29th July, 2026
About Education Payroll
Education Payroll is a Crown-owned company that provides payroll services to New Zealand's school sector. We're proud of the critical role we play in supporting teachers, principals, and school staff. We pay over 100,000 school employees every fortnight. Getting it right matters and right now, we're undertaking a significant payroll system upgrade that will shape how New Zealand schools are supported for years to come.
The Opportunity
This is a rare opportunity to lead a complex, high-profile technology project from end-to-end. We're looking for an exceptional project leader to be the Director, Payroll Upgrade reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer.
You'll have full accountability for delivery across scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, and benefits realisation. Integrating technology, business change, commercial management, and assurance into a single, cohesive project.
The goal is clear: a safe, stable transition to a cloud-based SaaS payroll environment, delivering like-for-like pay outcomes with minimal disruption to schools and their employees.
What You'll Be Responsible For
- End-to-end project delivery, owning the plan, the risks, the decisions, and the outcomes
- Integrating multi-vendor and multi-workstream delivery across technology, payroll operations, change management, assurance, and commercial functions
- Providing clear, transparent reporting to ELT, project governance, and external assurance bodies
- Leading a collaborative relationship with the Ministry of Education
- Building and sustaining a high-performing, agile delivery culture aligned with Education Payroll's values
- Ensuring cyber security, privacy, and public sector investment management obligations are embedded throughout delivery
- Working with business owners to embed change and realise project benefits
What You'll Bring - Proven experience leading sole-charge, complex technology projects of significant scale and value
- End-to-end project leadership across multi-vendor, multi-workstreams
- Strong commercial acumen and demonstrated capability in vendor and contract management
- Public sector experience or familiarity with government governance, investment management, and assurance frameworks
- Exceptional stakeholder management, able to build trusted, lasting relationships at the most senior levels
- Strong communication skills. Clear, plain-English written and verbal communication to governance and leadership audiences
- A delivery-focused mindset with high personal accountability and a genuine customer orientation
Apply Now
This is a critical leadership role for a project that matters and one to make your mark on of national significance.
Rothley is conducting this search process on behalf of Education Payroll. For a copy of the candidate information pack please email info@rothley.co.nz or apply via SEEK with your resume and cover letter.
For further enquiries please contact Kirsty Brown on 021 660 757 or Tom Stephens on 022 100 2081.
Applications close on 19 August at 5:00pm.
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