Senior Payroll Officer

• 📍Own the Payroll

📍Improve the Process

📍Shape what comes next

At Real Pet Food Company, we’re looking for a Senior Payroll Officer who knows payroll inside and out — but who also looks beyond the pay run.

This is a key role within our People & Capability team, reporting to the Head of Remuneration & Benefits, with responsibility for the end-to-end delivery, governance and compliance of payroll across Australia and New Zealand.

With a predominantly blue-collar workforce and a range of Awards and Enterprise Agreements, this is a role where your technical expertise will genuinely make an impact. And we're not standing still.

We’re investing in our payroll technology and processes, with a systems transformation underway that will see a transition from a Managed Service model to an in-house solution . We’re looking for someone who is excited by that change — someone who can challenge the status quo, identify opportunities for automation and process improvement, and help build a smarter, more efficient payroll function.

What you'll own

As our payroll SME, you’ll take ownership of

• End-to-end weekly, monthly and out-of-cycle payrolls across Australia and New Zealand, ensuring employees are paid accurately, on time and in accordance with legislation, Awards, Enterprise Agreements and company policies.
• Payroll governance and compliance , including STP, superannuation, payroll tax, workers compensation, leave and other statutory obligations.
• Awards and Enterprise Agreements, ensuring pay rules, penalties, allowances, overtime and other employment conditions are correctly interpreted and reflected in our time and attendance and payroll systems.
• Time & Attendance and payroll configuration, partnering with operational leaders to improve time and leave practices and ensure accurate pay calculations.
• Payroll reconciliations, reporting and audits, working closely with Finance and P&C to maintain strong controls, data integrity and audit readiness.
• Complex payroll investigations, acting as the escalation point for employees, leaders and the P&C team when things get complicated.
• Payroll systems and vendors , including UKG, troubleshooting issues, testing changes and identifying opportunities to get more from our technology.
• Continuous improvement, looking for ways to eliminate manual processes, improve controls, automate workflows and make the payroll experience better for our people.

You’ll also provide functional guidance to our Payroll Officer and help build capability across the business, particularly with leaders using UKG Ready, Time & Attendance, leave and payroll processes.

What will make you successful?

You’ll be an experienced payroll professional who is comfortable operating in a complex, fast-paced, multi payroll environment.

You'll bring

• 5+ years’ experience in a senior payroll position , with strong end-to-end payroll experience.
• Proven experience working with Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements and complex pay conditions including overtime, penalties, allowances and shift arrangements.
• Experience managing payroll across multiple sites and/or a large operational workforce.
• Strong knowledge of Australian payroll legislation and statutory requirements, including STP, superannuation, payroll tax and workers compensation.
• Experience with New Zealand payroll and NZ statutory requirements will be highly regarded.
• Strong experience with Time & Attendance and payroll systems . UKG Ready and/or Payroll Metrics experience is advantageous.
• Advanced Excel skills and the ability to analyse payroll data and investigate discrepancies.
• A strong understanding of payroll governance, controls, reconciliations and audit requirements.
• The confidence to provide trusted payroll advice to employees, People Leaders, Finance, P&C and senior stakeholders.
• Exceptional attention to detail, discretion and integrity — you’ll be dealing with highly confidential information every day.

But we're particularly interested in how you think.

You’re someone who

• ✔ Questions the process. You don’t accept “because that’s how we’ve always done it” as an answer.
• ✔ Looks for better ways . You enjoy finding opportunities to simplify, automate and improve.
• ✔ Embraces technology. You’re curious about what systems, AI, automation and data can do to make payroll more accurate and efficient.
• ✔ Owns the outcome. You take accountability for getting to the right answer, particularly when something goes wrong.
• ✔ Can influence. You can translate complex payroll and industrial requirements into practical advice that leaders and employees understand.
• ✔ Stays calm under pressure. Payroll deadlines don't move — and you know how to manage competing priorities without compromising accuracy.
• Why Real Pet Food Company?
• This is an opportunity to join a business that is growing, changing and challenging the way things are done.
• You’ll have genuine ownership of payroll while working alongside the Head of Remuneration & Benefits and broader P&C and Finance teams to strengthen our payroll function.
• With our payroll systems transformation and Payroll Metrics implementation imminent, you’ll be joining at exactly the right time to influence how payroll works in the future.

Our values are at the heart of how we work

Work as a Pack – collaborate and support each other.

Make Your Mark – take ownership and make an impact.

Lead with Passion – bring energy and expertise to what you do.

Change the Game – challenge the norm and find better ways.

If you’re a payroll specialist who understands blue-collar payroll, Awards and EAs, but also gets excited about process improvement, technology and automation, we’d love to hear from you.

ALSO: Generous benefits!

• Anniversary day off
• Product discounts
• Volunteering days
• Novated leases
• Rewards program
• Parental leave

What’s Next?

This role is a full-time role with an expectation of being on site at our Crows Nest office 4 days a week with 1-day WFH (Thursday or Friday) - but you are welcome to work 5 days on site!

The selection process will include

• Two in-person interviews
• Psych Assessment
• Two reference checks.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Diversity isn’t a buzzword here — it’s part of our DNA. If you require any reasonable adjustments or accessibility support during the recruitment process, please contact people&[email hidden] .

Please note: No recruitment agencies will be considered. We kindly ask that unsolicited profiles are not submitted.