Title: PD Payroll Advise

This position description is intended to be used as a sample template only. You should read through it thoroughly and customise it for the position in your own organisation.  This will include amending or removing unnecessary or non-applicable content, adding additional requirements and reformatting it consistent with your organisation position description style.

Position details
Position title | Payroll Adviser
Position status |
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Hours of work |
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Delegated Financial Authority |
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About Organisation
Structure Purpose/mission How we work Our values

Position Purpose

•	Ensure the organisation’s employees are paid accurately, on time and in accordance with
legislation, policies and employment agreements
•	Provide customer focused, efficient and effective payroll administration and processing services by carrying out the day-to-day tasks required in the accurate preparation, completion, maintenance and investigation of payroll matters
•	Proactively manage data integrity and financial and legal risks
•	Conduct analysis and reporting of data to internal and external stakeholders, working with business partners to ensure that analysis meets their needs and its impacts are understood
•	Input of all payroll related information, including ensuring that all payroll related paperwork is processed accurately and deadlines are achieved
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Key relationships – external and internal (amend as appropriate)

•	Develop and maintain excellent working relationships as required to perform effectively with:
•	Payroll team members
•	The organisation’s managers and staff
•	Government agencies
•	Relevant external organisations
•	Payroll system vendor and other external service providers
•	Superannuation and insurance providers.

| Key accountabilities and deliverables
Responsibilities of this position are expected to change over time as the organisation responds to changing needs. The appointee will need the flexibility to adapt and develop as the environment evolves.
Key responsibility/ deliverable | Indicators of success

Provision of payroll services as part of an effective payroll team

•	Follows procedures and policies to ensures the accurate and timely processing of employee pays
•	Performs a variety of accounting based calculations/ reconciliations in the preparation, processing and maintenance of payroll, salary, allowances, leave and benefits
•	Ensures accurate data entry of all payroll information and processing activities are completed in a timely manner and completes self and peer reviews to ensure accuracy and quality assurance
•	Assists with reconciliation and payment of payroll and group tax
•	Assists with month end  reconciliation processes
•	Ensures employee and other requests and queries are responded to in a professional, timely and efficient manner
•	Keeps up-to-date and maintains comprehensive knowledge of applicable legislation, payroll policies and procedures; understands impact and provides accurate information and advice and implements any required system or manual amendments
•	Follows policies and processes and ensures all actions are fully documented, auditable and audit logs are monitored, reports issues and requirements for change
•	Reviews, analyses and verifies payroll data, records and documents for accuracy. Resolves discrepancies by making necessary adjustments or corrections through established procedures
•	Operates all controls and compliance requirements effectively and ensures data integrity is maintained
•	Maintains relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure they meet service level agreements (SLA) requirements and that any default is actioned swiftly and appropriately
•	Provides payroll set-up for new staff members

Payroll reporting and communication

•	Works with payroll system vendors, the HR team and other parts of the organisation to fulfil payroll  reporting requirements
•	Information is presented in a way that helps HR and managers make informed and timely decisions
•	Provides clear and transparent explanations to customers, to enable the building of a better understanding by customers of relevant policy, process and guidelines
•	Provides  payroll information to appropriate third-parties as required
•	Communicates regularly with the Payroll Manager with regards to work loads, issues and concerns

Information management

•	Ensures all relevant documents are retained to meet information management requirements and legislation
•	Ensures all actions meet audit requirements and undertake requested data audits
•	Employees’ documentation and records are maintained accurately and current at all times
•	Contributes towards maintaining manuals, templates, forms and guidelines to ensure documentation is accurate, clear, up-to-date and relevant
•	Maintains knowledge of the systems and assists with testing and identifying any enhancements, issues and solutions

Health and safety

•	Manages own personal health and safety, and takes appropriate action to deal with workplace hazards, accidents and incidents
•	Ensures own and others’ safety at all times and observes health and safety practices in all workplace activities
•	Understands the responsibility individuals and their manager play in health and safety; training is up-to-date and can demonstrate actions in an emergency situation that are specific to the workplace and are designed to keep individual safe
•	Complies with relevant safety legislation, policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting
•	Identifies and reports all incidents, accidents, and near misses in accordance with policy

| Competencies

Nimble learning

•	Actively learns through experimentation when tackling new problems
•	Learn as you go when facing new situations
•	Experiments to find new solutions
•	Takes on the challenge of unfamiliar tasks
•	Extracts lessons learned from failures and mistakes
•	Flexible and responsive to changes in requirements
•	Identifies personal learning opportunities
•	Finds own solutions where possible

