HRIS/Payroll Upgrade Project Manager

Role Type:18-month full-time contract
Salary: Attractive salary plus superannuation

The opportunity:

We are seeking an experienced and outcomes focused HRIS/Payroll Upgrade Project Manager to lead one of the Institute's most significant business transformation initiatives.

This role will be responsible for the successful end to end delivery of our HRIS and payroll upgrade/replacement project, from solution selection and procurement through to implementation, go live and stabilisation. Working across People & Culture, Payroll and the Technology Office, you will drive the delivery of a modern, integrated People and Payroll solution that strengthens capability, improves user experience, supports compliance and enables future organisational growth.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of how we manage our people, payroll and workforce information, while leading a complex transformation with organisation wide impact.

Reporting to the Head of People & Culture, you will be accountable for delivering the HRIS/Payroll transformation within agreed scope, budget and timelines, ensuring a seamless transition to business-as-usual operations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the end to end delivery of the HRIS/Payroll Upgrade Project.
• Managing project governance, planning, budgets, timelines, risks and vendor relationships.
• Leading a cross-functional project team spanning People & Culture, Payroll and Technology.
• Driving the selection, procurement and implementation of a fit-for-purpose HRIS and payroll solution.
• Ensuring system configuration, data migration, integrations, testing and payroll validation are completed successfully.
• Leading stakeholder engagement and change management activities to support adoption across the Institute.
• Overseeing go live, business continuity and post-implementation stabilisation.
• Building internal capability and ensuring effective knowledge transfer to support long-term ownership and sustainability.
  
  

A critical aspect of the role will be partnering closely with the newly established People Systems & Analytics Lead, ensuring capability, system knowledge and operational ownership are progressively transferred throughout implementation.

About You

You are an accomplished project leader with a proven track record delivering successful HRIS and payroll transformations in complex organisational environments. You combine strong project management expertise with stakeholder engagement, change leadership and a practical understanding of People and Payroll operations.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Demonstrated experience delivering end to end HRIS and payroll implementations, from business case and vendor selection through to go live and stabilisation.
• Strong project management expertise, including management of scope, budgets, timelines, governance, resources and risk.
• Experience managing procurement processes, vendor selection and implementation partners.
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate cross-functional teams to achieve project outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of HR and payroll processes and Australian employment, industrial relations and payroll requirements.
• Experience overseeing system configuration, data migration, integrations, testing, payroll validation and cutover activities.

Desirable Experience

We will be particularly interested in candidates with:

• Experience implementing SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Payroll, Workday, Oracle HCM or similar enterprise HRIS/payroll solutions.
• Change Management/Project Management qualifications or certifications.
• Experience in healthcare, medical research, higher education or not for profit organisations.

For more information on the role please view the position description here.

Any questions? Please reach out to Daisy Threlfall at daisy.threlfall@mcri.edu.au.

What you’ll enjoy

• Access a range of salary packaging options including meals & entertainment, novated leases, and more
• Enjoy a variety of flexible & hybrid work arrangements (3 days onsite 2 days WFH)
• Lead a strategically significant enterprise wide transformation program.
• Work closely with senior leaders and key stakeholders across the organisation.
• Drive meaningful improvements in systems, processes, compliance and employee experience.
• Be part of a values driven organisation committed to excellence, innovation, equity and inclusion.

Who we are

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute envisions a transformative future for child health. Our institute is a hub of impactful scientific breakthroughs, particularly in early interventions, enhanced diagnosis, prevention, and potential cures. We thrive on collaborative, multidisciplinary problem-solving to address challenging queries in child health. Committed to inclusivity and respect, we foster a positive working environment that values diverse backgrounds and experiences. As a proud member of the Australian Network on Disability and a dedicated supporter of Science Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), we uphold principles of equal opportunity and diverse representation.

We are committed to the safety of children and young people and takes a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of child abuse, exploitation and harm. Child safety is prioritised in our decision-making at all levels of the Institute.   

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a high profile transformation that will shape the future of People and Payroll services across the Institute. If you are passionate about delivering complex technology transformations and creating lasting organisational capability, we would love to hear from you.

Apply now!

If you believe this role is a good fit for you, please apply by submitting:

• Your resume
• A cover letter addressing why you are a good fit for this role

Ensure these documents are combined into a single PDF file.

We welcome individuals of diverse genders, ages, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, abilities, religions, and sexual orientations in our workplace. We actively encourage talented individuals from all walks of life to apply for our job openings. Our commitment lies in fostering a workplace that is barrier-free and inclusive, aiming to attract the most skilled candidates.

For any questions related to the recruitment process, feel free to reach out to our Recruitment Team at recruitment@mcri.edu.au. Ensure that you include the position number and job title in the subject line. Please refrain from sharing your application to this email address.

Please note, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

No recruitment agencies please.

Applications close: 11 September 2026