Payroll Officer

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora; Dunedin; On-site; NZD 80,000 - 84,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff cafeteria

Free onsite parking

Job summary

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora is seeking a payroll-focused administrator to join the Dunedin-based team. This permanent, full-time role covers end-to-end payroll processing for a large regional workforce and involves working closely with HRIS systems and DataPay.

A strong administration background and willingness to learn payroll are essential, with opportunities to grow skills across multiple collective agreements and employment contracts.

Qualifications

• Experience with payroll processing and a solid admin background.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently within a small team and collaborate with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Process end-to-end payroll for 6,300+ Southern employees.
• Support payroll systems and HRIS applications, including DataPay.
• Collaborate with payroll team and shared services to deliver accurate payroll.

Skills

Payroll experience

Administration

Communication

Self-directed work

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

DataPay

HRIS

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.

Health New Zealand - Te Whatu Ora – Wakari, South Island

• Salary band: $80,186 - $83,884 depending on experience

This is an opportunity to extend your payroll skills or start a career in payroll.

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

If you already have payroll skills, this is an opportunity to grow and extend those skills. Alternatively, if you have a strong administration background and are keen to learn payroll, this is an opportunity to start in at ground level and develop your skills.

Our payroll team is responsible for end-to-end processing payroll for just over 6,300 Southern employees, geographically located south of the Waitaki River and including Otago, Southland, Queenstown Lakes, and North Otago.

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, full-time role, working 80 hours per fortnight Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8.30am to 5pm. 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 seven Payroll Officers and three 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, click here.

About you

We are looking for applicants who have:

• motivation, embrace change, and are customer-focused to work in a fast-paced environment
• strong administration skills with a meticulous attention to detail
• 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
• the proven ability to foster collaboration with stakeholders.

To succeed in this role, you will have an interest in payroll and working with Payroll/HRIS applications.

It would be advantageous if you have knowledge of New Zealand Payroll related legislation, experience with payroll systems, and experience with using DataPay. However, this is not essential as training will be provided to the right candidate who has a strong administration background and is keen to develop their career in payroll.

The successful candidate must be eligible to work in New Zealand or hold a valid New Zealand 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.

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process before the closing date of this advert.