HR Operations & Payroll Specialist

ASAP Start | Temporary Opportunity with Permanent Potential

We are seeking an experienced HR & Payroll Specialist for an immediate start within a large, fast-paced organisation.

This position is initially offered as a temporary assignment, with genuine potential to become permanent for the right person. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to make an immediate impact while showcasing their expertise in a complex and dynamic environment.

Combining payroll responsibilities with broad HR operational support, this role will suit a highly organised professional who enjoys variety, thrives in a high-volume environment, and can confidently navigate both payroll and people-related processes.

Hours of work: Monday to Friday, with a start time between 8:00am and 9:00am and a finish time between 4:00pm and 5:00pm to align with offshore teams as they come online.

About the Role

Reporting into the HR team, you will play a key role in supporting a workforce of approximately 500 employees, acting as the local payroll expert while partnering closely with offshore payroll teams.

You will be responsible for reviewing payroll inputs, approving timesheets, managing allowances and overtime calculations, and ensuring payroll information is accurate and compliant before processing. Alongside payroll responsibilities, you will provide HR operational support across a range of employee lifecycle activities.

This is a busy, hands-on role requiring someone who can manage a high volume of transactions, think critically, and maintain accuracy while working to deadlines.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll

• Review and validate payroll data prior to processing.
• Process and approve timesheets for payroll submission.
• Calculate and administer allowances, overtime, and other payroll adjustments requiring local interpretation.
• Manage a high volume of payroll actions and employee changes each fortnight.
• Ensure payroll compliance with New Zealand employment legislation, company policies, and employment agreements.
• Maintain payroll records, reporting, and data integrity.
• Liaise with offshore payroll teams to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing.
• Support payroll process improvements and best-practice initiatives.

Human Resources

• Manage onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Coordinate payroll transfers, secondments, and internal employee movements.
• Prepare employment documentation and maintain employee records.
• Interpret and administer Collective Employment Agreements and Union Agreements.
• Provide practical HR support to managers and employees.
• Assist with HR reporting, compliance activities, and process improvements.
• Support employee lifecycle processes across the wider business.

About You

To be successful in this role, you'll bring a strong combination of payroll expertise and HR operations experience, along with the ability to work effectively within a large and complex organisation.

You will ideally have:

• Previous experience supporting payroll within a medium to large organisation, ideally with a workforce of 500+ employees.
• Experience working in a high-volume payroll environment.
• Strong understanding of payroll legislation and compliance requirements.
• Hands-on experience with timesheet validation, allowances, overtime calculations, and payroll adjustments.
• Previous HR administration or HR operations experience across the employee lifecycle.
• Experience interpreting and applying Collective Employment Agreements and working within unionised environments.
• A background in manufacturing, industrial, engineering, logistics, or other operational workplaces.
• Experience working within a global operating model and collaborating with offshore or shared services teams.
• Strong systems capability and confidence working across payroll and HR platforms.
• Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• A proactive, committed, and collaborative approach.

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a busy and supportive environment where you'll be able to utilise both your HR and payroll expertise.

With an ASAP start available, you'll have the opportunity to make an immediate contribution while building valuable experience within a large workforce environment. For the right person, there is genuine potential to transition from the temporary assignment into a permanent role.

If you're an experienced HR and Payroll professional looking for your next challenge, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Highlights

• Payroll support, allowances and overtime calculations.
• HR operations across the employee lifecycle.
• ASAP start with permanent potential.

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