Payroll Consultant

Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland

The University of Auckland is New Zealand’s leading University. With over 6,000 academic and professional staff supporting over 46,000 students, we are one of NZ’s largest employers.  We have six academic faculties and 13 service divisions creating a diverse, dynamic, and complex organisational culture that demands excellence.

The University of Auckland creates globally transformative impacts through our distinctive strengths in world-leading research, scholarship, teaching, and collaborative partnerships, inspired by our unique position in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific. 

Our mission and values place a strong emphasis on both our student body and our scholarly community, and we work with both community and enterprise to advance the well-being of the peoples of Auckland and New Zealand, with a clear commitment to pursuing sustainability.

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

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 made up of between 8,000 – 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 responsible for managing the end-to-end payroll cycle, including 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 will require a flexible and proactive approach in order to be successful.

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

This is a full-time (37.5 hours per week), permanent role

The salary range for this role is $62,400 - $77,800 per annum, depending on experience and qualifications.

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 1st October 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 get in touch with Sharon Kishore via [email protected] for a confidential discussion. Please note we are happy to answer your questions, but we do not accept applications by email.

**We reserve the right to close applications early if a suitable candidate is found**

Equity

The University is committed to meeting its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi and achieving equity outcomes for staff and students in a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment.  For further information on services for Māori, Pacific, women, LGBTQIATakatāpuiMVPFAFF+, people with disabilities, parenting support, flexible work and other personal circumstances go to www.equity.auckland.ac.nz