Collaborates

•	Works cooperatively with others across the organisation, government agencies, and external stakeholder groups to achieve shared objectives
•	Respects and is open with others in a team-setting in order to achieve results and team goals
•	Balances competing interests and priorities appropriately and in line with the organisation’s priorities
•	Identifies and engages early and partners with relevant stakeholders to get work done
•	Credits others for their contributions and accomplishments
•	Addresses  behaviours that do not align with our culture
•	Provides timely and helpful information to others across the organisation
•	Provides support to other team members as and when required and ensures team deadlines and goals are met
•	Undertakes other tasks as directed by the Payroll Manager or Team Leader from time to time as agreed

Customer focus

•	Understands and believes in the importance of customer service
•	Builds and maintains effective customer relationships
•	Delivers quality, accurate, timely service and customer focussed solutions to ensure customer satisfaction
•	Identifies opportunities that benefit the customer and will improve service delivery
•	Listens and understands the needs of customers
•	Displays a professional, courteous and empathetic approach
•	Considers equity and diversity issues in interactions
•	Proactively partnering in pursuit of shared goals

Action orientated

•	Readily takes ownership and action on new opportunities and tough challenges, with urgency, discipline and necessary planning, and being accountable for the results
•	Displays a can-do attitude in good and bad times, and celebrates success
•	Steps up to manage tough situations and encourages colleagues to do the same

Decision quality

•	Makes sound and timely decisions, even in the absence of complete information
•	Relies on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions
•	Considers all relevant factors and uses appropriate decision-making criteria and principles, takes calculated risks where required
•	Recognises when a quick solution will suffice, and when it will not
•	Analyses information to make effective decisions in order to improve  performance

Organisational commitment | •	Promotes and builds commitment to the organisation’s vision,

mission, values and services, by engaging with team and organisational culture
•	Willingly undertakes any duty required within the context of the position
•	Understands equal employment opportunities principles and the application of these to the organisation
•	Complies with all legislative requirements and good employer obligations

Self-management

•	Effectively plans and organises work to achieve desired outcomes
•	Proactive, remains focused, taking action to overcome obstacles and follow through to completion

Integrity

•	Is fair, open, honest and consistent in behaviour and can be relied upon
•	Is receptive to Maori, Pasifika and multicultural issues
•	Generates confidence in others through professional and ethical behaviour

Communication

•	Clearly and concisely communicates with a wide range of people in all situations, both orally and in writing
•	Effectively listens
•	Understands cultural differences in regard to communication
•	Uses diplomacy and tact
•	Can diffuse even high tension situations comfortably

Continuous improvement

•	Works with the payroll team to ensure cohesive, efficient and effective service is provided to customers
•	Identifies opportunities to improve systems and procedures, including possible solutions
•	Maintains an active interest and knowledge in relevant payroll trends and issues, including attending professional development opportunities
•	Seeks out opportunities to improve current processes
•	Keeps up-to-date and understand changes to policy, procedures, employment legislation and new employment agreements as they come into effect

Confidentiality

•	Maintains the confidentiality and security of all payroll documentation by keeping filing up-to-date and secure and being aware of the presence of non-payroll people
•	Shares information appropriately
•	Maintains confidentiality at all times

Person specifications
Key behavioural competencies
•	Attention to detail – check accuracy of information
•	Works under pressure and within a continual changing environment
•	High-level of numeracy skills and ability to deal accurately with calculations
•	An eye for detail including the ability to enter data with high degree of accuracy
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•	Understands payroll legislation and processes
•	Commitment to providing excellent customer service and an ability to establish networks and credibility based relationships
•	Excellent written and spoken communication and interpersonal skills
•	Common sense and a practical approach
•	Works in a systematic, methodical and orderly way
•	Willing to do work of a routine and repetitive nature
•	Ability to use systems  and understand databases
•	Computer literacy and word processing skills
•	Excellent organisational skills, such as time management and prioritising
•	Ability to work effectively within a team environment as well as autonomously as required
•	Accepts responsibility for own work activities, behaviour and personal development
•	Ability to relate well to customers at all levels

Qualification & Experience

•	Business Diploma or equivalent
•	Minimum of 2 years’ experience in large payroll environment
•	Experience in payroll administration and end to end processing
•	Experience in working in a team environment 
•	Experience in the provision of customer services including the ability to effectively clarify and answer enquiries from a range of people, both verbally and in writing
•	Experience in day-to-day operational computerised payroll systems/applications, Word processing and spreadsheeting

Additional requirements

•	Knowledge and commitment to the Treaty of Waitangi, equal employment opportunities and principles of occupational health and safety
•	Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand
•	Must consent to and satisfactorily complete a credit check