Payroll Specialist - Controls & Assurance

Payroll Specialist – Controls & Assurance

Parramatta CBD | Hybrid working | 3 days office / 2 days WFH | Permanent

We encourage early applications, as interviews may commence before the closing date.

Getting payroll right matters. At Uniting, we’re looking for an experienced Payroll Specialist – Controls & Assurance to help ensure our payroll is accurate, compliant, well controlled and continuously improving.

This is a senior specialist role with a key point of difference, you’ll work independently from payroll processing to provide quality assurance, controls and governance across the end-to-end payroll lifecycle.

You’ll be the person who looks beyond the numbers, spots what doesn’t look quite right and helps ensure issues are addressed before they become problems.

What you’ll be doing

• Payroll assurance: Perform independent pre-pay-run checks, validate payroll calculations, payments, deductions and adjustments, and investigate exceptions, anomalies and variances before payroll is finalised.
• Controls & risk: Manage payroll watchlists and higher-risk transactions, assess payroll risks, test controls and recommend preventative measures and corrective actions to strengthen payroll accuracy and compliance.
• Payment & financial controls: Prepare and validate ABA banking files, payroll reconciliations, GL interfaces and journals, working closely with Finance to resolve discrepancies and ensure payroll transactions are accurately reflected in financial reporting.
• Audit & governance: Support internal and external audits through control testing, data analysis and evidence gathering, while maintaining clear audit trails, control documentation, procedures and signoffs.
• Reporting & insights: Analyse payroll data and trends to identify recurring issues, emerging risks and opportunities for improvement, providing meaningful reporting and recommendations to Payroll leadership.
• Continuous improvement: Work closely with Payroll, People Experience, Finance, People Systems & Governance and Internal Audit to strengthen payroll governance, controls and processes.

What you’ll bring

You’ll be an experienced payroll professional with a strong understanding of payroll controls, compliance, risk and assurance, ideally gained within a large or complex payroll environment.

You’ll have:

• Strong end-to-end payroll knowledge, including Awards, Enterprise Agreements, NES, Fair Work, payroll taxation and superannuation.
• Demonstrated experience in payroll controls, quality assurance, reconciliations, exception management or payroll audit.
• Strong analytical skills, with advanced Excel and payroll reporting capability.
• Experience identifying payroll risks, investigating discrepancies and implementing effective controls.
• Experience preparing audit evidence, compliance documentation and reporting.
• Excellent attention to detail, sound judgement and the ability to work independently, investigate issues and raise concerns when something doesn’t look right.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Relevant qualifications in Audit, Risk, Accounting, Business, Payroll, Compliance or a related discipline.

Experience with Dayforce or another integrated HRIS/payroll platform, payroll remediation or transformation would be highly regarded.

How to apply 

Please submit: 

Your current CV. 

A cover letter is welcome but not essential. If you choose to include one, we'd love to hear what interests you about the opportunity and what you could bring to the role.

Should you have specific questions regarding the role or recruitment process before applying, please contact doraha@uniting.org

To ensure every application is managed fairly and consistently, all applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal. Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications sent directly via email. 

Join more than 12,000 employees working together to inspire people, enliven communities, and confront injustice. 

 In return, you’ll enjoy: 

• Access to not-for-profit salary packaging, helping you pay less tax and take home more of your income. Better still, your full annual benefit is available from 1 April 2026, allowing you to maximise your tax savings from the start of the FBT year. 

• Access to Fitness Passport, providing discounted access to hundreds of gyms, pools, and fitness facilities across Australia to help you live your best life. 

• Additional paid leave options, including the opportunity to purchase extra annual leave. 

• Exclusive employee discounts through our U Rewards program. 

•  The chance to do meaningful work every day for an organisation committed to inspiring people, enlivening communities, and confronting injustice. 

Our Commitment 

Uniting NSW.ACT contributes to the work and mission of the Uniting Church in NSW and the ACT through social justice advocacy, community services, and spiritual care. We provide care and support for people through all ages and stages of life, with a focus on people experiencing disadvantage and vulnerability. Our purpose is to inspire people, enliven communities, and confront injustice. 

Uniting is a Child Safe Organisation committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and inclusion of children and young people. 

Empowered by diversity 

At Uniting, inclusion isn’t just something we value, it’s how we work. We welcome people from all backgrounds, experiences, and identities and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people of all ages, cultural back

If you require adjustments to participate in our recruitment process, please let us know.