Payroll Manager

About the role

The University of Canterbury is hiring an experienced Payroll Manager to join its People and Culture team on a 12-month fixed-term basis to cover parental leave. This is a campus-based leadership role in Ōtautahi Christchurch, within a large, values-driven university where payroll accuracy, reliability and service quality are essential.

You will oversee payroll operations for an organisation of roughly 4,000 to 4,500 staff, including permanent, fixed-term and casual employees. The role involves leading a team of around 10 payroll specialists and support staff, keeping day-to-day payroll delivery running smoothly while helping the team navigate a period of change.

The university is also progressing a major HR and finance systems programme, including Workday implementation. Although this role will not lead the project, it will work closely alongside the transition. You will operate in the existing PeopleSoft environment and help keep the payroll team focused, supported and ready for the move to a future system.

Reporting to the Director, People and Culture, you will be accountable for payroll quality, compliance and performance, while providing steady, visible leadership in a busy and complex environment.

What you will do

• Guide, coach and develop the payroll team.
• Ensure fortnightly payroll is processed accurately and on time.
• Oversee compliance, PAYE, audit and quality assurance activities.
• Manage payroll controls, risk, reporting and business continuity arrangements.
• Support effective use of PeopleSoft and related payroll tools.
• Work closely with People and Culture, Digital, Finance, auditors and external advisers.
• Provide practical leadership during a period of systems change.

What you will bring

You should be a seasoned payroll professional who understands both the detail and the leadership required to run payroll well. The ideal person will be confident handling deadlines, compliance obligations and team leadership, while creating structure, trust and clear communication.

You may come from a large corporate, public sector, tertiary, health, local government or shared services environment, or another similarly complex organisation. The key requirement is the ability to step in quickly, establish credibility and lead an experienced team without needing to rebuild the function from scratch.

• Substantial payroll experience in a large or complex organisation.
• Demonstrated experience leading people.
• Strong working knowledge of payroll law, PAYE, audit and compliance processes.
• Experience with large payroll or HRMS platforms, ideally PeopleSoft, Oracle, Workday or comparable systems.
• Good judgement and strong analytical problem-solving skills.
• Comfort engaging with senior stakeholders.
• A composed, hands-on and collaborative leadership approach.
• Alignment with the university’s values and a commitment to an inclusive workplace.

Team and workplace

You will be joining the People and Culture team, where the university values its people as its most important resource. The payroll team is described as a committed group of professionals who enjoy their work and bring energy and collegiality to the team environment.

Terms and application information

This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment for 12 months, based on campus in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

The closing date for applications is 19 July 2026 at midnight, New Zealand time.

For a confidential conversation, contact Heather Ewing, Recruitment Consultant at Bishop Associates, on 03 667 or by email at the address provided in the source listing.

Please note that applicants are asked not to apply directly through the university careers website.

Why work here

The university offers a range of employee benefits. Further details are available on the organisation’s official website.