Senior Payroll Officer

Catholic Education Northern Territory; Darwin; On-site; AUD 95,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary $95k-$97k + super

35-hour work week

Five weeks annual leave

Novated leasing options

Leave loading 17.5%

Employee discounts

Discounted school fees

Professional development

On-site parking

Job summary

Catholic Education Northern Territory is seeking a Senior Payroll Officer to deliver accurate payroll across CENT, including TechnologyOne. You will provide guidance and training to payroll staff, ensuring compliance with the Enterprise Agreement and relevant legislation.

This full-time role is based at the Catholic Education Office in Berrimah. Enjoy a 35-hour week, five weeks leave, salary packaging options, and on-site parking while contributing to a valued not-for-profit education sector.

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll processing, preferably TechnologyOne.
• Knowledge of payroll legislation and industrial instruments.
• Ability to train and support staff across locations.

Responsibilities

• Process and review fortnightly payroll in line with CENT procedures and agreements.
• Ensure compliance with taxation, superannuation and statutory requirements.
• Mentor Payroll Officers and school-based staff in payroll processes.

Skills

Payroll processing

TechnologyOne

Payroll compliance

Staff training

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Education

Payroll/accounting/finance qualification

Tools

TechnologyOne

Job description

About Us

Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT) operates 18 Catholic schools across the Northern Territory, from Early Learning to Secondary, including remote schools. Our schools are places of learning, connection, and growth, guided by the values of Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Compassion, and Love. This role is based at the Catholic Education Office (CEO) in Berrimah.

The Position

As Senior Payroll Officer, you'll play a key role in delivering accurate, efficient and compliant payroll services across Catholic Education Northern Territory (CENT).

You’ll provide advanced payroll support, guidance and training to payroll staff and school-based payroll staff, while also assisting with the consistent rollout and use of TechnologyOne (Tech1). Working collaboratively within the Payroll team and across CENT, you’ll help ensure best-practice payroll operations and compliance with the Enterprise Agreement, legislation and policies.

You’ll be part of CENT’s School Services, Payroll team, reporting to the Payroll Manager. This is a full-time permanent position.

Why work for Catholic Education NT?

• Salary of $95k - $97k plus super
• 35-hour working week (8:30am - 4:30pm)
• Five weeks' annual leave plus additional leave entitlements
• Salary packaging and novated leasing options
• Leave loading equal to 17.5% of 4 weeks' salary
• Employee rewards program (discounts at 450+ retailers)
• Discounted school fees for eligible employees
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• Free on-site parking - Berrimah office

Key Responsibilities

• Process and review fortnightly payroll in line with CENT procedures, legislation and enterprise agreements
• Ensure compliance with taxation, superannuation and other statutory requirements
• Manage complex payroll queries and provide high-level, confident advice to staff
• Assist with payroll reconciliations, reporting and audit requirements
• Mentor and support Payroll Officers and school-based payroll staff to apply payroll processes consistently
• Train new payroll employees in the use of TechnologyOne
• Work closely with payroll staff to keep payroll operations uniform across schools
• Troubleshoot payroll system issues and liaise with ICT or system providers where needed
• Stay on top of payroll system updates, legislation and process changes
• Support the Payroll Manager with CENT Enterprise payroll, including helping school payroll staff through the transition to enterprise payroll management
• Ensure all payroll practices align with CENT policies, procedures and safeguarding requirements

About You

You're an experienced payroll professional who has:

• Demonstrated payroll processing experience, preferably in TechnologyOne
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislation, industrial instruments and payroll compliance requirements
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage complex payroll matters
• High-level written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to train and support staff across varying locations
• A trusted approach to handling private and sensitive information
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to juggle competing priorities, meet deadlines and manage large volumes of information
• Understanding and support of the ethos of Catholic education.
• NT Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card). or is willing to obtain

Desirable Criteria

• Tertiary qualifications in payroll, accounting or finance
• Experience leading or mentoring staff
• Familiarity with payroll operations in the education or not-for-profit sector

Full details of the role and requirements can be found in the Position Description within the Application Package.

The Catholic Education Office reserves the right to close this advertisement early or extend it beyond the closing date.

Applications close: 20 October 2026