Payroll Compliance Team Leader
- Employment Type: Full Time (35 hours per week)
- Duration: Continuing
- Remuneration: Level 8 $127,351 - $143,489 (please note: salary range to increase July 2026) + 17% super + leave loading
- Location: UNSW Kensington Campus, NSW (hybrid)
About UNSW:
UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community; a community doing extraordinary things. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. It’s the reason we’re one of the top 20 universities in the world and a member of Australia’s prestigious Group of Eight. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.
Why Your Role Matters:
At UNSW, we're committed to ensuring every employee is paid accurately, fairly and in line with legislative requirements. As Payroll Compliance Team Leader, you will play a pivotal role in strengthening payroll compliance, leading critical remediation and improvement initiatives, and helping to build sustainable pay confidence across the University.
Working closely with the Payroll Compliance Manager, you will lead a high-performing team of payroll specialists focused on delivering payroll-related projects, compliance initiatives and remediation activities. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced people leader to join a well-established team and provide coaching, guidance and support while driving successful project outcomes.
You will be responsible for balancing both people leadership and project delivery, ensuring your team continues to deliver high-quality outcomes while fostering a collaborative, engaged and high-performing culture. Your expertise will directly contribute to enhancing compliance, reducing risk, and creating a trusted payroll experience for employees across UNSW.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach and develop a team of payroll specialists through regular one-on-one meetings, performance development, mentoring and capability building to maintain a high-performing and engaged team culture.
- Lead payroll project activities, ensuring compliance objectives, reporting requirements and project milestones are delivered successfully.
- Manage complex payroll remediation activities, including claims processing, back-pay calculations and compliance-related adjustments.
- Drive payroll compliance through audits, monitoring activities and risk identification, implementing corrective actions where required.
- Build strong partnerships across Payroll, People & Culture, Employee Relations, Finance and Systems teams to support compliant and effective payroll outcomes.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives, including process enhancements, governance frameworks, system improvements and team capability development.
- Analyse payroll data and performance metrics to provide insights, recommendations and support informed decision-making.
- Provide expert advice on payroll legislation, compliance matters and escalated payroll enquiries.
Who You Are:
You are an experienced payroll professional with proven experience leading and developing teams. You bring strong payroll compliance knowledge, enjoy coaching and supporting others, and can successfully lead a team through complex payroll projects and compliance initiatives.
This role is suited to a hands-on leader who is passionate about people leadership and wants to join an established, high-performing team delivering both BAU support and payroll-related projects.
You will bring:
- Relevant payroll qualifications or equivalent experience.
- Demonstrated experience leading, coaching and developing a payroll, compliance or shared services team.
- Experience managing staff performance, conducting regular one-on-one meetings and building team capability.
- Extensive knowledge of Australian payroll legislation and compliance requirements.
- Experience leading payroll compliance, remediation or payroll-related projects.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
- Proven ability to manage competing priorities and lead a team to successful outcomes.
- Experience with PeopleSoft Payroll - Oracle desirable.
- Experience with HRIS platforms, Microsoft Office applications and advanced Excel skills.
- Strong analytical skills, attention to detail and a commitment to continuous improvement.
For further details on role responsibilities and skills & experience required, refer to the position description found under the position listing on Jobs@UNSW
Benefits and Culture:
People are at the core of everything we do. We recognise it is the contributions of our staff who make UNSW one of the best universities in Australia and the world.
Our benefits include:
- Flexible working options.
- Career development opportunities.
- 17% Superannuation contributions and additional leave loading payments.
- Additional 3 days of leave over Christmas period.
- Discounts and entitlements (retail, education, fitness).
For further details on the benefits, please visit https://www.jobs.unsw.edu.au/lifestyle-benefits
How to Apply: Submit your CV & Cover Letter by 11:55pm, 5th July 2026
Please address your team leadership experience in your cover letter, including examples of leading, coaching and developing team members.
Please note: Sponsorship is not available for this role, valid Australian working rights are required on application.
Contact: Amy Denney a.denney@unsw.edu.au - Talent Acquisition Team
Please apply directly through the website, applications sent to the contact above will not be accepted.
Pre-Employment Checks
Aligned with UNSW’s focus on cultivating a workplace defined by safety, ethical conduct, and strong integrity preferred candidates will be required to participate in a combination of pre-employment checks relevant to the role they have applied for.
These pre-employment checks may include a combination of some of the following checks:
- National and International Criminal history checks
- Entitlement to work and ID checks
- Working With Children Checks
- Completion of a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Declaration
- Verification of relevant qualifications
- Verification of relevant professional membership
- Employment history and reference checks
- Financial responsibility assessments/checks.
- Medical Checks and Assessments
- Compliance with the necessary combination of these checks is a condition of employment at UNSW.
UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff.
The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.
