Head of Payroll - APAC

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

As the Senior Payroll Manager for the APAC region, you will lead the operational excellence of our payroll function, ensuring precision and efficiency for our people across Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Working closely with the GM of Payroll, you will navigate a rapidly changing legislative landscape to ensure every deliverable meets the highest standards of compliance.

Your focus will be on moving the team away from manual data entry and toward a sophisticated validation model by leveraging automation and AI. You will play a vital role in championing payroll governance and strategic regional growth, ensuring our processes remain robust as we continue to scale as a global SaaS company.

The team / how they connect

You will lead a capable and diverse team of payroll professionals across Melbourne and New Zealand, fostering a culture of coaching, empowerment, and psychological safety. This role acts as a critical partner to our People Experience and Finance teams, ensuring the end-to-end employee journey is supported by timely and accurate information.

The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on

Stabilising and refining the recently implemented Ramco payroll system to eliminate teething issues and improve process effectiveness.

Preparing our systems and people for the transition to 'payday super' legislation and other evolving Fair Work and ATO requirements.

Implementing automated integration solutions, potentially using AI, to streamline data flow between Workday and our payroll engines.

Enhancing process documentation and issue registers to drive maturity and reduce recurring operational bottlenecks.

Where and how you can work

We embrace a hybrid working model that balances the flexibility of remote work with 'boost days' in the office to collaborate, connect, and nurture our team culture.

Here are some of the things we are looking for

You bring a deep understanding of Australian payroll legislation, including Fair Work rules, long service leave, and superannuation requirements.

A natural ability to lead and coach other leaders, with a focus on human-centric management and supporting team growth.

You possess a mindset geared toward automation and systems integration, looking for ways to use technology to solve complex manual challenges.

Experience navigating the fast-paced environment of a global organisation, ideally within the SaaS or technology sector.

Your communication style allows you to distill intricate technical payroll or tax information into clear, actionable insights for diverse stakeholders.

You value partnership and collaboration, building strong relationships across Finance and People teams to ensure seamless delivery.