Senior Project Manager - Government | Enterprise Payroll Transformation | Vendor & Governance Leadership

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead a major payroll systems transformation within a large and complex government organisation.

This is a high-profile delivery role requiring someone who can operate confidently across technology, payroll, HR, procurement, commercial, governance and executive stakeholders.

You will take end-to-end accountability for delivery while managing a strategic implementation partner, navigating a highly regulated government setting, and ensuring the program meets strict governance, procurement, compliance and assurance requirements.

Experience delivering enterprise payroll platforms such as SAP SuccessFactors, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or comparable HR/payroll solutions will be highly regarded.

The opportunity

You will lead a complex payroll transformation from implementation through to go-live, bringing strong governance, commercial discipline and delivery focus to the program.

Key responsibilities will include:

- Lead the end-to-end delivery of a major enterprise payroll systems implementation.
- Manage the implementation partner and key technology vendors, driving performance, accountability and delivery against agreed contractual obligations.
- Build a strong and productive vendor partnership while maintaining appropriate commercial oversight, governance and escalation.
- Work closely with Procurement and Commercial teams on vendor performance, contractual commitments, variations, scope management and commercial risk.
- Ensure delivery aligns with government procurement policies, governance frameworks, regulatory obligations and assurance requirements.
- Establish strong program controls across scope, budget, schedule, risks, issues, dependencies and decision-making.




- Provide clear and concise reporting to Program Boards, Steering Committees, executives and governance forums.
- Lead delivery across payroll, HR, finance, technology, data, integration, testing, change and business readiness workstreams.
- Oversee complex payroll testing, parallel runs, reconciliation, data migration, cutover and transition to BAU.
- Navigate complex stakeholder environments and drive timely resolution of delivery, commercial and governance issues.
- Ensure decisions, approvals, risks and contractual obligations are appropriately documented and governed.
- Maintain a strong focus on regulatory compliance, auditability, probity and delivery assurance throughout the program lifecycle.

What we are looking for

You will be an accomplished Senior Project Manager with experience delivering large-scale payroll, HRIS or enterprise technology transformations in complex and highly governed environments.

You will bring:

- Demonstrated experience delivering a major payroll systems implementation or transformation.
- Experience with SAP SuccessFactors, Employee Central Payroll, Microsoft Dynamics 365 or another enterprise-scale payroll platform.
- Strong experience working within government, public sector or another highly regulated setting.
- A solid understanding of government governance, regulatory compliance, assurance, audit and procurement requirements.
- Proven experience managing systems integrators, implementation partners and strategic technology vendors.




- Experience partnering with procurement and commercial teams on contracts, vendor performance, variations and commercial risk.
- Strong commercial acumen and the confidence to hold vendors accountable while maintaining constructive working relationships.
- Strong understanding of payroll delivery including integrations, data migration, testing, parallel payroll, reconciliation and cutover.
- Executive-level stakeholder management and the ability to operate effectively across business, technology, procurement and governance functions.
- Strong financial management, RAID management, governance and executive reporting capability.
- The ability to bring structure, pace and accountability to a complex transformation.

Experience working across complex industrial instruments, enterprise agreements, awards, large employee populations and multi-entity payroll environments will be highly regarded.

Why this role?

This is an chance to lead a critical transformation at the intersection of technology, payroll, governance and commercial delivery.

You will have genuine ownership of the program, significant exposure to senior executives and governance forums, and direct responsibility for ensuring both the organisation and its delivery partners meet their commitments.

This role will suit a Senior Project Manager who is equally comfortable driving delivery, challenging vendors, navigating government governance and working closely with procurement to protect the organisation's commercial and operational interests.

Please apply with current resume in Microsoft Word format only (.doc or .docx).and application summary highlighting you Payroll delivery experience, ideally with a government sector quoting reference JN -082026-44005.

Want to know more about Davidson? Visit us at www.davidsonwp.com

📌 Senior Project Manager - Payroll Systems - Government (Melbourne)
🏢 Davidson
📍 Melbourne