Our client is a well-established Commonwealth agency with a national presence, providing independent services to the Australian community.

Following a payroll audit, the agency's People & Culture area is now focused on strengthening payroll governance and building the internal capability to keep those improvements in place for the long term.

The Prospect

We're looking for an experienced APS payroll specialist to lead the agency's response to its payroll audit on a contract basis.

You'll own the remediation work from start to finish, and leave behind sound processes, tested controls and a payroll team that can run them with confidence.

You’ll have a chance to

- Lead a clearly scoped piece of work with a defined start, finish and measurable outcomes
- Report directly to the Director People & Culture, so your work has real visibility and support
- Build rather than maintain: the controls, SOPs and training you create will outlast the contract
- Put your APS payroll knowledge to work where your expertise genuinely drives the result

The Role

You'll lead and coordinate the rollout of audit recommendations across the agency's payroll function.

You’ll be responsible for:

- Leading and coordinating implementation of the payroll audit recommendations, tracking milestones and escalating any dependencies or delays
- Translating audit findings into practical, sustainable and auditable payroll processes
- Identifying and documenting current control gaps, then put in place and test preventative and detective controls
- Developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, templates and training materials.
- Delivering training and knowledge transfer so payroll staff can maintain the improvements after the engagement ends




- Working with the payroll team and key stakeholders through regular meetings and progress reporting
- Preparing a complete, well-documented handover at the end of the engagement

The Ideal Person

You're an APS payroll specialist who knows the system inside out and gets real satisfaction from fixing things properly.

You can look past an audit report to what actually needs to change on the ground, and you're the kind of person who leaves a team better equipped than you found it, with SOPs people actually read.

You will bring the following skills and experience:

- A strong understanding of APS employment conditions, enterprise agreements, Remuneration Tribunal determinations and public sector payroll governance obligations
- Hands-on payroll administration experience covering commencements, employee changes, pay-cycle processing, allowances, deductions, superannuation, service transfers, terminations and final monies, total remuneration packages, recalls and exception management
- Experience leading or coordinating the implementation of audit recommendations
- The ability to identify payroll control gaps and put practical preventative and detective controls in place
- Experience writing SOPs, checklists and training materials, and passing your knowledge on to others

It’s also desirable if you have:

- Experience using Aurion
- A current Baseline security clearance, or the ability to obtain and maintain one

Salary / Rate

- $70/hr – $105/hr + Super
- 6 Month Labour Hire Contact

How to Apply

To apply online, please click on the appropriate link.

For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Sarah Fowler on 02 •••• •878 quoting ref no. 22034.

HorizonOne is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we encourage applications from people of all cultures, capabilities and backgrounds.

📌 /Payroll Audit Officer (Canberra)
🏢 HorizonOne Recruitment
📍 Canberra