Global Payroll Manager

Ko wai rātou - Who they are
You know New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square right?
That’s Foodstuffs North Island (FSNI) which is 100% kiwi owned. There are 300+ stores and over 24,000 Foodies across Te Ika-a-Maui. FSNI have the privilege of helping New Zealanders get more out of life.  Locally owned, FSNI reflect the communities they serve, and they celebrate their people every day for being uniquely them.

The Co-op is built on a legacy of ownership - and Foodstuffs are committed to ensuring that legacy thrives for generations to come. Ownership isn’t just a business model; it’s the heartbeat of Foodies. The way they identify, attract, and develop their future Owner Operators is one of the most powerful things they do.

Te Tūranga - About the role
This is an 18-month fixed-term opportunity to lead the day-to-day payroll function while Foodstuffs continues its Employee Experience transformation (called PeopleStuff) journey.

As Group Payroll Manager, you'll lead a sizeable and complex payroll function for Foodstuffs North Island's Support Centre, supply chain operations and store network. Reporting to the Head of People Systems, you'll work closely with leaders across the business to help ensure payroll services continue to run smoothly, while contributing to a range of wider initiatives and improvements.

You'll will manage three direct reports, and provide calm, practical leadership to help an established payroll function maintain confidence, clarity and momentum during a busy period of change.

You will:

• Lead a high-performing payroll function
• Provide steady support and guidance to payroll leaders within the team
• Partner with stakeholders across stores, supply chain and the Support Centre to maintain strong service delivery
• Ensure payroll services continue to be delivered accurately and efficiently
• Provide trusted payroll advice and guidance across the business
• Support compliance, audit and legislative requirements
• Contribute to payroll projects and continuous improvement initiatives
• Build trusted relationships across a large and diverse organisation

He kōrero mōu - About you
You’ll be an experienced Payroll Manager who has led people in a medium to large business. You will understand how to work with a range of stakeholders, bring a calm and collaborative approach, and support teams through periods of change.

What are we looking for:

• Experience leading through others and supporting confidence, clarity and delivery within teams
• Strong working knowledge of New Zealand payroll legislation and compliance requirements
• PayGlobal experience
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to build trust quickly
• Experience supporting payroll-related change, whether that's systems, processes, compliance initiatives or broader transformation programmes
• Strong judgement, resilience and the ability to stay calm when priorities shift
• A hands-on approach and willingness to get involved where needed

Experience working within a centralised or outsourced payroll environment would be an advantage, but it’s your ability to provide steady, practical leadership in a complex payroll environment that will set you apart.

Foodies Motto: Experience awesome. Achieve awesome. Be awesomely you.

At Foodstuffs they are proud to have a focus on Diversity & Inclusion and welcome courageous behaviour, encourage togetherness and inspire their people to be their best selves.

Huntress Recruitment is managing this process exclusively and is also committed to inclusive recruitment and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. If there's anything we can do to make the process more accessible, just let us know.

For more information or a confidential chat please reach out to Sukhy.leprieur@huntressrecruitment or [email protected] or call on [09 399 2771](tel:09 399 2771).

At Huntress, we recruit temporary, contract, fixed term and permanent roles across Aotearoa. We do recruitment differently – we hunt, we match, and we deliver, with genuine care for our candidates and clients.