Interim Head of Payroll
Interim Head of Payroll
Lead a complex payroll function through a critical period of transformation, governance uplift, and operational optimisation.
About the Organisation:
Our client is a large, complex, and highly respected organisation with a significant national footprint and a reputation for innovation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. Employing thousands of staff across diverse workforce groups, the organisation operates within a sophisticated and highly regulated environment where payroll accuracy, compliance, governance, and employee experience are critical to business success.
Currently undertaking a range of transformation and operational improvement initiatives, the organisation is seeking an experienced payroll leader to provide stability, leadership, and delivery during a key period of change.
About the Role:
Reporting to the Head of Shared Services, this interim leadership opportunity will take ownership of a complex payroll function during a period of transformation, remediation, and operational uplift.
Leading a payroll team, you will be responsible for ensuring the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll services while driving improvements across governance, controls, reporting, service delivery, and operational effectiveness.
This role requires a hands on leader who can confidently move between strategic leadership and operational execution. You will oversee payroll performance, strengthen governance frameworks, support remediation activities, optimise processes, improve risk management practices, and enhance stakeholder confidence across the business.
Working closely with HR, Finance, Shared Services, and senior leadership teams, you will also contribute to key transformation initiatives, ensuring payroll systems, processes, and service delivery models remain aligned with organisational objectives.
Key areas of focus include payroll governance, compliance, enterprise agreement interpretation, operational risk management, payroll remediation, process optimisation, stakeholder engagement, reporting enhancements, and team leadership.
About You:
You are an experienced payroll leader who has successfully led complex payroll functions within large, regulated, and operationally sophisticated environments.
You bring strong technical payroll expertise combined with outstanding leadership capability and a practical, delivery focused approach. Comfortable operating in periods of ambiguity and change, you are able to quickly assess priorities, stabilise operations, and drive meaningful improvements.
To be successful, you will bring:
This is a rare opportunity for an experienced payroll leader to step into a highly visible and impactful role where your expertise will directly influence operational stability, compliance outcomes, and transformation success.
You will have the opportunity to lead a critical function, contribute to meaningful improvement initiatives, and work alongside experienced leaders within a large and sophisticated organisation committed to continuous improvement and operational excellence.
How to Apply:
If you are confident that your experience reflects the above criteria, please apply online.
Should you have queries or would like to sense check your alignment, please contact Matthew Saitta on email matthew@tandempartners.com.au or call 02 8045 2923.
Tandem Partners is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Job Ref: 4044173
#SCR-matthew-saitta
Our client is a large, complex, and highly respected organisation with a significant national footprint and a reputation for innovation, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. Employing thousands of staff across diverse workforce groups, the organisation operates within a sophisticated and highly regulated environment where payroll accuracy, compliance, governance, and employee experience are critical to business success.
Currently undertaking a range of transformation and operational improvement initiatives, the organisation is seeking an experienced payroll leader to provide stability, leadership, and delivery during a key period of change.
About the Role:
Reporting to the Head of Shared Services, this interim leadership opportunity will take ownership of a complex payroll function during a period of transformation, remediation, and operational uplift.
Leading a payroll team, you will be responsible for ensuring the accurate and compliant delivery of payroll services while driving improvements across governance, controls, reporting, service delivery, and operational effectiveness.
This role requires a hands on leader who can confidently move between strategic leadership and operational execution. You will oversee payroll performance, strengthen governance frameworks, support remediation activities, optimise processes, improve risk management practices, and enhance stakeholder confidence across the business.
Working closely with HR, Finance, Shared Services, and senior leadership teams, you will also contribute to key transformation initiatives, ensuring payroll systems, processes, and service delivery models remain aligned with organisational objectives.
Key areas of focus include payroll governance, compliance, enterprise agreement interpretation, operational risk management, payroll remediation, process optimisation, stakeholder engagement, reporting enhancements, and team leadership.
About You:
You are an experienced payroll leader who has successfully led complex payroll functions within large, regulated, and operationally sophisticated environments.
You bring strong technical payroll expertise combined with outstanding leadership capability and a practical, delivery focused approach. Comfortable operating in periods of ambiguity and change, you are able to quickly assess priorities, stabilise operations, and drive meaningful improvements.
To be successful, you will bring:
- Extensive experience leading large and complex payroll operations
- Deep expertise across payroll compliance, governance, controls, and risk management
- Strong knowledge of enterprise agreements and complex employment frameworks
- Demonstrated experience managing payroll remediation, audit responses, and compliance improvement initiatives
- Experience with Ascender or comparable enterprise payroll systems
- Strong shared services and process improvement experience
- The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands on operational delivery
- Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing capability across HR, Finance, and operational leadership teams
- Proven experience leading, coaching, and developing payroll teams
- Strong problem solving skills, resilience, and the ability to deliver outcomes in fast paced environments
- Availability to commence at short notice
This is a rare opportunity for an experienced payroll leader to step into a highly visible and impactful role where your expertise will directly influence operational stability, compliance outcomes, and transformation success.
You will have the opportunity to lead a critical function, contribute to meaningful improvement initiatives, and work alongside experienced leaders within a large and sophisticated organisation committed to continuous improvement and operational excellence.
How to Apply:
If you are confident that your experience reflects the above criteria, please apply online.
Should you have queries or would like to sense check your alignment, please contact Matthew Saitta on email matthew@tandempartners.com.au or call 02 8045 2923.
Tandem Partners is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Job Ref: 4044173
#SCR-matthew-saitta
Salary Range:
$220000 - $250000
Work Type:
Contract
Location:
New South Wales
Date Published:
04-Jun-2026
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