People Experience Systems Manager

Xero, the NZ-based cloud accounting platform, is seeking a People Experience Systems Manager to own the roadmap for a portfolio of about 38 HR and payroll systems, with Workday at the core. The role sits in a hybrid setup and can be based in Wellington, Melbourne or Sydney. The PX Systems team lives within the Employee Lifecycle and Experience function, reporting to the GM of Employee Experience, and you’ll partner with PX, Payroll, PXIS and Enterprise Technology to keep payroll accurate, data clean and compliant while making everyday work smoother through self-service, automation and AI. If turning complexity into clear priorities and helping people get the most from their tools appeals, this could be a great fit. Note that Xero uses AI to help screen applications, but a real human recruiter reviews all candidates before any hiring action is taken.

The job offers a chance to stretch beyond a single platform and shape a broad portfolio. You’ll guide a specialist team and collaborate closely with multiple functions to keep a sharp focus on governance and user experience, ensuring the systems stay fit for purpose as needs evolve. You’ll also work to protect payroll accuracy and data quality, while enabling colleagues and people leaders to work more efficiently through automation and self-service enabled by AI where appropriate.

You’ll join a dedicated PX Systems team within the broader Employee Lifecycle and Experience group. The team includes a Workday functional expert, PX and Payroll systems specialists and associate analysts who handle day-to-day systems work and improvements. They coordinate with Payroll, PXIS and Enterprise Technology, the teams that own the underlying platform architecture, and they value curiosity, clear ownership and respectful debate.

In the early months, your focus will be practical: you’ll get to know the portfolio with Workday at the core and the payroll tools used across hiring, onboarding, learning, engagement and wellbeing. You’ll help agree a prioritized PX and Payroll roadmap with partners across PX, Payroll, PXIS and Enterprise Technology, define a clear split of responsibilities between PX, PXIS and Enterprise Technology, and start an improvement driven by user feedback that uses self-service, automation or AI to reduce manual effort.

Guiding a broad HR systems portfolio

Day to day, you’ll steward a broad portfolio of HR and payroll systems, ensuring the work stays aligned with people strategy and operational needs. You’ll lead a specialist team and work hand in hand with partners across PX, Payroll, PXIS and Enterprise Technology to keep payroll processes accurate and data quality high, while enabling self-service and automation to ease everyday tasks. The role requires balancing strategic direction with hands-on governance and continuous improvement, in a hybrid environment that values impact over office presence.

Initially, you’ll map the portfolio, shape a prioritized roadmap with cross-functional partners, and establish a practical allocation of responsibilities between PX, PXIS and Enterprise Technology. You’ll drive improvement initiatives informed by user feedback, focusing on adoption and a smooth user experience, and you’ll keep the door open for how AI and automation can make work easier without compromising control.

What you’ll need to bring to the table

Must-haves

• Deep knowledge of HRIS and payroll systems, plus the broader HR technology landscape, with a track record you can point to.
• Experience working alongside technical or IT teams in a business owner or product owner capacity, translating needs clearly for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• A history of rolling out systems and processes to varied user groups, with a focus on adoption and delivering a good user experience.
• Experience managing vendors, building business cases for technology investments, and keeping People data private, secure and compliant.
• A Go Together mindset, natural coaching abilities for a team, and a habit of exploring how AI and automation can improve the way work gets done.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Workday in a core role, alongside payroll platforms and tools used for hiring, onboarding, learning, engagement and wellbeing.
• Ability to operate effectively across a cross-functional mix of PX, Payroll, PXIS and Enterprise Technology, aligning technical delivery with business needs.
• Comfort with self-service, automation and AI as practical tools to reduce manual effort and improve processes.

Where and how you can work

This role can be based in Melbourne, Sydney or Wellington. Xero supports a hybrid way of working with no company-wide mandated office days, and the team will agree a purposeful in-person rhythm that fits the work. You’ll be able to contribute fully when you’re remote, and the company is open to conversations about flexibility or adjustments you need to perform well.

Tips to stand out for this role

Lead with your HR systems portfolio. When you update your resume, put the work you’ve done on HRIS and payroll platforms at the top, and highlight Workday-centric projects with measurable outcomes.

Show how you prove you can translate needs for both technical and non-technical audiences. Describe situations where you acted as a business or product owner and bridged the gap between users, HR stakeholders and IT teams with clear, practical language.

Be ready to talk through governance, roadmapping and cross-team collaboration. Prepare concrete examples of how you split responsibilities between PX, PXIS and Enterprise Technology and how you drove adoption or a successful rollout based on user feedback.

Ask a smart question that shows you’re thinking about impact in this portfolio. For example: what are the top priorities for the PX Systems portfolio in the next 12 to 18 months, and how will success be measured across governance, adoption and data privacy?