Payroll Manager/Project Specialist

Charles Parsons & Co Pty Ltd; Sydney; On-site; AUD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development opportunities

Challenging payroll process project

Collaborative team environment

Role combining operations & strategy

Job summary

Charles Parsons & Co Pty Ltd is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager/Projects Specialist to join our HR team on a 12-month fixed-term basis. You will manage end-to-end payroll across Australia and New Zealand and lead payroll-related projects and system improvements.

This role suits a detail-oriented payroll professional who thrives on operational work and change projects, with exposure to Chris21 and advanced Excel. You will support statutory obligations and drive process efficiency.

Qualifications

• End-to-end payroll experience across Australia (and NZ)
• Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, taxation, superannuation, and compliance
• Experience in payroll process improvement or transformation projects
• Proficiency with Chris21 and Excel

Responsibilities

• Process accurate and timely payroll for Australia and New Zealand within deadlines.
• Ensure compliance with Awards, contracts, NZ legislation, and Australian NES.
• Prepare and submit statutory payroll reporting (PAYG/PAYE, superannuation, workers' comp).
• Maintain accurate employee payroll and HR records.
• Respond to payroll enquiries professionally and confidentially.
• Support FBT reporting with Finance.
• Lead and participate in payroll-related projects and system upgrades.
• Coordinate system testing, data validation, and UAT.
• Identify and implement payroll efficiency and compliance improvements.
• Provide general admin support to Head Office.

Skills

Payroll processing

Compliance

Project coordination

Attention to detail

Communication

Autonomous work

Analytical skills

Tools

Chris21

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Charles Parsons & Co Pty Ltd is a privately owned family business established in 1915 with a proud heritage and diverse expertise in Textiles, Soft Furnishings, Schoolwear and Outdoor gear. Visit our website for more information on our various businesses and brands www.charlesparsons.com.

The Role

We are currently seeking an experienced Payroll Manager/Projects Specialist to join our HR team on a 12-month fixed-term basis. This role will be responsible for end-to-end management of payroll and statutory obligations across Australia and New Zealand, ensuring payroll accuracy, compliance and exceptional employee service.

This role is ideal for a payroll professional who enjoys both operational payroll management and project work. As our organisation prepares a review of our existing payroll function, you will play a key role in payroll projects, any system changes, process improvements and testing.

Key Responsibilities

• Process accurate and timely payroll for Australia and New Zealand within required deadlines.
• Ensure compliance with relevant Awards, Employment Contracts, New Zealand employment legislation, and Australian National Employment Standards
• Prepare and submit statutory payroll reporting, including PAYG/PAYE tax, superannuation, workers' compensation, deductions, and associated returns.
• Maintain accurate employee payroll and HR records.
• Respond to payroll enquiries in a professional, confidential, and timely manner.
• Liaise with the Finance Department to support Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) reporting requirements.
• Manage all Australian and New Zealand month end and end-of-financial-year payroll obligations.
• Lead and participate in payroll-related projects, including any review of our payroll process, function and software.
• Coordinate any related system upgrades, system testing, data validation, process mapping, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Identify and implement process improvements to increase payroll efficiency, accuracy, and compliance.
• Provide general administrative support to Head Office as required.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Demonstrated experience managing end-to-end payroll processing across Australia, ideally with exposure to New Zealand payroll.
• Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, taxation, superannuation, employment standards, and compliance requirements.
• Experience in payroll process improvement or payroll transformation projects.
• Experience with Chris21
• Exceptional attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and reconciliation skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships across all levels of the business.
• The ability to work autonomously and manage competing priorities in a standalone payroll environment.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to lead a critical business function.
• Exposure to an exciting payroll process improvement project.
• Supportive and collaborative team environment.
• A varied role combining operational payroll management with strategic project involvement.

If you are a payroll professional looking to combine hands-on payroll management with the opportunity to drive meaningful system and process improvements, we would love to hear from you.

Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents who have the right to work in Australia