Senior HR Officer - People Helpdesk (Payroll & HR Support)

About the role

A well-established, purpose-driven Commonwealth organisation serving communities across Australia is recruiting a Senior People Officer (APS5) through its People team. Reporting to the Assistant Director, People Helpdesk, you will be the go-to person for complex HR and payroll matters, supporting the People Helpdesk and coaching APS4 team members. The role sits alongside transactional work and offers the chance to contribute to system, process and service improvements.

Key responsibilities

• Provide Tier One HR and payroll support to employees, managers and stakeholders, resolving enquiries accurately and within service standards
• Manage and resolve complex payroll and HR enquiries within delegation, escalating high-risk or specialised matters
• Process and validate payroll transactions, including variations and allowances, leave, terminations and final monies, long service leave, parental leave, personnel file transfers and insurance statements
• Carry out quality assurance and peer review of payroll transactions to ensure accuracy, compliance and data integrity
• Coach APS4 team members, support the Team Leader with workload management and operational priorities
• Develop and maintain Knowledge Base Articles, Standard Operating Procedures and work instructions
• Identify recurring issues and trends and contribute to process improvements, projects and system enhancements
• Liaise with specialist HR teams, Aurion support and external stakeholders, and help train staff and managers in Aurion self-service and payroll processes
• Maintain accurate records for audit, compliance and reporting, in line with legislation, enterprise agreements and policy

Required profile

• Experienced HR and payroll professional, ideally from the Australian Public Service or a similarly complex environment
• Comfortable owning complex cases and interpreting policies, procedures and industrial instruments
• Detail-oriented, with a coaching mindset and pride in getting the detail right
• Strong organisational and stakeholder skills, able to manage competing priorities with a high standard of customer service
• Proactive, improvement-focused and willing to share knowledge with colleagues

What we offer

• Salary of $88k - $96k plus 15.4% superannuation
• 6-month non-ongoing engagement with options to extend

To apply, use the online application link provided in the advert; for a confidential discussion, contact the recruiter by reference number 21941.