Payroll Manager

Payroll Manager

Job Summary

The Payroll Manager is responsible for leading end-to-end payroll operations across a fast-paced, multi-site organization. This position ensures accurate and timely payroll processing, strong internal controls, tax compliance, and adherence to federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations.

Reporting to the CFO, the Payroll Manager leads a team of two and works closely with Accounting, Human Resources, Finance, Operations, and company leadership. This individual will strengthen payroll processes, improve accuracy and efficiency, and support the organization’s continued growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end payroll processing, ensuring all payroll cycles are completed accurately and on time.
• Lead, develop, and support a team of two payroll professionals, establishing clear performance expectations, accountability, cross-training, and consistent service standards.
• Manage multi-state payroll tax registrations, reconciliations, reporting, and compliance.
• Oversee payroll administration involving salaries, commissions, bonuses, incentive pay, retroactive adjustments, final pay, garnishments, deductions, taxable fringe benefits, and other special payments.
• Ensure accurate payroll treatment of benefit deductions, leave-related pay, retirement contributions, and other employee earnings and deductions.
• Manage the integration and functionality of payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Use ADP Workforce Now for payroll processing, reporting, audits, and process improvement.
• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax, wage and hour, final-pay, garnishment, and record-retention requirements.
• Establish and maintain payroll controls, including payroll calendars, approvals, reconciliations, segregation of duties, exception reviews, documentation, and standard operating procedures.
• Oversee quarterly and year-end payroll activities, including W-2 processing, tax reconciliations, amendments, year-end balancing, and coordination with payroll tax vendors.
• Partner with Accounting and Human Resources to improve payroll processes, reporting accuracy, and the overall employee experience.
• Serve as the organization’s payroll subject-matter expert and primary escalation point for complex payroll issues.
• Respond to employee and management payroll questions and resolve discrepancies promptly and professionally.
• Support internal and external audits by preparing reports, maintaining accurate documentation, and addressing audit findings.
• Monitor payroll performance measures, error trends, service levels, and recurring issues. Identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements.
• Support acquisitions, new locations, and organizational growth through tax registrations, system configuration, employee conversions, testing, and payroll-readiness planning.
• Manage relationships with payroll, tax, timekeeping, and other external vendors, ensuring timely resolution of service issues.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and produce required internal and external reports.
• Monitor changes in payroll laws and regulations and implement necessary updates.
• Manage competing deadlines and changing priorities while maintaining accuracy in a high-volume environment.

Required Qualifications

• At least 10 years of progressive payroll experience, including significant responsibility for multi-state payroll in a multi-site or multi-unit organization.
• Previous experience managing and developing a payroll team.
• Advanced experience with ADP Workforce Now is required.
• Experience with payroll system integrations, implementations, upgrades, testing, reporting, and process optimization is strongly preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of multi-state payroll taxation, wage and hour regulations, payroll accounting, reconciliations, garnishments, deductions, and year-end processing.
• Experience supporting a geographically dispersed workforce in a high-volume environment.
• Advanced Excel skills with the ability to analyze and reconcile complex payroll reports and large data sets.
• Strong analytical, auditing, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify root causes, evaluate risk, and implement corrective actions.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organization, and cross-functional partnership skills.
• Strong attention to detail, judgment, discretion, and commitment to confidentiality.
• Ability to manage multiple payroll deadlines and respond effectively to changing priorities.
• Certified Payroll Professional certification is strongly preferred.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field is strongly preferred. An equivalent combination of education and relevant payroll leadership experience may be considered.