Wētā FX is a leader in creativity and innovation in visual effects and animation, working across a range of large‑scale film and television projects. We bring together artists, engineers and support teams to deliver complex creative work from start to finish.
Our work has included well known characters such as Gollum, Kong, Neytiri and Caesar, as well as environments like Middle‑earth and Pandora. Over time, our projects have been recognised across the industry, including a number of Academy Awards for visual effects.
We are now looking for a Senior Payroll Officer to join our Finance team. This role plays a key part in ensuring our people are paid accurately and on time each week, working closely with our outsourced payroll providers and internal teams. It combines hands on payroll delivery with ownership of processes and controls, supporting a high volume, fast paced environment across both employees and contractors.
If you’re an experienced payroll professional who enjoys working across a range of environments, takes pride in accuracy, and is confident managing weekly pay cycles in a complex environment, this could be a great fit.
What you will do
In this role, you will be responsible for the end to end coordination of weekly payroll processes, working closely with our outsourced providers and internal teams to ensure everything runs smoothly. You will also play an important role in maintaining strong controls, improving processes, and supporting the wider Financial Operations team.
Coordinate and manage weekly employee payroll cycles, ensuring all information is accurate, complete and delivered on time
Work closely with our outsourced payroll providers and internal teams to manage the flow of payroll data and resolve any issues
Review and check payroll outputs, identifying and resolving discrepancies before final approvals
Manage weekly contractor payroll processes, including reconciliations and approval activities
Maintain accurate employee data and payroll settings across multiple systems, working closely with HR
Ensure new starters are set up correctly in payroll and financial systems
Identify and manage exceptions or one off payroll transactions
Proactively identify and resolve payroll issues, supporting effective and compliant payroll practices
Support the Financial Operations team with wider payment processes and provide cover where needed
What you will bring
At least five years’ experience in a payroll position, ideally within an outsourced payroll environment
Strong knowledge of New Zealand payroll and employment legislation
Experience working across multiple payroll systems
Highly organised and detail focused, with strong accuracy
Confident working in a fast paced environment with regular deadlines
Strong communication skills, with the ability to work with a wide range of stakeholders
Reliable, trustworthy and comfortable handling confidential information
Why join us
At Wētā FX you will be part of a team that supports the people behind some of the world’s most recognised visual effects work. This role offers the chance to take ownership of payroll processes in a complex, high performing environment, working closely with both internal teams and external providers.
You will play an important role in ensuring our crew are paid accurately and on time, while also contributing to improvements in processes and controls across the function.
If you take pride in delivering accurate payroll and enjoy working as part of a collaborative team, we would love to hear from you.
We are committed to providing a discrimination free experience throughout the recruitment process. If there is anything we can do to make the process easier, please let us know at recruitment@wetafx.co.nz.
Location: Wellington