_{03rd September, 2026}

Senior Payroll Officer
Centacare | Brisbane | Hybrid Working | Full-time | 12 Month Contract with Potential to Become Permanent

Bring your payroll expertise to an organisation that makes a difference
If you're an experienced Senior Payroll Officer who enjoys the pace of a busy payroll, understands the importance of accuracy and deadlines, and is confident working across a large and diverse organisation, this could be a great next move.
Centacare is looking for an experienced Senior Payroll Officer to join our collaborative payroll team on a 12-month fixed-term contract, supporting a large workforce across a range of community services.

This is a hands-on senior payroll role. We're looking for someone with around 4-5+ years of payroll experience, ideally gained in a larger, complex or high-volume environment. You'll need strong end-to-end payroll experience, confidence running pays, interpreting awards, managing complex reconciliations and backpays, and the ability to coach and support other members of the payroll team.

Experience working with the SCHADS Award and/or CSA, along with previous exposure to payroll transformation or HCM projects, will be particularly highly regarded.
 
About Centacare
Centacare is a non-profit community organisation that supports the strengthening of family and community relationships, particularly where there is vulnerability and disadvantage. Our services are available to the entire community regardless of religion, circumstance, ethnicity, economic situation, age, gender or ability. We strive to deliver professional and accountable services whilst empowering our clients to find solutions and achieve their goals.
 
The Opportunity
Working as part of a supportive and flexible payroll team, you will play a senior role in the accurate and timely delivery of payroll across a large and complex workforce.
The broader payroll environment supports approximately 4,000 employees, so this is an excellent opportunity for someone who is comfortable with volume, enjoys solving complex payroll issues and understands the importance of urgency, accuracy and strong communication.
This role goes beyond transactional payroll processing. You will take ownership of key payroll activities, support and coach others in the team, contribute to process improvements and play an important role as the payroll function continues to evolve.
Your responsibilities will include:

• Running and supporting end-to-end payroll processing across a large workforce.
• Ensuring payrolls are processed accurately and within critical deadlines.
• Interpreting and applying relevant modern awards, enterprise agreements and employment conditions.
• Supporting payroll requirements relating to Single Touch Payroll (STP).
• Processing complex employee changes, terminations, backpays and payroll adjustments.
• Completing payroll reconciliations and investigating discrepancies.
• Preparing, reviewing and validating payroll reports.
• Using Excel extensively for reconciliations, backpay calculations, data validation and payroll uploads.
• Reviewing payroll data and identifying anomalies prior to processing.
• Providing technical payroll guidance and support to other team members.
• Coaching and helping develop less experienced Payroll Officers.
• Working with employees, managers and internal stakeholders to resolve complex payroll matters.
• Identifying opportunities to improve payroll controls, processes and ways of working.
• Supporting payroll-related change management, transformation and HCM initiatives.
• Contributing positively to an evolving payroll operating model and team structure.

 
About You
You will ideally bring:

• Around 4-5+ years of hands-on payroll experience, ideally within a large or complex organisation.
• Strong end-to-end payroll experience, including responsibility for running payroll.
• Experience working in payroll within children's services, early education, childcare or OSHC would be a strong advantage.
• Experience processing payroll in a high-volume environment.
• Strong experience interpreting and applying modern awards and employment conditions.
• Knowledge of the SCHADS Award, with CSA experience highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of Single Touch Payroll (STP) requirements.
• Experience processing terminations, backpays and complex payroll adjustments.
• Strong Excel skills, particularly for reconciliations, backpay calculations, data validation and uploads.
• Experience preparing and reviewing payroll reports.
• Previous exposure to a larger payroll team or complex organisation - highly regarded.
• Experience coaching, training or providing technical support to other payroll professionals.
• Exposure to Dayforce and/or Aurion would be highly regarded.
• Experience supporting change management, payroll transformation or HCM system initiatives would be an advantage.
• Strong attention to detail and confidence working with complex payroll data.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and remain accurate during busy processing periods.
• Hold or have a willingness to obtain a Blue Card.

 
While 4-5+ years of experience is preferred, we may also consider candidates with slightly less experience where they have developed strong technical capability within a complex, high-volume payroll environment.
 
The Kind of Person Who Will Thrive Here
Technical payroll knowledge is important, but how you work with people will be just as important.
You'll be someone with a calm and approachable temperament who takes initiative, follows through and is comfortable speaking up when something does not look right.
You will:

• Take initiative and proactively drive work forward.
• Understand that urgency is a priority in payroll and respond accordingly.
• Be highly process-focused and detail-oriented.
• Be comfortable challenging a process respectfully when you see an opportunity to improve it.
• Have the confidence to raise issues early rather than waiting for them to become bigger problems.
• Communicate clearly with both payroll specialists and people who may have limited payroll knowledge.
• Build strong relationships with employees, managers and stakeholders across different teams.
• Remain calm and organised when deadlines are tight.
• Enjoy coaching, supporting and sharing knowledge with colleagues.
• Bring a collaborative mindset and contribute positively to a changing team environment.

Urgency, accuracy, initiative and communication will be critical to success in this role.
 
Why Join Centacare?
This is an opportunity to bring your payroll expertise to a large, purpose-led organisation while being part of a supportive and experienced team.
You'll enjoy:

• Salary Packaging Benefits: Package up to $18,550 of your annual salary tax-free, helping increase your take-home pay.
• Hybrid Working: A flexible hybrid arrangement, with office and work-from-home days structured around the payroll cycle. This will typically include two work-from-home days one week and one the following week, with up to two days working from home where operational requirements allow.
• Flexible Working Hours: Some flexibility around start and finish times to help you balance work and life.
• Training & Development: Excellent opportunities to continue developing your payroll knowledge and professional capability.
• Employee Assistance Program: Free and confidential counselling available to you and your family members.
• Transformation Exposure: The opportunity to contribute to payroll process improvement, organisational change and broader HCM transformation initiatives.
• Purpose: The opportunity to contribute to meaningful work that supports individuals, families, and communities across Queensland.

If you enjoy complex payroll, want exposure to a sizeable and diverse workforce and are looking for a senior role where your technical capability, initiative, communication and people skills are genuinely valued, we'd love to hear from you.
 
Apply Now

Click Apply and submit your current resume.
This role is a priority appointment, so we encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.
We welcome applications from experienced Senior Payroll professionals from a range of industries. Previous payroll experience within children's services, early education, childcare or another award-intensive community services environment will be particularly well regarded.
 
Our Commitment to Keeping our Staff and Children Safe
Centacare is dedicated to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children in its care and maintains a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse. The protection of children is our highest priority. To uphold this commitment, we conduct referee checks and criminal history screenings as part of our recruitment process, and all employees working with children must hold a current Queensland Working with Children Check (Blue Card).
Centacare is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applications from all individuals, including those from diverse backgrounds.

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