Ascender Pay Specialist - Hybrid

Ascender Pay Specialist

 

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced Ascender Pay / Alesco Support Specialist to provide functional and technical support for payroll and Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS). The role is responsible for maintaining system integrity, resolving application issues, supporting end-to-end payroll operations, and managing system configurations, testing, and enhancements.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with Ascender Pay and/or Alesco, a strong understanding of Australian and/or New Zealand payroll legislation, and the ability to support payroll processes and system integrations.

 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide functional and technical support for Ascender Pay/Alesco, resolving incidents and service requests within established Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Investigate, troubleshoot, and resolve payroll system issues involving award interpretation, pay calculation discrepancies, and interface failures.

• Support end-to-end payroll processing, including pay run validation, exception reporting, and payroll reconciliation.

• Manage system configurations covering pay codes, pay elements, award rules, tax settings, superannuation, and leave accruals.

• Maintain and update payroll configurations to reflect legislative requirements, modern awards, and Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBAs).

• Monitor and maintain system integrations between Ascender Pay/Alesco and external platforms, including HRIS, Finance/General Ledger, time and attendance, and rostering systems.

• Support file-based, API, and middleware integrations to ensure accurate and reliable data exchange.

• Coordinate system upgrades, patches, and release testing in collaboration with vendors and Ascender support teams.

• Assist with User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for new features, legislative updates, system enhancements, and configuration changes.

• Manage support tickets from initial logging through investigation, resolution, and closure using the organization's IT service management tools.

• Maintain system documentation, process maps, configuration records, and standard operating procedures.

• Ensure payroll system configurations and processes comply with applicable statutory and legislative requirements, including Single Touch Payroll (STP), superannuation, PAYG withholding, and award/EBA regulations.

 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Diploma or bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent relevant industry experience.

• At least 2–3 years of hands-on experience supporting Ascender Pay and/or Alesco payroll systems.

• Strong understanding of Australian and/or New Zealand payroll processes and applicable legislative requirements.

• Practical experience with payroll configuration, including pay elements, award interpretation rules, tax scales, and leave accruals.

• Experience supporting payroll processing cycles, pay run validation, exception handling, and reconciliation.

• Familiarity with system integrations and interfaces connecting payroll platforms with HR, finance, and workforce management systems.

• Experience troubleshooting application issues, managing support requests, and coordinating issue resolution.

• Understanding of system testing, UAT, upgrades, patches, and configuration management.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Relevant payroll certifications or professional qualifications, such as Certified Practising Payroll Professional (CPPP) through the Australian Payroll Association (APA).

• Experience supporting both Australian and New Zealand payroll environments.

• Experience with payroll integrations involving HRIS, Finance/General Ledger, time and attendance, and rostering platforms.

• Exposure to payroll system upgrades, legislative updates, and enterprise application enhancement projects.

 

REQUIRED SKILLS & TECHNOLOGIES

• Payroll Platforms: Ascender Pay, Alesco.

• Payroll Legislation & Compliance: Single Touch Payroll Phase 2 (STP2), PAYG withholding, superannuation, modern awards, Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBAs), and applicable Australian/New Zealand payroll regulations.

• Payroll Configuration: Pay elements, pay codes, award interpretation rules, tax scales, leave accruals, superannuation rules, and payroll settings.

• Payroll Operations: End-to-end payroll processing, pay run validation, exception reporting, and reconciliation.

• System Integration: File-based interfaces, APIs, middleware, HRIS, Finance/General Ledger, time and attendance, and rostering systems.

• Application Support: Incident management, troubleshooting, service request handling, SLA compliance, and ticket management.

• Testing & Maintenance: UAT, regression testing, system upgrades, patches, release testing, and configuration validation.

• Documentation: System documentation, process mapping, configuration records, and standard operating procedures.

• Tools & Platforms: ITSM and ticketing systems.

• Professional Competencies: Analytical thinking, problem-solving, attention to detail, stakeholder coordination, and communication.