About the Group

The Office of the Deputy CEO (ODCEO) provides effective, effective and contemporary services to key business areas, it supports the delivery of transformation and business improvement projects and other general governance and reporting functions across the agency.

About the Program Area

The People Services unit sits within the Office of the Deputy CEO. People Services is responsible for providing a broad range of human resource services across the Institute. It is a small team that delivers services including recruitment, payroll administration, work health and safety, learning and development, HR strategies and policies, industrial relations, establishment management, performance management, employee relations and internal secretariat for Health and Safety and Consultative committees.

The key function areas of the People Services unit include:

• HR Operations and Governance

• HR Workforce Strategy and Capability

The team works collaboratively with other program areas across AIATSIS.

Role Summary

The Senior Payroll Officer role is the primary point of contact for staff and supervisors across the institute for providing advice and support in relation to pay, leave, superannuation and other working conditions. You will work with our external payroll provider in ensuring data is accurate and reflects internal records. This role offers plenty of variety and challenging work and is the perfect opportunity for an experienced APS Payroll Officer looking to step into a senior role.

The key duties of the position include:

- working with the external provider to process fortnightly payroll, including checking of final pay reports.
- process payroll throughout the employee lifecycle including commencements, terminations, leave, superannuation, higher duties and other staff movements, allowances, and overtime claims.
- leave liabilities for incoming and outgoing APS transfers.
- records management, ensuring data is accurate across payroll system (SAP) and internal records.
- provide support to staff and managers for our external Employee Self Service portal (HUB).
- management of AIATSIS HR ticketing system (JIRA).
- stakeholder management, provide advice to staff and managers on conditions of service, including the application of internal guidelines and policies.
- research and advise on legislative and policy areas including AIATSIS Enterprise Agreement, Maternity Leave Act, Long Service Leave Act etc.

Eligibility

Cultural capability - essential

Roles at AIATSIS require candidates to have an understanding of the issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and proven culturally appropriate engagement and communications skills.



The nature of this role requires the candidate to consistently demonstrate the following specific cultural capabilities:

- understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business within the agency and the outcomes the agency is responsible for delivering.
- engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues and employees in a sensitive and equitable manner.
- apply appropriate flexibility in service delivery to meet the cultural needs of individuals.
- show sensitivity and respect for culture in responding to individual needs and circumstances.
- take the perspective of others, seeking to understand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ point of view and experiences.

AIATSIS embodies Yindyamarra in everything we do.

Skills, knowledge and personal attributes

To be successful in this role, you will have well developed stakeholder engagement skills with an APS payroll background. You will come with the following skills, experience and attributes:

- payroll experience in an APS environment.
- previous experience using a HRIS system.
- sound knowledge of legislation, including superannuation, workers compensation, long service leave and maternity leave.
- proven ability to prioritise activities while managing client expectations.
- highly organised with excellent communication skills, attention to detail and accuracy, within a high service environment.
- excellent communication skills (written and verbal), to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders on payroll matters.
- collaborative team member with a positive outlook who contributes to achieving HR outcomes in a small and dynamic team.

Notes

Applications close 11.30pm Sunday 18 October 2026.

The successful candidate/s will need to undergo:

- Police check
- 6 month probation
- Medical clearance

Affirmative Measures positions

Jobs in the APS are open to all Australian citizens. There are some jobs, though, that are open only to specific members of the Australian population. This practice is known as an Affirmative measure and is a targeted strategy to ensure the diversity of the APS workforce reflects the diversity of the Australian population.

Any job can be restricted to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people only, and it doesn't necessarily have to involve working on Indigenous issues.



If a position has been advertised as an Affirmative measure, it will be clearly marked as such.

The use of the Indigenous Affirmative Measures provision at AIATSIS allows for targeted recruitment of Indigenous Australians into the organisation. If you are applying for an Affirmative Measures position, you will need to indicate your Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander heritage on our application form and provide confirmation if required.

What is Cultural Capability?

As all positions at AIATSIS are ‘Identified’ each position will have various elements of involvement with the delivery of Indigenous specific services, programs, and policies as part of AIATSIS core functions. AIATSIS therefore needs to also identify the cultural knowledge; skills and personal attributes needed to deliver the required outcomes.

Every part of how we work, who we work with and for, requires varying levels of knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, protocols and an understanding of issues that enable effective communication and ultimately effective performance in the role. To assist you in determining the required cultural capabilities of this role, you can refer to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability – A Framework for Commonwealth Agencies.

Getting to know the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

We are Australia’s only national institution focused exclusively on the diverse history, cultures, and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia. We house the world’s most important and extensive collection of cultural information and material and we provide leadership, publish and promote greater understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We create opportunities for people the world over to engage with and be transformed by the knowledge, the culture and the story of Australia’s Indigenous peoples. We are Australia’s national institution for leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research. We care for a priceless collection, including films, photographs, video and audio recordings as well as the world’s largest collection of printed and other resource materials for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. We undertake and encourage scholarly, ethical, community-based research in a variety of sectors, including health, native title, languages and education. Our publishing house, Aboriginal Studies Press, regularly publishes outstanding writing that promotes Australian Indigenous cultures. Our activities affirm and raise awareness of the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories.

📌 Senior Payroll Officer (Affirmative Measures) (Canberra)
🏢 Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
📍 Canberra