworks that support compliance with legal and tax requirements, while also delivering an outstanding experience to your employees. This is your opportunity to coach and develop a high-performing team, lead change, and help shape a best-in-class payroll function within a values-driven organisation.

Key duties:

1. Payroll Function
• Manage by overseeing the delivery of effective and efficient payroll operations, ensuring the appropriate payment, disbursement, checking and reconciliation procedures are in place and undertaken promptly.
• Ensure and appropriately manage and review the preparation, balancing and reconciliation of PAYE tax.
• Effectively collaborate with the finance team to reconcile FBT, superannuation, and payment summaries.
• Work in partnership with the P&C team to consolidate benefits delivered through the identification of process improvement.
• Supervise and coordinate the management of payroll workload to meet operational requirements.
• Ensure payroll demonstrates a strong customer service focus, responding to pay queries promptly and possesses the capability and expertise to achieve high-quality service.
• Oversee and review the preparation of relevant weekly, monthly, quarterly and year-end reports.
• Oversee and provide input into the preparation of management reports when requested, based upon information within the payroll system.
• Monitor the accurate processing of staff appointments, transfers, variations, promotions and terminations.
• Collaborate with the payroll and finance teams to develop, review, and improve payroll policies and procedures and implement benchmarking exercises.
• Oversee and ensure all payroll information and records are maintained by statutory requirements.
• Oversee and provide support for all internal and external audits related to payroll.
• Oversee the management and resolution of payroll issues in payroll production in a timely manner.
• Lead the implementation of exception reporting and audit schedules, to enable a proactive approach to errors and ensure payroll can anticipate and rectify errors before they occur.
• Work with the payroll team and broader P&C team to resolve any payroll discrepancies and maintain a balance of all payroll accounts.
• Monitor and implement up-to-date information on changes to payroll and tax legislation.
• In conjunction with the line manager, ensure appropriate risk management and business continuity strategies are designed and implemented within payroll.

2. Payroll System
• Maintain payroll systems in line with IT, Finance, and P&C Operations protocols and processes.
• Ensure that payroll system upgrades, development, and workflows are managed and maintained efficiently and effectively to assist in achieving strategic objectives.

3. People & Teams
• Lead, coach, and inspire an engaged and productive payroll team.
• Lead the team in leading practices and effective process governance.
• Provide support, guidance, coaching, leadership, and empowerment to the team, including feedback through performance reviews and regular supervision.
• Undertake regular supervision and performance review with the line manager, providing feedback to promote collaborative working relationships.
• Promote and maintain a positive, respectful, and enthusiastic work environment.
• Provide authentic team leadership and the highest level of professional conduct in alignment with company values.

4. Legal Requirements & Risk Management
• Ensure all legal, funding, and statutory requirements about the position are met.
• Foster a culture where risks are identified and appropriately managed.
• Report areas of serious risk to management and work together to mitigate those risks.

About you: You are an experienced Payroll Manager who's ready to step away from the BAU to focus on strategy, process improvement, and adherence to legislation & payroll compliance. You possess the following skills & experience:

• Demonstrated experience as a Payroll Manager (minimum 5 years) managing a payroll of 1000+ employees.
• Current and in-depth knowledge of general payroll practices, procedures, operations, and related legislation.
• Comprehensive knowledge of: Modern Awards and other state and industry legislation, Payroll tax and WorkCover legislation across multiple jurisdictions.
• Experience dealing with ATO, Centrelink, and Superannuation clearing houses.
• Solid financial acumen with in-depth knowledge and experience of payroll calculations and processing.
• Team management experience.
• Previous experience in a Health or Aged Care environment is helpful.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment to plan and organise service delivery.
• Excellent time management, organisational, and prioritisation skills.
• Well-developed communication skills (written, verbal, and listening) with the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Advanced Excel and system reporting skills and competency level in all Microsoft Office Programs.
• NDIS Workers Screening Check

On offer to the successful candidate is a salary of $150,000 + Super, onsite parking, plus easy transport links. Weekly team lunches, birthday celebrations, and awareness days have all helped to build a positive, welcoming working culture. Please note the company operates on 4 days in the office, 1 day WFH.

If you are keen to learn more, please submit your resume to Marcus Stubbs at Appreciating Payroll Recruitent using the links below. I specialise in senior-level Payroll recruitment across Australia.