Senior Payroll Analyst

Culture Amp is looking for a Senior Payroll Analyst (Systems, Automation & Projects) to join our payroll team, based in Melbourne or Sydney.

This is a hands-on, high-impact role sitting at the intersection of payroll operations, systems, and transformation. You will play a key role in supporting our payroll operations today while helping shape how they scale for the future. A core focus of the role will be serving as a key project resource for the migration of our United Kingdom payroll to our global outsourced partner by early 2027. Following that transition, you will own and optimize the digital integration, API and file-based data flows, and workflows between our internal HRIS and external payroll providers supporting the UK, US, and Germany.

Alongside this systems and transition work, you will run the compliant, end-to-end preparation, processing, journals and reconciliation of payroll for our Australian and New Zealand entities, while also managing UK payroll operations in the interim period leading up to the transition. You will work closely with the Compliance & Operations Lead in People Ops to ensure seamless upstream-to-downstream data transfers and reliable, scalable payroll operations.

As part of this team of amazing humans,

You will

• Serve as a key project resource for the migration of our UK payroll to our global outsourced partner by early 2027
• Own and optimise post-migration payroll integrations, including digital workflows, API connections, and file-based data transfers between our internal HRIS and external providers supporting the UK, US, and Germany
• Partner closely with the Compliance & Operations Lead in People Ops to ensure seamless upstream-to-downstream data flows across payroll systems and processes
• Run the compliant, end-to-end preparation, processing, journals and balance sheet reconciliations payroll for Australia and New Zealand
• Manage end-to-end UK payroll operations in the interim period leading up to the planned transition
• Leverage Generative AI and automated audit frameworks to streamline data validation, reconciliation, and routine employee inquiry resolution
• Conduct payroll audits, reconciliations, and controls to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely issue resolution
• Identify and implement process improvement and automation opportunities that reduce manual effort and improve scalability
• Collaborate with Finance, People & Experience, and external partners to resolve complex payroll issues and support system updates, testing, and enhancements

You have

• Hands-on experience managing end-to-end payroll operations with a high degree of accuracy and compliance
• Experience supporting payroll transformation, transition, or systems change projects
• Strong payroll systems capability, including confidence working across integrations, workflow design, and data transfers (ideally ADP Payforce)
• Digital and automation literacy, with the ability to identify smarter and more scalable ways of working
• Intermediate-to-advanced Excel skills, including power query, working with large datasets, reconciliations, and reporting
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage time-sensitive work across multiple priorities
• The ability to collaborate effectively across Payroll, Finance, People teams, and external vendors

You are

• A continuous improvement thinker who looks for practical ways to make payroll operations more efficient and scalable
• AI-curious and motivated to drive efficiencies through AI, creating more time for strategic, high-value work you dont need to be an AI expert, just someone excited to learn and apply it in practical ways.
• Calm, methodical, and dependable in high-accountability work
• Comfortable balancing hands-on operational ownership with project-based systems and transformation work