Payroll Officer

Company Description

Fairness feels good

Make a real impact at AFCA. Where fairness drives every decision. Help us deliver world-class, independent complaints resolution for Australians. As a not-for-profit and progressive financial ombudsman, we’re championing positive change. Achieving our purpose takes progressive thinking, accountability and resilience. At AFCA, our inclusive leadership values every voice. We offer our people flexible work options, thoughtful benefits and opportunities to deepen expertise. Flourish in a diverse, caring culture. Feel the difference of belonging to an organisation intentionally designed to put people first.

Job Description

Great payroll is about more than getting the numbers right.

At AFCA, fairness feels good. We’re here to help Australians and small businesses resolve financial complaints fairly, independently and effectively. And behind that purpose are our people, supported by teams who make sure the important things happen accurately and on time.

We’re looking for an experienced Payroll Officer to join our Finance team within Corporate Services. You’ll play an important role in delivering accurate and timely payroll, supporting employees with their payroll queries, and helping ensure our processes remain compliant, efficient and reliable.

It’s a hands-on role for someone who knows payroll inside and out, enjoys solving problems and takes pride in getting the detail right while providing a great employee experience. Working closely with our Payroll Manager, you’ll support payroll from end to end and be a trusted point of contact for our people.

This is a 12 month contract position.

What you’ll do:

• Support the accurate and timely processing of end-to-end payroll.
• Maintain employee payroll records, including new starters, salary changes and terminations.
• Respond to employee payroll queries and provide clear, helpful advice.
• Interpret and apply relevant awards and Australian payroll requirements.
• Process superannuation, tax, leave and other payroll calculations.
• Manage parental, annual and personal leave calculations, including leave loading where applicable.
• Support annual salary increases, back payments and other payroll adjustments.
• Complete payroll reporting, reconciliations and audit activities.
• Maintain accurate employee and payroll records.
• Support payroll projects and ad hoc processing requirements.
• Help keep payroll processes and procedures accurate and up to date.
• Look for opportunities to improve workflows, strengthen compliance and make our payroll processes even better.

Qualifications

What you’ll bring

You’re someone who can be trusted with the detail. You’re organised, responsive and confident managing payroll independently, while also enjoying being part of a collaborative team.

You’ll bring:

• Demonstrated experience managing payroll processing.
• A sound understanding of Australian payroll legislation and compliance requirements.
• Experience interpreting awards and applying payroll-related conditions.
• Strong knowledge of tax, superannuation, leave and payroll calculations.
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines.
• Intermediate Excel skills and confidence working with payroll data.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, particularly when responding to employee queries.
• The ability to work autonomously, solve problems and take ownership of your work.
• A continuous improvement mindset and an eye for making processes simpler and more efficient.

Additional Information

• Gold AWEI Accreditation 2025 – Recognised for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
• Accredited Family Friendly Workplace – Supporting work-life balance and inclusivity.
• Hybrid working – Flexible arrangements with two days a week in our modern offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing.
• Additional and inclusive leave options – Flexible public holidays, gender affirmation leave, women’s health leave, and bonus paid time off over the end of year holiday period.

To apply

If you’re passionate about fairness and believe your skills align with this role, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every single criterion.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. If you require any accessibility support during the recruitment process, please reach out to our team at Careers@afca.org.au.

We believe fairness starts with people. That’s why we don’t use AI or automated tools to screen candidates. As a result, our processes may take a little longer, and we thank you for your patience.

About AFCA

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) was established in 2018 as a private not-for-profit ombudsman service providing free, fair and independent help with financial disputes. The original team has grown to over 1600 dedicated professionals. Since 2018, AFCA has received more than 634,000 complaints, helping to secure $2.1 billion in compensation for consumers. 

AFCA is a 2026 Circle Back Initiative Employer - we are committed to responding to every applicant.