Payroll Systems & Compliance Manager

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP in Sydney is seeking an experienced Payroll Systems & Compliance Manager to deliver reliable, compliant payroll solutions across complex environments. You will support day-to-day systems, maintain data integrity, and partner with Payroll, IT and vendors to drive improvements.

The role requires strong analytical skills, attention to detail and experience with Chris21, UKG, Workday and Expert, with a focus on governance and privacy compliance.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years' experience in a payroll systems role.
• Strong analytical skills with focus on data integrity and reporting.
• Experience with system testing, upgrades, implementations and troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of payroll compliance, audit, data governance and privacy requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.
• Experience documenting processes and driving continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with Chris21, UKG, Workday and/or Expert.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day payroll systems support, administration and troubleshooting across Chris21, UKG, Workday and Expert.
• Maintain payroll system integrity through configuration, data quality, access controls, system maintenance and compliance activities.
• Support system upgrades, implementations and transitions, including UKG, legislative changes and future platforms.
• Perform payroll reconciliations, data validation and analysis across payroll systems and integrations.
• Support payroll reporting, audit requirements and recurring obligations.
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, controls, process documentation and user knowledge resources.
• Partner with Payroll, IT, vendors and project teams to manage system issues, enhancements, integrations and change effectively.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, strengthen controls, enhance data quality and reduce manual workarounds.
• Ensure sensitive payroll and employee data is managed in line with privacy, security, retention and governance requirements.
• Comply with WHS obligations and contribute to a safe and respectful workplace.

Skills

Payroll systems

Data integrity

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Tools

Chris21

UKG

Workday

Expert

Job description

We're looking for an experience Payroll Systems & Compliance Manager to join our team in Sydney.

This role would suit someone with a strong technical knowledge with excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. You will need to be confident working across complex payroll environments, maintaining data integrity and partnering with stakeholders to deliver reliable, compliant and continuously improving payroll solutions.

What you'll do

• Provide day-to-day payroll systems support, administration and troubleshooting across Chris21, UKG, Workday and Expert.


• Maintain payroll system integrity through configuration, data quality, access controls, system maintenance and compliance activities.


• Support system upgrades, implementations and transitions, including UKG, legislative changes such as payday super, and future platforms such as iChris.


• Perform payroll reconciliations, data validation and analysis across payroll systems and integrations, identifying and resolving discrepancies and system issues.


• Support payroll reporting, audit requirements and recurring obligations, including workers compensation and novated leases.


• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, controls, process documentation and user knowledge resources.


• Partner with Payroll, IT, vendors and project teams to manage system issues, enhancements, integrations and change effectively.


• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, strengthen controls, enhance data quality and reduce manual workarounds.


• Ensure sensitive payroll and employee data is managed in line with privacy, security, retention and governance requirements.


• Comply with WHS obligations and contribute to a safe and respectful workplace.

What you'll bring

• A minimum of 7 years' experience in a payroll systems role.


• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail, particularly across data integrity, reconciliation and reporting.


• Experience with system testing, upgrades, implementations and troubleshooting.


• Knowledge of payroll compliance, audit, data governance and privacy requirements.


• Strong stakeholder management and problem-solving skills.


• Experience documenting processes, maintaining controls and driving continuous improvement.


• Experience with Chris21, UKG, Workday and/or Expert is highly regarded.


• Is curious about new tech and open to learning, even better if you're excited about AI!

What you can expect from us

• We're a world leading international law firm with a global team of over 6,000 professionals across 26 offices. As the market leader in Australia, we are committed to high performance, collaboration, diversity and digital innovation. We are client-centred, commercially driven, and renowned for our solution-focused expertise. We will align your growth with our ambitions.


• We make your personal and professional growth our business. And as part of the team, our ambition is yours too. Wherever you are in your career: grow and help the firm grow with you.


• We will provide opportunities to learn on the job as well as a mix of learning opportunities tailored to you. Daily experiences, supportive challenges, team collaboration, mentors, and structured learning opportunities help you to expand your knowledge and reach your goals.


• We value your wellbeing, both at home and work and we place a strong emphasis on mental health. If you need support, you'll have it and we'll empower you to harness your personal strengths, navigate uncertainty, embrace opportunities, and effectively manage things within your control.


• Join us to be part of a human, bold and outstanding team at Australia's market leading law firm.

We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values-Human, Bold, and Outstanding.