Payroll Consultant - 6-month fixed-term contract

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

We are looking to appoint a Payroll Consultant for a 6-month fixed-term contract to join our team, ideally with an immediate start.

This is a great opportunity to be part of a team that is widely respected, is customer-oriented, and operates in an environment where people are valued, and there is a real commitment to delivering excellence every time.

The payroll team runs a fortnightly payroll that covers between 8,000 and 9,000 permanent, fixed-term, and casual employees, with an average gross pay run in excess of $24 million. You will be responsible for either part of a large portfolio or have entire ownership of a mid-sized portfolio, managing the end-to-end payroll cycle. This includes payroll finalisation, General Ledger, deductions, and other associated processes.

Good analytical skills will enable you to understand and analyse daily data integrity reports with the ability to interpret complex processing issues as they arise. Daily management of your portfolio and liaising with the Faculty or Service Division you support for the resolution of any issues, as well as the management of daily queries to ensure prompt and timely processing. You will also need to use your initiative to mitigate any potential risk to the University.

This role requires a flexible and proactive approach to be successful.

For more information on the role, please view the position description.

This is a full-time (37.5 hrs per week), 6 month fixed-term role

The remuneration is between $62,000-$77,000 per annum, dependent on skills and experience

Nga Pūkenga Motuhake | Important Skills

Our ideal candidate will tick the following boxes:

1. Demonstrate experience in dealing with a range of payroll administration tasks
2. Good knowledge of NZ Payroll legislation and familiarity with HR processes
3. Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, including (but not limited to) the Holidays Act, Wages Deduction Act, Employment Relations Act, ACC Act, and Immigration Act
4. Strong analytical skills in order to interpret data
5. Experience using Apay or a similar payroll database system is advantageous - we will provide training if you don’t have experience in Apay
6. Has Initiative and resilience, coupled with high attention to detail for volume processing
7. Strong written and verbal communication skills
8. Excellent time management and strong organisational skills
9. Ability to build successful relationships with different stakeholders
10. A team player but also able to work autonomously.

And finally, an interest in continuous improvement, we are always looking at ways to make things better and improve processes.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou | What we offer

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading university and maintains significant computational, laboratory and analytic facilities. Auckland itself is frequently rated as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment through:

• Flexible employment practices (including working from home, flexible hours)
• Up to 6.75% company superannuation scheme
• A competitive salary with five weeks’ annual leave

In addition, we also offer career development programmes, discounted car parking, a generous parental leave allowance, childcare, and several other discounts on internal and external services.

For more information,please visit Staff Benefits.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

Applications should be submitted online, before the closing date of 7th December 2025, and include an up-to-date CV and cover letter outlining what strengths you will bring to this role.

If you have any questions about this role, please contact Sharon Kishore at [email protected] for a confidential discussion. Please note we are happy to answer your questions, but we do not accept applications by email.