Job Description

Department of Personnel Management

Designation : Manager-HR/Payroll System Administration & Digital Reporting (Code- DPM 14-43)

Job Description / Responsibilities:

1. IDENTIFICATION

AGENCY:

Department of Personnel Management

SYSTEM POSITION# (10-Digits):

 

REF#:

DPM14-43

OFFICE:

Office of the Public Service HR/Payroll Services

DESIGNATION/CLASSIFICATION:

Manager/Grade 16

DIVISION:

Database Management & Application Support

LOCAL DESIGNATIION:

Manager - System Administration & Digital Reporting

BRANCH:

System Administration & Digital Reporting

REPORTING TO:

Executive Manager

SYS POS# (10-Digits):

 

REF#:

DPM14-36

SECTION:

 

LOCATION:

Central Government Office, Level 3, Waigani, NCD
       

HISTORY OF POSITION

 

 

FILE REFERENCE

DATE OF VARIATION

DETAIL

AGENCY REFERENCE/FILE NO:

Structure Approved Date:

27th March 2025

2. PURPOSE:

The Manager - System Administration and Digital Reporting is responsible for the overall configuration and administration of the Ascender Pay Integrated HR/Payroll System (IHRPS) in alignment with the business and operational needs of the Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG). The role also leads the development and maintenance of digital dashboards that report on personnel emoluments and workforce demographics. Furthermore, the Manager oversees the successful fortnightly payroll processing for over 146,000 public servants, ensuring full compliance with statutory payroll cycles, accuracy of payments, and real-time visibility into payroll data for decision-makers.

  • This position supports the core objective of the GoPNG in managing an integrated, compliant, and transparent public service payroll and workforce information system.
  • It contributes significantly to ensuring system stability, data integrity, and timely reporting for payroll and workforce analytics.
  • Without this position, the IHRPS would lack centralized configuration control, payroll processing oversight, and reporting continuity - resulting in major risks to government service delivery.
  • The position is needed to bridge system governance, operational execution, and strategic digital reporting across government.

3.     DIMENSIONS:

Finance: Supports fortnightly payroll processing exceeding fortnightly expenditure threshold per pay cycle

Staff Supervision: Supervises 3-5 officers (System Administrators, Digital Reporting Analysts, Dashboard Developers)

Resources: Ascender Pay IHRPS platform, GoPNG personnel payroll data, digital dashboards, data servers

Coverage: Over 146,000 public servants across national departments, provincial governments, statutory bodies, and agencies

4.     PRINCIPLE ACCOUNTABILITIES:

  1. Ensure accurate and efficient configuration and administration of the IHRPS system to support payroll and HR operations across government.
  2. Lead the development, updating, and integrity of digital reporting dashboards, including emoluments and workforce demographics.
  3. Manage, validate, and oversee the fortnightly payroll processing cycle to ensure timely and error-free salary payments.
  4. Provide expert guidance to government stakeholders on system configuration impacts and data insights from digital reporting.
  5. Maintain audit trails and documentation for all system configuration changes and reporting analytics.
  6. Coordinate with internal and external ICT partners to ensure the secure and optimal functioning of system infrastructure and dashboard performance.
  7. Champion continuous improvement in digital reporting and system administration processes to improve visibility, transparency, and accountability.

5. MAJOR DUTIES:

  1. Configure and maintain the core system parameters (pay structures, allowances, deductions, accruals) of the Ascender Pay IHRPS.
  2. Oversee the design, publishing, and maintenance of dashboards for payroll expenditure and personnel metrics.
  3. Monitor and coordinate the payroll cut-off schedule to ensure payroll batches are submitted and processed on time.
  4. Support executive reporting needs by providing tailored data extracts, insights, and trend analysis.
  5. Ensure agency-level system issues are logged, resolved, and documented.
  6. Lead coordination with the Department of Finance and Department of Treasury on payroll processing schedules and validations.
  7. Conduct quality assurance on digital reports before dissemination to executive management.
  8. Manage a team of technical officers, providing supervision, training, and performance oversight.

6. NATURE AND SCOPE:

The position is located within the Database and Application Support Division of the Whole-of-Government Payroll Office. The role reports to the Executive Manager - Database and Application Support. It requires close collaboration with the Payroll Management Office, ICT teams, and Digital Governance Units. The position has a strategic oversight function that merges technical configuration, payroll operations, and digital reporting.

6.1 Working Relationship:

(a) Internal:

  • Executive Manager - Database and Application Support
  • Manager - Database & Infrastructure
  • Payroll Processing Officers
  • Provincial and Agency HR teams

(b) External:

  • Department of Finance and Treasury (Budget & Cash Flow Alignment)
  • Department of ICT (Dashboard Hosting & Policy Compliance)
  • Digitec Ltd (if still hosting environment)
  • System Vendors (Ascender Pay & Reporting Solutions Providers)

6.2 Work Environment:

This position is technical and strategic, operating in a digital government setting where strict compliance, accuracy, and timeliness are paramount. The incumbent works in a structured but high-pressure environment with direct influence on payroll execution, data analytics, and national workforce planning outcomes.

7. CONSTRAINTS FRAMEWORK AND BOUNDARIES:

Rules/Procedures: General Orders, Payroll Administration Manual, GoPNG ICT and Digital HR Transformation Policies, Payroll Cut-Off Schedules

Decision Authority: Authorized to approve and execute non-financial system configuration changes and dashboard deployments

Recommendations: Recommends improvements to payroll configuration, dashboard design, and whole-of-government HR/payroll reporting practices

8. CHALLENGES:

The most critical challenge is ensuring the IHRPS is fully configured and operationally sound to process payroll for over 146,000 employees fortnightly. This includes ensuring dashboards are updated without error and available to decision-makers in real time. The job holder must maintain accuracy under tight deadlines, respond rapidly to configuration issues, and maintain trust in the reliability of system data.

9. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS:

(a) Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems, Data Analytics, HRMIS, Computer Science, or related field
  • Additional certification in Payroll System Administration, Business Intelligence, or Reporting is an advantage

(b) Knowledge

  • Strong knowledge of Ascender Pay or similar HRMIS platforms
  • Understanding of PNG General Orders, public sector payroll policies, and system configuration requirements
  • Knowledge of dashboard development tools such as Power BI or Tableau
  • Understanding of HR/payroll business rules and workflow logic

(c) Skills

  • System configuration and administration
  • Fortnightly payroll processing and scheduling
  • Data extraction, dashboard development, and reporting analytics
  • Staff supervision and performance coaching
  • Communication, stakeholder engagement, and problem-solving

(d) Work Experience

  • At least 5 years of experience in system administration, payroll systems, or digital reporting in government or enterprise settings
  • At least 2 years of supervisory experience in a technical or analytical team
  • Demonstrated experience in payroll operations or business intelligence/reporting systems

Job Type:

Full Time

Language Requirements:

English

Salary(per annum):

K56172.00

Job Location:

Waigani

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