Payroll lead

About OES

OES is a vibrant and values led organisation, and we are passionate about enhancing lives through education. We work with university partners, training institutes, and professional bodies worldwide, to develop and enable immersive and engaging learning experiences. We empower our teams to be student focused, innovative and embrace change with a growth mindset to ensure we achieve our vision of being the world’s most impactful enabler of education. We encourage our people to grow and develop through teamwork and a diverse range of projects, programs and challenging work. We trust our people to deliver, so when you work with OES, you will join a team who are empowered to impact every day.

The Opportunity:

We’re looking for an experienced Payroll Lead to join OES in a part-time capacity, providing senior leadership and technical expertise to our payroll function. This is a hands-on leadership role focused on coaching, governance, compliance, and continuous improvement, working closely with Finance and People & Culture to ensure accurate and compliant payroll outcomes

This opportunity is for a 9 month Fixed Term contract working 2 days week.

Your New Role:

• Act as the Payroll SME, providing guidance on complex payroll interpretations (Awards, EAs, super, tax, leave, etc.)
• Coach and mentor the Senior Payroll Officer and uplift team capability
• Review high-risk payroll transactions (terminations, redundancies, backpays, remediation)
• Partner with Finance and People & Culture to resolve complex payroll queries
• Strengthen payroll governance, controls, and audit readiness
• Drive process and system improvements, including automation opportunities
• Support payroll operations during peak periods and escalations

Who we need:

• Extensive end-to-end payroll experience, ideally at manager or head-of level
• Deep expertise in Australian payroll legislation, awards, PAYG and superannuation
• Strong coaching and mentoring capability
• Experience leading audits, governance and payroll improvements
• Confidence partnering with senior stakeholders across Finance and HR
• Experience with payroll systems (e.g. Access/Definitiv or similar)
• High attention to detail, analytical mindset, and discretion

What’s in it for you?

Along with joining a passionate, energetic and highly skilled team, this role will allow you to gain exposure to many growth and development opportunities. OES offers a hybrid, flexible approach to work, where we work 2-3 days from our state-of-the-art Cremorne office, and the rest from home (or wherever you choose!). Breakfast, snacks, table tennis, Nintendo Switch are all available in the office, as well as weekly staff drinks. Ultimately, you will be joining a values-driven, collaborative business where your creativity and innovation will be nurtured and celebrated.

We pride ourselves on being a 'People First' employer and if you join the OES Team, you will benefit from:

• Flexible, hybrid work for genuine career-life fit (2-3 days in our Cremorne Office)
• Professional development and mentoring
• OES Culture Club and events calendar
• Health and wellbeing activities
• Annual flu vaccinations
• Paid parental leave
• Purchased leave
• Study assistance and leave for eligible employees
• Mental health support resources and Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Income protection insurance
• Access to corporate health insurance rates
• Access to our employee benefits platform - offering retail discounts & novated leasing

If this opportunity excites you, please APPLY NOW with your CV & Cover Letter

At OES, we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse environment, where we encourage candidates of any nationality, age, background,...