Senior HR & Payroll Coordinator in Newcastle

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the Australian Government's primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety. Our purpose is to protect the Australian people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation, through understanding risks, best practice regulation, research, policy, services, partnerships and engaging with the community.

Human Resources is responsible for driving the development and delivery of a range of strategic and operational human resource management functions. Working in partnership with ARPANSA’s branches and offices, Human Resources provides services and advice on the Agency’s employment framework, workplace relations, workforce and succession planning initiatives, workforce metrics and analysis, talent management, organisational design and classification management, as well as the payroll and recruitment activities.

Why work for us?

• Opportunities to engage with national and international stakeholders
• Inclusive and diverse workplace
• Competitive salaries with 15.4% superannuation
• Generous leave conditions
• Modern amenities and free parking at both our Yallambie and Miranda sites.

The key duties of the position include:

• The Senior HR & Payroll Coordinator manages ARPANSA’s day-to-day payroll operations through Aurion Managed Payroll Services and provides workforce reporting and operational HR services across the employee lifecycle.
• As ARPANSA’s payroll subject matter expert, the role coordinates pay and entitlement requests and ensures they are processed accurately, on time and in line with the ARPANSA Enterprise Agreement, internal policies and procedures, and legislative requirements.
• The role checks payroll calculations and Aurion outputs, investigates and resolves issues, maintains accurate information in Aurion, and provides advice to employees and managers on pay, employment conditions, entitlements and HR processes.
• The role also analyses payroll data and prepares information and workforce reporting for management, workforce planning, compliance, agency surveys and other HR-related activities.
• As part of a small, customer-focused HR team, the role works flexibly across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding and offboarding, employee movements, return to work and Comcare claims, policy and procedure updates, HR projects and process improvements.
• The role works collaboratively across the team to respond to changing priorities and manage peak workloads, including to support the Payroll Project Lead with projects, configuration and system upgrades as required.
• The role also helps ensure HR policies, systems and services remain current and aligned with agency and Australian Government employment frameworks.

Key accountabilities:

• Lead ARPANSA’s day-to-day payroll operations and fortnightly pay run, in liaison with Aurion Managed Payroll Services, ensuring service quality, accuracy and timeliness.
• Provide prompt, practical and customer-focused advice to employees and managers on pay and employment conditions, raise payroll processing requests and provide quality assurance checks.
• Complete reconciliations, audits and annual compliance activities to ensure payments and entitlements comply with legislation, the ARPANSA Enterprise Agreement, policies and procedures.
• Investigate and resolve complex payroll enquiries, discrepancies, data issues and system errors, working with Aurion to correct errors and address service issues.
• Maintain accurate employee, payroll, position and organisational structure data in Aurion, and support system configuration, testing, upgrades and changes needed for legislative, policy and EA purposes.
• Prepare workforce reports, identify trends and data issues, and information to support management decisions, workforce planning, HR initiatives, audits and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate employee lifecycle administration, including onboarding, offboarding, contract extensions, employee movements and transfers between agencies.
• Support return to work activities, administer Comcare and workers’ compensation claims, and maintain related employee records.
• Build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, maintain payroll and HR policies, procedures and guidance, and support the transition to a sustainable payroll service model.

We are seeking an experienced HR professional with strong payroll and workforce reporting expertise. You will have substantial experience delivering payroll services, preferably through Aurion Managed Payroll Services or a similar outsourced service arrangement, and be able to check complex calculations and outputs, maintain accurate records, and resolve payroll, data and system issues.

You will understand Commonwealth HR legislation and policy frameworks and be able to interpret and apply enterprise agreements, employment conditions, policies and procedures. You will have strong analytical, reporting and communication skills, with the ability to produce accurate workforce information, identify trends and anomalies, communicate useful insights, and build effective relationships. You will provide responsive, customer-focused service, exercise sound judgement and handle sensitive information with care.

Payroll experience is essential, preferably in the public sector or a similarly complex environment. You will be organised, flexible and able to manage competing priorities. Relevant tertiary qualifications and experience across more than one area of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, return to work, workers’ compensation, policy development or project support, will be highly regarded.

You must hold Australian citizenship and be prepared to travel interstate from time to time as required. ARPANSA requires all new employees to obtain and maintain a national security clearance as a condition of engagement.

Employment with ARPANSA is subject to conditions prescribed within the Public Service Act 1999 and agency and role specific pre-employment security checks.