Manager, Payroll Operations

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development budget

Flexible working from home

Supportive team environment

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) is seeking a Manager Payroll Operations to lead payroll service delivery across MACS schools and central office. You will manage Payroll Team Leaders and drive governance, timely and accurate payroll, and transformation including SuccessFactors.

The role requires seven years in end-to-end payroll, strong knowledge of Australian payroll legislation, and capability in stakeholder management with ERP systems.

Qualifications

• Minimum seven years' experience in end-to-end payroll operations with leadership responsibility.
• Extensive knowledge of Australian payroll legislation, taxation and superannuation.
• Experience leading payroll teams with a focus on accountability and service excellence.
• Experience in payroll governance, internal controls and complex payroll matters.
• Process improvement, system transformation; SAP/SuccessFactors experience preferred.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills; proficient in Excel and Power BI.
• Tertiary qualification in Payroll/Finance/Accounting desirable; CPS or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of accurate, timely payroll services across MACS schools and central office.
• Coach and develop Payroll Team Leaders and payroll professionals.
• Ensure payroll operations comply with legislation, taxation, superannuation and industrial requirements.
• Maintain payroll governance frameworks, quality assurance and internal controls.
• Build trusted relationships across schools and central office; provide expert advice.
• Identify and implement process improvements leveraging technology and data.
• Partner with People and Culture, Finance, ICT to deliver payroll transformation incl. SuccessFactors.

Skills

End-to-end payroll

Payroll leadership

Australian payroll law

Stakeholder management

Data analytics & reporting

SuccessFactors/SAP experience

Education

Payroll/Finance/Accounting degree

Tools

SuccessFactors

SAP

Power BI

Excel

Job description

At Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Ltd (MACS) we envision every student to be inspired and enabled to flourish and enrich the world. MACS is the largest Catholic school system in Australia. We own, govern and operate approximately 300 Catholic schools, employ over 17,000 staff and serve more than 118,000 students and their families in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.

It is an exciting time to join MACS, where we are transforming to bring to life our strategic plan - MACS 2030: Forming Lives to Enrich the World that will help all MACS staff come together to make the most of what a Catholic education has to offer so that we have the greatest and most distinctive impact in our classrooms, staffrooms and schools communities. More details on the MACS strategy can be found here.

WHY WORK FOR US?

• Professional development opportunities with a defined personalised annual budget
• Access to flexible working arrangements, which include working from home
• You will work in a tight-knit, supportive team to ensure you succeed in your role
• Employee Assistant Program (EAP) supported by Mental Health First Aiders in the workplace, providing a safe and caring environment to our staff and students

The MACS Code of Conduct (the Code) embodies our collective commitment to fostering a positive and supportive work environment that prioritises the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone, inspired by our Catholic faith. We ask that all staff read and understand the Code and model the behaviours that are expected of us.

YOUR ROLE

Reporting to the General Manager, Payroll, the Manager, Payroll Operations is the operational leader and 2IC of the payroll function, with accountability for payroll service delivery, operations, people leadership and compliance across MACS schools and central office.

You will lead Payroll Team Leaders and payroll professionals to deliver accurate, timely and customer-focused payroll services, while strengthening governance, compliance, controls and operational capability. A key focus of the role will be driving continuous improvement and partnering across People and Culture, Finance and ICT to support payroll transformation, including implementation of the SuccessFactors payroll solution.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Lead the delivery of accurate, timely and customer-focused payroll services across MACS schools and central office operations.
• Lead, coach and develop Payroll Team Leaders and payroll professionals, fostering accountability, collaboration, capability development and service excellence.
• Ensure payroll operations comply with relevant legislative, taxation, superannuation, industrial and organisational requirements, proactively managing payroll-related risks.
• Develop and maintain robust payroll governance frameworks, quality assurance processes and internal controls that support accuracy, compliance and organisational confidence.
• Build trusted relationships across schools and central office functions, providing expert advice and resolving complex payroll matters.
• Identify and implement process and service improvements, leveraging technology, reporting and operational data to improve efficiency, accuracy and employee experience.
• Partner with People and Culture, Finance, ICT and other stakeholders to optimise payroll systems and deliver payroll transformation initiatives, including the implementation of SuccessFactors.

ABOUT YOU

• Minimum seven years' experience in end-to-end payroll operations, including leadership responsibility for payroll teams within large, complex or multi-site organisations.
• Extensive knowledge of Australian payroll legislation, taxation, superannuation, employment conditions and industrial instruments, with demonstrated experience managing compliance and payroll risk.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop high-performing payroll teams and leaders, with a strong focus on accountability and service excellence.
• Strong experience in payroll governance, quality assurance, internal controls and the interpretation and resolution of complex payroll and employment matters.
• Demonstrated success in payroll process improvement, system implementation, transformation or major operational change, with SuccessFactors/SAP experience highly regarded.
• Strong stakeholder management, analytical and reporting capability, with experience using ERP systems and tools such as Microsoft Excel and Power BI.
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Payroll, Finance, Accounting or a related discipline is desirable, with Certified Payroll Specialist (CPS) or equivalent accreditation highly regarded.

You will need to provide:

1. An up to-date Resume and

2. A cover letter addressing the Key Selection Criteria, limited to two pages

Note: MACS is committed to the safety, wellbeing and protection of all children in our care. The successful candidate must hold or acquire and maintain a Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) and/or Working with Children Check and must be willing to obtain and maintain a National Criminal History Check.

Candidates must hold full Australian Working Rights and provide evidence of this.

Privacy Collection Notice – Job Applicants

MACS collects your Personal Information to assess your application and suitability for employment. By submitting your Personal information, you consent to the use and disclosure of your Personal information for the purpose of being considered for employment at MACS. Applicants can withdraw their applications at any time during the recruitment process

For further details, please see the full Privacy Collection Notice here

APPLICATIONS CLOSE: 4.00pm 12th Oct 2026