Payroll Leader

At Lion, we don’t settle for ordinary. We believe in the power of our products to bring communities together, spark conversations, and create lasting memories.   

We're currently looking for a Payroll Leader to lead and evolve our payroll function across Australia and New Zealand. This is a permanent full-time position based in our Sydney CBD office, working three days in the office and two days at home.  

This is a rare opportunity to lead a critical function at the intersection of people experience, technology and governance. At Lion, we’ve made a significant investment in transforming our people experience. In this role, you’ll work across the business to help realise the full value of that investment by strengthening payroll operations, lifting organisational capability, improving controls, and shaping a future-fit payroll model that is scalable, reliable, and aligned to our evolving business needs. 

A day in the life 

Reporting to the People Experience Director, you'll lead a team of payroll professionals and oversee payroll delivery for approximately 2,500 employees across Lion Australia & New Zealand. You'll: 

• Put People Experience at the heart of everything payroll at Lion 

• Lead the end-to-end payroll function, ensuring accurate, compliant and trusted payroll outcomes.  

• Drive payroll governance, controls and risk management, including audits, compliance obligations and remediation activities.  

• Partner closely with People & Culture, Finance, Tax, Risk, Audit and operational leaders to deliver outstanding payroll outcomes.  

• Optimise our payroll technology, time and attendance processes and digital tools to enhance efficiency, transparency and employee experience.  

• Manage relationships with payroll vendors and managed service providers, ensuring strong performance, accountability and value delivery.  

• Build payroll capability across leaders and teams, helping improve understanding of payroll obligations and responsibilities.  

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing payroll team focused on accountability, customer experience and continuous improvement.  

• Play a key role in continuously shaping and embedding a sustainable payroll model for the future.  

What you'll bring 

We're looking for someone who combines deep payroll expertise with strong leadership and a continuous improvement mindset. You'll bring: 

• Significant payroll leadership experience within a complex, multi-site environment.  

• Strong knowledge of Australian payroll legislation, taxation, superannuation, awards and enterprise agreements.  

• Experience managing payroll governance, risk, controls, audits and compliance activities.  

• A track record of improving payroll technology, systems and service delivery models in SAP, ServiceNow & UKG applications. 

• Strong vendor and stakeholder management capability.  

• Experience leading teams through change, transformation and capability uplift.  

• Commercial acumen, data literacy and a passion for delivering better business and people outcomes.  

• The ability to influence across diverse stakeholder groups and build trusted partnerships.  

Why Lion? 

You'll join a business that's investing in its people and system, while enjoying: 

• Employee Product Allowance  

• Fitness Passport Program  

• Career development and growth opportunities.  

• Opportunities to shape meaningful change and leave a lasting impact.