Payroll Officer

Welcome to St John of God Health Care

St John of God Health Care (SJGHC) 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.

The Team

The SJGHC Workforce Shared Services (WSS) team was established in January 2025 to deliver support services to employees (caregivers) across our hospitals, services, and group locations in Western Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales.

Workforce Shared Services (WSS) covers a broad range of functions, including recruitment, onboarding, global mobility, HR administration and support, position management, remuneration, benefits, payroll, payroll systems, and organisation-wide workforce risk management, governance, and compliance. Guided by SJGHC's strategic direction - Every Moment Matters - our core focus is to enhance the caregiver (employee) experience while establishing consistent, strong foundations across all areas of the workforce.

This is a dynamic and significant time to join the Workforce team at SJGHC, as the payroll function undergoes a period of transformation and process improvements. You will be part of a refreshed team that is shaping the future of payroll services, contributing to a more streamlined, efficient, and caregiver-focused experience across the organisation.

The Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented and knowledgeable payroll professional to join the team for a 12-month fixed term contract. In this role, you will be responsible for maintaining accurate caregiver and payroll master data within our HRIS, ensuring timely and accurate fortnightly payroll processing. This includes managing employment conditions, leave accruals, timesheet coding, salary packaging, and allowances, all in line with defined processes and control activities.

You will also play a key role in supporting the resolution of complex (Tier 2) employee (caregiver) queries, payroll audits, and investigations as needed.

Key responsibilities include:

• Interpret and apply EBA and Award rules for a variety of payroll functions.
• Ensure accurate and efficient master data administration by identifying and resolving inconsistencies.
• Manage payroll transactions across the full employee lifecycle.
• Apply knowledge of payroll systems and legislation, including FWA/NES, SGC, STP, and LSL.
• Administer all leave types (annual, long service, personal, parental, etc. terminations, and superannuation.
• Accurately interpret, code, and process timesheets.
• Perform payroll control activities, including compliance checks, exception reporting, and error resolution.
• Contribute to ongoing improvement of payroll systems, processes, and documentation.
• Work within all relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks.
• Support ad hoc projects as required.
• Use Excel and other Microsoft tools to manage and analyse payroll data.
• Maintain accurate caregiver records and files.
• Deliver high-quality payroll services with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, and caregiver experience.
• Communicate effectively via email, phone, and in-person interactions.
• Foster positive, respectful relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.

You will bring a minimum of 3 years' experience in payroll administration, with a strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processes and related activities. Your expertise includes interpreting and applying industrial awards, enterprise agreements, and relevant legislation to ensure accurate and compliant payroll outcomes.

With excellent communication and interpersonal skills, you're confident in handling complex or sensitive situations with professionalism. You possess strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, along with the ability to work effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Experience with systems such as aPay, UKG, or Workday will be highly regarded.

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

We can offer you

• $79,000 to $87,000 per annum, plus 12% superannuation
• 12-month fixed term
• Hybrid working arrangements

• 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)
• Access to a range of Lifestyle, Health & Wellbeing rewards and discounts

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

For enquiries, please contact Rebecca Sherlock, Payroll Operations Manager on

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.