Systems Administration Manager

Welcome to St John of God Health Care

St John of God Health Care is one of the largest private providers of health care services in Australia, employing more than 16,000 employees (caregivers). We operate 26 hospitals and services comprising more than 3,300 hospital beds, including home nursing, disability services and social outreach programs.

As a Catholic, not-for-profit group, we invest all profits to the communities we serve by updating and expanding our facilities and technology; expanding existing services and developing and acquiring new services; and providing Social Outreach services to people experiencing disadvantage to improve health and wellbeing.

Your role

We have an opportunity for a proactive and collaborative System Administration Manager (Payroll) to lead the maintenance and development of our Payroll System (aPay). Reporting to Senior Manager Workforce Systems, this critical role ensures the system operates efficiently, aligns with business needs, and complies with internal policies and external standards.

As a key partner to the Payroll, Human Resources, Employee Relations, Finance, Digital & Technology, and Project teams, you will provide high-quality systems advice and support to ensure the Payroll System remains stable, functional, and responsive to evolving organisational requirements. You will coordinate system enhancements, troubleshoot issues, and drive continuous improvement in line with best practice.

You will also foster open and effective relationships with legislative bodies and external partners, including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), system vendors, and other stakeholders. Your ability to maintain strong lines of communication and collaboration will be essential for the successful design, implementation, and use of HRIS, RTA, and related systems.

This role requires a strategic thinker with strong technical acumen and stakeholder engagement skills, capable of delivering fit-for-purpose solutions that meet expectations, adhere to budget and time constraints, and support SJGHC's commitment to excellence in workforce management.

The Position

• Coordinate the on-going maintenance and development of Ascender to ensure efficient function and performance.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to identify system improvement opportunities to enable process improvement.
• Collaborate with Payroll and other key business stakeholders to develop, implement and modify payroll processes and procedures in line with system configuration changes.
• Overseeing the design and execution of system testing for key system changes to ensure system compliance and timely project delivery.
• Remain current on all principles, trends, and legislative framework regarding payroll/HR matters - and ensure that the system meets compliance standards, legislative standards and best practice.
• Coordinating the delivery of accurate data for audit purposes to internal and external stakeholders within deadline.
• Coordinating the implementation and maintenance of system documentation including procedural policy handbooks, training documents, risk registers and knowledge management tools.
• Assisting the delivery of specialised reporting to internal and external stakeholders to meet business requirements and timelines.
• Utilise knowledge of payroll reporting trends and compliance to assess internal processes against industry benchmarks to drive process and system change.

You will demonstrate experience in delivering diverse payroll operations within complex, high-volume environments, with a proven ability to manage challenges and drive improvements.

To succeed you will demonstrate strong technical expertise in payroll procedures and their integration with large Payroll (aPay), HR, or ERP systems. You will demonstrate applied this knowledge to support system design and functionality.

The role demands the ability to develop and apply payroll-related metrics and statistics to support operational and strategic decision-making. You will demonstrate advanced skills in interpreting industrial awards, enterprise agreements, and legislation, ensuring payroll practices are accurate and compliant.

Excellent communication, consultation, and negotiation skills are essential, particularly in engaging with stakeholders to support payroll operations and system development, will be essential to this position. Ideally you will have experience with aPay.

All applicants are asked to submit a covering letter (of no more than two (2) pages) demonstrating how you meet the above position requirements.

Above all, people will be at the core of everything you do committing to and supporting our Mission and Values.

We can offer you

• Salary: $154,196 to $171,339 per annum, plus 12% superannuation
• Permanent full-time opportunity, working 38 hours per week
• Based in our Perth CBD Office
• Bike riding facilities and showers
• Central CBD location, close to bus and train stations
• 40% working from home arrangements in place
• Salary packaging up to $18,550 on a range of benefits such as mortgage, rent, meal entertainment, holiday accommodation or other everyday living expenses as well as options to salary package benefits above the FBT cap on items such as:
• Novated leasing
• work related expenses
• self-education and
• additional superannuation
• A healthy work-life balance through flexible work options, additional purchased leave, and well-being programs
• Employee discount on St John of God Hospital & Medical Services and Private Health Insurance
• Employee support through our dedicated free Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

For enquiries, please contact Francine Colgan, General Manager Workforce Shared Services, on

If suitable applicants are identified advertisement may close prior to listed date and screening/interviews may commence throughout the advertising process.

At St John of God Health Care, we celebrate diversity and warmly welcome applications from people of all backgrounds.

Our commitment is to create a safe and nurturing environment for all children and vulnerable individuals in our care and proactively take steps to protect them from abuse, ensuring their safety and well-being.

Our inclusive culture fosters an environment that is respectful and secure, welcoming and accessible, and unified through our diverse community.