APAC Payroll Lead - Automation & Compliance

Xero; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Xero is seeking a Senior Payroll Manager for the APAC region, based in Australia. You will lead payroll operations across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, driving governance, automation, and scalable processes in a rapidly changing legislative landscape.

You will champion a transition from manual entry to automated validation, partnering with People Experience and Finance to support an accurate employee journey and strategic regional growth.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of Australian payroll legislation (Fair Work rules, long service leave, superannuation)
• Proven ability to lead and coach other leaders in a human-centric way
• Strong interest in automation and systems integration
• Experience in fast-paced global SaaS/tech environments
• Ability to distill complex payroll/tax information into clear insights for stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Stabilise and refine the Ramco payroll system to reduce teething issues and improve process efficiency
• Prepare systems and people for payday super legislation and evolving Fair Work/ATO requirements
• Implement automated integration solutions, potentially using AI, between Workday and payroll engines
• Enhance process documentation and issue registers to improve maturity and reduce recurring bottlenecks
• Partner with Finance and People teams to ensure seamless end-to-end employee lifecycle data flow

Skills

Leadership

Australian payroll

Automation

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

Ramco payroll system

Workday integration

Job description

Xero is seeking a Senior Payroll Manager for the APAC region, based in Australia. You will lead payroll operations across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, driving governance, automation, and scalable processes in a rapidly changing legislative landscape.

You will champion a transition from manual entry to automated validation, partnering with People Experience and Finance to support an accurate employee journey and strategic regional growth.