Job Description

Department of Personnel Management

Designation : Team Leader-APay HR/Payroll System Helpdesk (Code- DPM 14-3)

Job Description / Responsibilities:

1. IDENTIFICATION

AGENCY:

Department of Personnel Management

SYSTEM POSITION# (10-Digits):

 

REF#:

DPM14-3

OFFICE:

Office of the Public Service HR/Payroll Services

DESIGNATION/CLASSIFICATION:

Team Leader/Grade 15

DIVISION:

N/A

LOCAL DESIGNATION:

Team Leader - APay IHRP System Helpdesk

BRANCH:

N/A

REPORTING TO:

Director

SYS POS# (10-Digits):

REF#:

DPM14-1

SECTION:

N/A

LOCATION:

Central Government Office, Level 3, Waigani, NCD
       

HISTORY OF POSITION

 

 

FILE REFERENCE

DATE OF VARIATION

DETAILS

 

 

  

2. PURPOSE

The Team Leader - Ascender Pay IHR Payroll System Help Desk and User Group Secretariat is responsible for managing the support operations and technical assistance for all users of the Ascender Pay Integrated HR/Payroll (IHRP) System. This role ensures timely, accurate, and high-quality support to over 145,000 public servants across government agencies and departments. Additionally, the position plays a lead role in coordinating the User Group Secretariat, which includes organizing annual User Forums, collating agency business case presentations, and liaising with stakeholders and speakers. This dual focus contributes directly to system sustainability, user capacity building, and improved governance of the Ascender Pay IHRP system.

  • Contributes to the government’s digital HR/payroll reform agenda and continuity of payroll operations.
  • Promotes system sustainability by ensuring responsive help desk support and stakeholder engagement through the User Group.
  • Without this role, system issues would not be resolved efficiently, user engagement would lapse, and forum coordination would be disjointed.
  • The job ensures both technical continuity and strategic governance through the User Group’s influence on system improvements.

3. DIMENSIONS

Finance: No direct control but supports the performance of payroll systems paying over PGK230 million per fortnight.

Staff Supervised: 2-4 Help Desk Officers or Support Technicians.

Resources: Help Desk software, knowledge base, Ascender Pay system interface, User Group Secretariat files, presentation systems, and collaboration platforms.

Events Coordinated: Annual PNG Ascender Pay User Group Forums; ad hoc stakeholder engagement and technical presentations.

4. PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

  1. Provide leadership and oversight of all Help Desk functions related to the Ascender Pay IHRP System, ensuring user issues are resolved in a timely and effective manner.
  2. Coordinate the operations of the PNG aPay User Group Secretariat, including planning and executing annual forums, and supporting thematic and industry-specific engagements.
  3. Organize and collate user agency business case presentations and ensure that they contribute toward continuous system improvement.
  4. Engage, confirm, and coordinate guest speakers for forums and events.
  5. Identify systemic support issues and escalate them for system enhancements or policy change recommendations.
  6. Maintain regular reporting on Help Desk performance, issue types, resolution metrics, and user satisfaction.

5. MAJOR DUTIES

  1. Manage the ticketing system, ensure service requests are categorized and addressed according to SLA.
  2. Guide and support Help Desk staff in resolving first- and second-level issues.
  3. Plan, schedule, and manage all User Group Forum activities including venue, program, logistics, and presentations.
  4. Liaise with senior stakeholders to secure high-level speakers and strategic participation.
  5. Collate, review, and prepare presentations of agency business cases for submission during forums.
  6. Ensure lessons learned from forums are documented and translated into actionable system improvement initiatives.
  7. Coordinate development and maintenance of FAQs, troubleshooting guides, and the knowledge base.
  8. Compile monthly and quarterly reports for internal use and governance purposes.

6. NATURE AND SCOPE

The position is located within the Helpdesk & User Group Secretariat of the Whole-of-Government Payroll Office. The Team Leader reports to the Director and supervises the daily activities of the HR/Payroll Help Desk Officers. The role is central to ensuring that just over 250 government users receive the support required to process HR transactions and payroll efficiently.

6.1 WORKING RELATIONSHIP

Internal Relationships:

  • Manager - System Administration and Digital Reporting
  • Payroll Governance Oversight and Compliance teams
  • Digital Reporting Unit
  • IT Infrastructure Support
  • Executive and Policy Divisions

External Relationships:

  • Ascender Pay Users from all Government Departments and Agencies
  • Department of Finance, Department of ICT, Treasury
  • Ascender Pay vendor (Frontier Software)
  • Development partners and guest speakers

6.2 WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position is technical and administrative in nature, operating in a high-pressure and deadline-driven environment. It involves system support, event coordination, and stakeholder engagement. It requires adaptability to technological platforms, multi-tasking, and strong inter-personal and communication skills.

7. CONSTRAINTS FRAMEWORK AND BOUNDARIES

Rules/Procedures: General Orders, Pay Policy Circulars, Help Desk SOPs, Ascender Pay System Protocols

Decision: Allocation of Help Desk resources, ticket prioritization, User Forum scheduling

Recommendations: System enhancement proposals, additional training needs,  User Group governance improvements

8. CHALLENGES

One of the most challenging aspects is managing high Help Desk traffic during pay cycles while also delivering quality coordination for the annual User Group Forums. Balancing technical support with high-level stakeholder management and maintaining quality outputs under tight timelines makes this role demanding.

9. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCES, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

(a) Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Business Administration, Public Sector Management, or related field.

(b) Knowledge

  • Strong understanding of HR/Payroll systems in government.
  • Awareness of public service governance and performance frameworks.
  • Event planning and stakeholder coordination.

(c) Skills

  • Effective help desk and customer service management.
  • Excellent event coordination and organizational skills.
  • Strong oral and written communication, including public speaking.
  • Ability to lead, influence, and manage diverse teams.

(d) Work Experience

  • 4-6 years of experience in a support or coordination role in government or similar large-scale IT system.
  • Prior experience in user support or stakeholder engagement in HR or payroll systems highly desirable.

Job Type:

Full Time

Language Requirements:

English

Salary(per annum):

K51050.00

Job Location:

Waigani

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