Senior Officer – Payroll Services
- Reporting to the Payroll Supervisor
- Perth office based, Newcastle street, East Perth, WA 6000
Join Compass Group’s Payroll Services team and play a key role in delivering accurate, compliant payroll outcomes for our national workforce. Compass Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange (Top 20) and is the global market leader in providing food and a range of support services to customers in the workplace, schools and colleges, hospitals, at leisure and in remote environments. We operate in over 50 countries, employ over 600,000 people, and are a recognized top 10 employer worldwide. In Australia, Compass Group Australia (CGA) generates $2.4Bn revenue per annum, servicing over 350 clients across over 700 sites, with 15,000 employees.
We are seeking an experienced Senior Officer – Payroll Services to play a key leadership role within our national payroll function. This position is responsible for overseeing end‑to‑end payroll processing for a large and diverse workforce, ensuring compliance with Australian payroll legislation, awards and enterprise agreements.
In this role, you will manage complex payroll scenarios, support audits and reporting requirements, collaborate closely with HR and Finance, and provide day‑to‑day leadership and guidance to payroll team members. This opportunity suits a confident payroll professional who combines strong technical expertise with people leadership and stakeholder engagement skills.
Key Responsibilities:
Payroll Leadership & Operations
- Manage and oversee end‑to‑end payroll processing for a large workforce (1,000+ employees), ensuring accuracy and on‑time payments.
- Handle complex payroll matters, including salary packaging, bonuses, multiple employment types and termination/redundancy calculations.
- Ensure salaries and wages are processed in line with Awards, Enterprise Agreements and Employment Contracts.
- Support the Payroll Supervisor in coaching, training and developing junior and new payroll team members.
Compliance & Reporting
- Ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, including Fair Work, Payroll Tax, Superannuation, PAYG, FBT and statutory reporting obligations.
- Prepare, balance and reconcile payroll tax, PAYG, superannuation and annual group certificates.
- Coordinate and support internal and external payroll audits.
- Undertake statutory and management reporting as required.
Systems, Data & Governance
- Oversee payroll systems, including headcount analysis, reporting and data integrity.
- Maintain accurate employee records, leave, sickness, overtime and accident data.
- Monitor payroll queries logged through internal customer service systems and maintain relevant statistics.
- Process and approve payroll banking files in line with internal controls.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Act as a trusted payroll advisor to internal and external stakeholders.
- Provide payroll support to management and collaborate closely with HR and Finance to ensure seamless payroll operations.
- Resolve payroll queries across the organisation in a professional and timely manner.
Skills & Experience
- Minimum 5 years’ payroll experience, including at least 2 years in a team leader or senior payroll role.
- Proven experience managing payrolls for 1,000+ employees.
- Strong knowledge of Australian payroll legislation and compliance requirements.
- Demonstrated experience interpreting Awards, Enterprise Agreements and employment contracts.
- Proficiency in large payroll systems, HRIS platforms and the MS Office Suite.
- Excellent organisational, analytical and time‑management skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with a customer‑focused approach.
- Ability to explain policies and procedures clearly, using tact, diplomacy and sound judgement.
Desirable
- Experience preparing payroll tax, PAYG, FBT and statutory reports.
- Knowledge of salary packaging arrangements.
- Experience working across multiple IT platforms.
- Understanding of EEO principles and organisational payroll policies.
- Tertiary qualifications in Finance or Accounting (advantageous).
Working in an environment with lean management structures and processes, where HR is a highly valued team member, you will have the ability to have a broad remit and be influential across the business. Compass Group provides great career opportunities globally for capable HR professionals who make a difference.
We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you require adjustments or alternative methods of communication in the recruitment process, please reach out to us on either talisson@compass-group.com.au or lynmcdowell@compass-group.com.au
