Payroll & Compliance Specialist

Overview

This hands-on role owns end-to-end payroll and compliance for the organization’s Australian and US entities, ensuring employees and contractors are paid accurately and on time. The position supports statutory compliance across both jurisdictions, maintains payroll data integrity, and ensures clean payroll data flow into Finance.

Responsibilities

• Payroll processing (Australia and US; employees and contractors)

  • Run end-to-end payroll cycles for AU and US employees and contractors, including new starters, terminations, leave, overtime, allowances, bonuses, and commissions.
  • Review and approve Philippines EOR payroll files from Rippling.
  • Process off-cycle and termination payments within statutory timeframes.

• Statutory compliance (Australia)

  • Maintain PAYG withholding and Superannuation Guarantee.
  • Ensure STP2 compliance.
  • Support state payroll tax obligations.
  • Maintain Modern Award/Fair Work compliance.
  • Review contractor arrangements for payroll tax and superannuation exposure.

• Statutory compliance (United States)

  • Maintain federal and state withholding, FICA, and unemployment insurance.
  • Ensure wage-and-hour compliance.
  • Review Forms 941, 940, and manage W-9 collection and 1099 reporting.
  • Manage registrations and lodge filings and payments on time.

• Systems and data integrity

  • Own Rippling for AU and US payroll.
  • Keep employee master data accurate.
  • Diagnose and resolve payroll, HRIS, and GL integration mismatches.

• Month-end close

  • Post payroll journals (leave, bonus, commission, and payroll tax accruals).
  • Reconcile payroll to the general ledger each pay cycle and at month-end.
  • Own payroll-related balance sheet accounts.

• Controls and audit readiness

  • Keep process documentation current.
  • Operate within segregation-of-duties controls.
  • Stay continuously audit-ready.
  • Automate repetitive work where possible.

• Parental leave support

  • Manage statutory and top-up parental leave payments across Australia, the US, and the Philippines, including KIT days.
  • Reconcile government/provider funding.

• Rippling Spend

  • Maintain expense policies, reimbursement rates, and approval settings.
  • Process employee reimbursements to payroll deadlines.

• Employee support

  • Serve as the first point of contact for payroll queries.
  • Partner with HR, super funds, benefits providers, and external payroll partners.

Requirements

• Experience

  • 3–5+ years of payroll processing experience, including both AU and US payroll.

• Knowledge

  • Working knowledge of PAYG, superannuation, STP2, Modern Awards, and payroll tax.
  • Working knowledge of US federal and state withholding, FICA, and multi-state requirements.

• Education/Certification

  • A diploma or degree in Accounting or a related field.
  • Payroll certification (e.g., CPP or Australian Payroll Association) is an advantage.

• Systems

  • Experience with Rippling (advantageous).

• Additional experience

  • Multi-entity, multi-currency experience strongly preferred.
  • Fast-growth or private equity-backed experience is a plus.

• Skills

  • Strong attention to detail.
  • Discretion with confidential data.
  • Clear communication with non-specialists.
  • Proactive, deadline-driven approach and enjoyment of building process in a maturing finance function.

Compensation & Benefits

• Flexible work: Remote-first culture with flexible work arrangements; work-from-anywhere travel policy.
• Wellness days: Quarterly days off.
• Mental health support: Global EAP approach with unlimited therapy available.
• Employee perks: Staff treatments & skincare perks.
• Healthcare benefits: Discounted healthcare & women’s health programs.
• Parental support: 14 weeks paid primary carer and 6 weeks secondary carer.
• Future-focused benefits: Superannuation salary packaging.
• Car benefits: Novated car leasing.
• Tech support: Freshie tech-at-home voucher.

Location

Remote-first with flexible work arrangements (work-from-anywhere travel policy). The role supports payroll and compliance for Australian and US entities.