Payroll Controller

South Island - Otago; Dunedin; On-site; NZD 83,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff cafeteria

Free onsite parking

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking a Payroll Controller based in Dunedin to ensure accurate and timely pay for our 6,300+ Southern region employees. You will work within the Southern payroll team, managing complex processes and ensuring compliance with legislation and agreements.

The role requires strong NZ payroll knowledge, experience with payroll systems, and the ability to improve processes in a busy, high-volume environment.

Qualifications

• 3+ years proven payroll experience in a high-volume environment.
• Experience interpreting employment and collective agreements.
• Strong knowledge of NZ payroll legislation, including Holidays Act.
• Experience with payroll systems and integrated workforce systems.
• Excellent written and oral communication; able to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work self-directed within a small team.
• Demonstrated ability to engage with employees on the use of new technology.

Responsibilities

• Maintain payroll controls and resolve complex payroll matters.
• Provide specialist payroll expertise within the Southern payroll team.
• Ensure end-to-end payroll processing for 6,300+ employees.
• Support compliance with legislation and collective agreements.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Partner with stakeholders to deliver a high-quality payroll service.

Skills

Payroll processing

High-volume payroll

Compliance knowledge

NZ payroll legislation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

NZPPA qualification

Tools

Payroll software

HRIS/Workforce systems

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

South Island - Otago – Dunedin, South Island

Salary $82,851 - $87,473, depending on experience

• This is an opportunity to extend your specialist payroll skills and manage complex payroll processes
• With over 20 different collective agreements, and numerous individual employment agreements, we can provide you with the unique opportunity to grow and develop your Payroll skills in an environment that supports your existing skills.

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

As a Payroll Controller, you will play a vital role in ensuring our people are paid accurately and on time.

Working within the Southern payroll team and as part of Health New Zealand's national payroll service, you will provide specialist payroll expertise, manage complex payroll processes, and support compliance with legislation, collective agreements, and organisational policies. Our payroll team is responsible for end-to-end processing payroll for just over 6,300Southern employees, geographically located south of the Waitaki River and including Otago, Southland, Queenstown Lakes, and North Otago.

You will be responsible for maintaining strong payroll controls, resolving complex payroll matters, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement, and partnering with stakeholders to deliver a high-quality payroll service. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced payroll professional who enjoys solving problems, driving excellence, and contributing to a consistent and reliable payroll experience for our workforce.

Our key focus is to provide a quality payroll service to our fellow colleagues. We strive for excellence in everything we do and are always open to new ideas on how to improve our service.

This is a permanent role, working 80 hours per fortnight (1 FTE), Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8.30AM to 5.00PM. The role is employed under Dunedin Hospital, however, will be based at the Wakari Hospital alongside other administration functions, including Finance.

• There is a staff cafeteria, and plenty of free onsite parking.

About the Team/Service/ Location

Our team consists of 7 Payroll Officers and 3 Payroll Technical staff.

With nearly 6,300 employees, we are the Southern region's largest employer, which means the opportunities here are endless. Our main locations are Dunedin and Invercargill Hospitals, as well Oamaru and Queenstown Lakes, but we are spread across the region and service all parts of the community. Our work can be challenging, but we are up for it. We have a great team, and we work hard to make a difference. We value integrity, innovation, respect and teamwork.

For more information on living and working in Dunedin clickhere

About you

We are looking for applicants who have:

• 3+ years proven experience in payroll within a complex, high-volume environment
• Experience interpreting employment and collective agreements
• Strong knowledge applying New Zealand payroll legislation, including Holidays Act
• Experience working with payroll systems and integrated workforce systems
• motivation, embrace change and are customer focused to work in a fast-paced environment
• proven ability to work self-directed within a small team
• excellent written and oral communication skills
• demonstrated ability to engage with and develop employees' skills around the use of new technology, when working with wide ranging levels of IT competency
• proven ability to foster collaboration with stakeholders

It would be advantageous if you have experience working in environments with complex rostering, allowances, and workforce arrangements and relevant payroll qualification (e.g., NZPPA) or equivalent experience.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in New Zealand or hold a valid NZ visa at the time of applying.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community.

We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities.