Senior Payroll Officer

McArthur; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 60,000 - 90,000; Part time

Job summary

McArthur is partnering with a leading organisation to recruit an experienced Senior Payroll Officer for a part-time role (3 days per week) in Melbourne, Australia. You will support end-to-end payroll across multiple entities while ensuring compliance, accuracy, and timely payments.

The role extends to payroll reconciliations, statutory reporting, governance, and internal controls, including data integrity and system process improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering end-to-end payroll across multiple entities.
• Strong knowledge of Australian payroll legislation, taxation, and compliance.
• Excellent analytical skills and accuracy in payroll data.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and deliver fortnightly payrolls for multiple entities.
• Apply Australian payroll legislation, awards, taxation, and superannuation requirements.
• Maintain payroll procedures, internal controls and audit records.
• Lead payroll reconciliations and produce workforce and financial reports.
• Oversee payroll system integrity, testing, and reporting.
• Provide specialist payroll advice and coaching across teams.

Skills

Payroll processing

Australian payroll legislation

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Aurion experience

Tools

Aurion

Job description

McArthur is partnering with a leading organisation, to recruit an experienced Senior Payroll Officer. This is an excellent opportunity to join a purpose-driven organisation making meaningful contributions, offering a part-time arrangement of 3 days per week. Working closely with Finance and People & Culture, you will support end-to-end payroll delivery across multiple entities, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time while maintaining strong compliance and service standards.

The role extends beyond day-to-day payroll processing, with responsibility for payroll reconciliations, statutory reporting, compliance, governance and internal controls. You will also provide specialist payroll advice, oversee data integrity and system processes, identify opportunities for continuous improvement and support payroll-related reporting and audits.

This position would suit an experienced payroll professional with strong Australian legislative knowledge, excellent analytical skills and the confidence to support and collaborate with the wider team and organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate and deliver accurate fortnightly payrolls, including salary adjustments, leave, superannuation, allowances, deductions and complex termination payments.
• Interpret and apply Australian payroll legislation, awards, employment agreements, taxation and superannuation requirements, ensuring all statutory obligations are met.
• Maintain payroll procedures, internal controls and audit records, identifying compliance risks, resolving discrepancies and supporting internal and external audits.
• Lead payroll and general ledger reconciliations, monitor payroll costs and liabilities, and prepare accurate workforce and financial reports.
• Oversee payroll system integrity, testing and reporting, while identifying opportunities to improve processes, data accuracy and operational efficiency.
• Provide specialist payroll advice to employees, managers and internal teams, offering guidance, coaching and quality assurance across payroll-related processes.

Why you'd be successful:

• You have extensive experience independently managing end-to-end payroll within complex organisations, including reconciliations, statutory reporting and year-end processes.
• Strong understanding of Australian payroll legislation, taxation, superannuation, NES, modern awards and employment agreements.
• Proven experience managing complex calculations, including back payments, overpayments, leave adjustments, redundancies and termination payments.
• Strong payroll systems knowledge, (Aurion desireable), with advanced reconciliation skills, data integrity management and experience testing system changes.
• Exceptional attention to detail, strong internal control awareness and the ability to manage competing deadlines independently while maintaining confidentiality.
• You are confident in providing specialist payroll advice on sensitive matters, with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively across Finance and HR teams.

Successful candidates must have or are willing to obtain a clear Police Check and Working with Children Check.