Payroll Team Lead - Drive Accurate Pay Runs

New Zealand Government; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking a Payroll Team Leader in Hamilton (fixed term to July 2027) to manage 12 direct reports and oversee day-to-day payroll operations for Waikato employees, ensuring accurate and timely pay runs in a large public sector environment.

This office-based role emphasizes leadership, process improvement and service delivery, with focus on payroll controls, reporting, and collaboration with HR, Finance and external agencies to support payroll service delivery.

Qualifications

• Experienced payroll professional with leadership background.
• Strong knowledge of New Zealand payroll legislation (Holidays Act, KiwiSaver).
• Proven ability to mentor and develop team performance.
• Advanced Excel skills and familiarity with payroll systems.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate payroll operations to ensure accurate and timely pay runs.
• Manage payroll controls, reporting, auditing, and exception handling.
• Coach and develop payroll team members to meet goals.
• Drive continuous improvement to increase efficiency and reduce risk.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and external agencies to support service delivery.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Excel

NZ payroll law

Stakeholder mgmt

Communication

Tools

Payroll systems

Job description

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is seeking a Payroll Team Leader in Hamilton (fixed term to July 2027) to manage 12 direct reports and oversee day-to-day payroll operations for Waikato employees, ensuring accurate and timely pay runs in a large public sector environment.

This office-based role emphasizes leadership, process improvement and service delivery, with focus on payroll controls, reporting, and collaboration with HR, Finance and external agencies to support payroll service delivery.