Payroll Operations Lead

T+O+M Executive; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

ADP GlobalView / SAP Employee Central Payroll in Sydney seeks a Payroll Operations Lead to act as 2IC to the Head of Payroll. You will oversee end-to-end BAU payroll across Australia and New Zealand, handling complex queries, analytics, and audit controls, while guiding a small team.

Reporting to the Head of Payroll, you will mentor three Payroll Specialists, navigate regulatory change, and drive process improvements, governance, and payroll reporting in a fast-paced, hybrid environment with 3

Qualifications

• Senior payroll leader with experience in a large, complex organisation.
• Exposure to ADP GlobalView or SAP Employee Central Payroll is essential.
• Strong analytics and governance mindset.

Responsibilities

• Execute end-to-end payroll, coordinating approvals with the Head of Payroll.
• Manage complex payroll processing (e.g., executive payroll, international secondee payroll).
• Support payroll operations delivery with accuracy and timeliness.
• Escalate material impacts and risks to leadership as needed.
• Mentor and develop Payroll Specialists to raise capability.
• Provide technical advice and enhance process documentation.
• Improve payroll reporting and analytics.
• Act as governance SME for audits and health checks.
• Support payroll automation initiatives with the Technical Lead.

Skills

Payroll leadership

ADP GlobalView

SAP EC Payroll

Payroll analytics

Governance

Tools

ADP GlobalView

SAP Employee Central Payroll

Job description

Payroll Operations Lead

ADP GlobalView / SAP Employee Central Payroll

The Company

A large, complex organisation in a robust financial position with a vision for continuous innovation and modernisation. With an agile working environment and an exceptional culture as an employer of choice, they are about to embark on a recalibration and enhancement of their Payroll & HR Systems architecture.

With a strong focus on operational excellence, collaboration and innovation, the organisation offers the opportunity to work with technology that creates a seamless employee experience, underpinned by rigorous governance.

Reporting to a dedicated, transparent and inclusive Head of Payroll, this role is for a tenured payroll leader who can support the team in driving operational efficiency, process optimisation and elevating the service brand of the function internally.

The Opportunity

As the Payroll Operations Lead, you will act as the 2IC to the Head of Payroll: the SME for payroll outcomes across Australia and New Zealand. The role is accountable for the seamless execution of payroll BAU and provides expertise across complex queries, payroll analytics, management of international secondee payroll and the continuous improvement of audit processes and controls.

Supporting a team of 3 Payroll Specialists, you will be the primary leader in navigating procedural and regulatory change in the ANZ payroll landscape, acting as a key point of escalation for complex queries and processing.

• Execute the end-to-end payroll process, including preparation and execution, co-ordinating approvals with the Head of Payroll
• Manage complex payroll processing, for example the executive payroll and international secondee payroll
• Support the Senior Payroll Officer, in the accurate and timely delivery of the payroll operations process
• Escalate material impacts and risks to the Head of Payroll where required
• Bring commercial awareness to the payroll team, and support operational leaders to manage business continuity and workforce planning
• Elevate the capability of the payroll team through real time mentorship, coaching, and leadership
• Provide technical advice and enhance process documentation
• Optimise insightful payroll reporting and analysis
• Act as the governance SME for audit assessments and payroll health checks
• Support payroll process automation and streamlining, in partnership with the Technical Lead

About You

You will be a Payroll Manager with exposure to leadership in a large, complex organisation. Exposure to ADP GlobalView or SAP Employee Central Payroll is essential.

The agility to navigate between downstream operational activity and upstream accountability to senior and operational stakeholders, is also critical to the role. This is a fast paced, but rewarding leadership role in a progressive, people-focused function. The organisation offers the opportunity to work in a flexible hybrid model, with 3 days WFH, and the ability to work out of the CBD or Western Suburbs office.

The wider People & Culture and HR Systems team values payroll and invests in resources and state of the art technologies to support the endeavours of the hardworking professionals in the team.