Payroll Compliance Specialist

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University of Sydney is seeking a Senior Payroll Compliance Officer for a full time onsite role to safeguard payroll integrity across legal, financial and audit obligations, acting as the link between payroll and corporate finance. You will oversee overpayment recovery, leave liability provisions, reconciliations, journals, statutory reporting and payroll tax compliance while monitoring data integrity and internal controls and providing insights on payroll trends and workforce costs. The role offers a base salary of $117,133 plus 17% superannuation. Key requirements include tertiary qualifications in finance or equivalent, advanced Excel, and proven high volume payroll experience with strong stakeholder skills. Sponsorship is not available; you must have unrestricted Australian work rights. Applications close 9 July 2026 at 11:59 PM. To apply well, tailor your cover letter to show governance, analytics, and collaboration with finance and HR, with concrete examples of improving processes and accuracy.

• Full time, continuing opportunity  
• Play a pivotal role in safeguarding payroll integrity as the Senior Payroll Compliance Officer, ensuring the University’s payroll operations meet all legal, financial, and audit obligations
• Base Salary $117,133 + 17% superannuation 

About the opportunity

Step into a pivotal role as the Senior Payroll Compliance Officer, where you will ensure the University’s payroll operations meet all legal, financial, and audit obligations while acting as the key link between payroll and corporate finance. In this role, you will oversee overpayment recovery, leave liability provisions, reconciliations, journals, statutory reporting, and payroll tax compliance, while monitoring data integrity and internal controls. You will also provide meaningful analysis and insights into payroll trends, cost variations, and workforce statistics, supporting informed decision‑making across the organisation.

Your key responsibilities will be to:

• proactively monitor, analyse, and review payroll data, controls, and compliance to ensure integrity and adherence to policies, industrial instruments, and statutory requirements
• provide expert payroll compliance advice, reporting, and audit support, recommending corrective actions and improvements across Payroll and the broader HR Service Centre
• analyse pay‑run variations, conduct post‑pay triage, identify anomalies and trends, and ensure accuracy of payroll transaction
• manage key transactional finance activities including GL journals, reconciliations, cash flow, payroll‑related banking, and month‑end/year‑end reporting for Corporate Finance
• deliver a range of payroll transactional tasks such as leave reconciliations, separation payment calculations, prior service confirmations, statutory reporting, and third‑party remittances
• oversee issue and overpayment registers, investigate root causes, coordinate recovery processes, and drive training, process improvements, and system testing to support ongoing compliance.

About you

• tertiary qualifications in finance or a relevant field, or an equivalent combination of training and experience
• advanced Excel capability, including IF functions, VLOOKUP, and pivot tables, with strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively, exercising sound judgement and building effective relationships across all organisational levels
• excellent customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to share knowledge and engage confidently with internal and external stakeholders
• strong organisational skills, high attention to detail, and the ability to multitask, self‑check work, and perform under pressure.

Proven experience in a high‑volume payroll environment in a similar role.

Sponsorship / work rights for Australia

You must have unrestricted work rights in Australia for the duration of this employment to be eligible to apply. Visa sponsorship is not available for this appointment.

Pre-employment checks and declarations 

  Your employment is conditional upon the successful completion of all pre-employment or background checks required for the role in terms satisfactory to the University.  Also, to meet the University’s obligations under the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Eliminate Gender-Based Violence you will be asked to declare if you have been investigated for, or found to engaged in, sexual harm or gender-based violence in the course of previous employment or in a legal process. Similarly, your ongoing employment is conditional upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements. If you do not meet these conditions, the University may take any necessary step, including the termination of your employment.

EEO statement 

At the University of Sydney, our shared values are trust, accountability and excellence and we strive to be a place where everyone can thrive. We are committed to creating a University community that thrives through diversity and reflects the wider community that we serve. We deliver on this through our commitment to diversity and inclusion, evidenced by our people and culture programs, as well as key strategies to increase participation and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, women, people living with a disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and those who identify as LGBTQIA+. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds. 

We are proud to be recognised as an Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Platinum Employer. Find out more about our work on diversity and inclusion. 

How to apply

Applications (including a cover letter, CV, and any additional supporting documentation) can be submitted via the Apply button at the top of the page.  

For employees of the University or contingent workers, please login into your Workday account and navigate to the Career icon on your Dashboard.  Click on USYD Find Jobs and apply.

For a confidential discussion about the role, or if you require reasonable adjustment or any documents in alternate formats, please contact Victoria Ford-Rogers, Recruitment Operations by email to [email protected]

© The University of Sydney

The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.

Click to view the Position Description for this role.

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