Payroll Manager

Job Description: Payroll Manager The Payroll Manager provides strategic and operational leadership for the organization’s payroll function, ensuring employees are paid accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. This role has end-to-end accountability for payroll operations, including payroll processing, controls, compliance, reconciliation, reporting, team leadership, issue resolution, and continuous improvement.

The Payroll Manager leads and develops the payroll team while serving as a key partner to HR Operations, Finance, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Technology, and business leaders. The position is responsible for establishing strong payroll controls, identifying and mitigating risk, leveraging Workday and related technology to improve efficiency and accuracy, and ensuring payroll practices continue to evolve with the needs of the organization.

This role requires a leader who can balance operational excellence with a continuous improvement mindset, moving beyond successful payroll execution to proactively strengthen processes, controls, technology, service delivery, and the employee experience.

Essential Functions

Payroll Leadership & Operations Provide end-to-end leadership and accountability for payroll operations, ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing across the organization. Lead the payroll team in the execution of regular, supplemental, off-cycle, and special payrolls as required. Establish clear operating procedures, calendars, controls, service expectations, and accountability across payroll processes.

Review and approve payroll results, reconciliations, exception reporting, adjustments, and other critical payroll activities. Ensure appropriate escalation and resolution of complex payroll issues while identifying opportunities to address root causes and prevent recurrence. Maintain appropriate payroll documentation, standard operating procedures, process maps, and business continuity plans.

Establish meaningful payroll performance indicators and regularly evaluate payroll accuracy, timeliness, service levels, exceptions, and operational trends. Compliance, Controls & Risk Management Maintain a strong payroll control environment designed to protect employee information, organizational assets, and payroll accuracy.

Ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local wage and hour, taxation, garnishment, withholding, recordkeeping, and payroll requirements. Monitor legislative and regulatory changes that may impact payroll administration and coordinate necessary process or system changes. Establish and regularly evaluate payroll controls, approvals, audits, reconciliations, and segregation of duties.

Partner with Finance and HR leadership to support internal and external audits and promptly address identified control or process gaps. Proactively identify payroll-related operational, financial, compliance, and employee-experience risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies. Team Leadership & Development Lead, coach, and develop payroll team members, establishing clear expectations for performance, service, accountability, and professional growth.

Build team capabilities through cross-training, documentation, succession planning, and ongoing development. Create an environment focused on accuracy, collaboration, continuous improvement, accountability, and exceptional employee service. Evaluate workload and team capacity and recommend appropriate staffing, role design, or process improvements as organizational needs evolve.

Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll situations and provide sound judgment and guidance to team members. Systems & Continuous Improvement Serve as a functional leader for payroll-related configuration, processes, and enhancements within Workday and other applicable payroll technologies. Partner with HR Technology and other stakeholders to evaluate system functionality, resolve issues, test changes, and implement enhancements.

Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, strengthen controls, reduce payroll corrections, and improve overall efficiency. Use payroll data and operational trends to identify root causes, improvement opportunities, and emerging risks. Lead or participate in payroll-related projects, system implementations, integrations, acquisitions, divestitures, organizational changes, and other enterprise initiatives.

Promote standardized and scalable payroll processes that can support organizational growth and change. Financial Partnership & Reporting Partner closely with Finance and Accounting to ensure appropriate payroll accounting, funding, reconciliation, general ledger integration, and period-end activities. Ensure payroll-related accounts and transactions are appropriately reconciled and discrepancies resolved timely.

Provide payroll reporting, analysis, and insights to HR and Finance leadership. Support year-end payroll activities and required reporting, including reconciliation and preparation of employee tax documentation. Collaborate with Finance, HR, and external partners to resolve complex taxation, accounting, or payroll processing issues.

Employee Experience & Business Partnership Ensure the payroll function provides responsive, accurate, and professional support to employees and leaders. Establish appropriate service expectations and escalation protocols for payroll inquiries. Analyze recurring employee questions and payroll issues to identify opportunities for better communication, education, system functionality, or process design.

Partner with HR Operations and other HR teams to ensure payroll processes are effectively integrated with hiring, compensation, benefits, leave, timekeeping, employee changes, and termination processes. Communicate complex payroll information clearly and appropriately to employees, leaders, and senior stakeholders. Leadership Responsibilities Provides direct leadership and oversight to payroll team members.

Establishes priorities and allocates work based on payroll cycles, business needs, and organizational risk. Coaches employees and provides ongoing performance feedback and development. Builds depth and redundancy within the payroll function to minimize key-person dependency and strengthen business continuity. Creates accountability for results while fostering a collaborative, service-oriented team culture.

Qualifications

Required Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related discipline, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience. Typically 7+ years of progressively responsible payroll experience , including experience leading complex payroll operations. Typically 3+ years of people leadership, supervisory, or significant payroll team leadership experience .

Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll requirements. Experience with enterprise HRIS/payroll systems. Demonstrated experience with payroll controls, reconciliation, reporting, audits, and process improvement. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with exceptional attention to detail. Ability to manage multiple priorities and critical deadlines in a high-volume environment.

Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to partner effectively across HR, Finance, technology teams, and organizational leadership. Ability to handle confidential employee and organizational information with a high degree of discretion. Preferred Experience with Workday Payroll and/or Workday HCM strongly preferred.

Certified Payroll Professional ( CPP ) certification preferred. Experience supporting multi-state payroll operations. Experience leading payroll process optimization, automation, system implementations, or major system enhancements. Experience supporting payroll operations through organizational growth, acquisitions, divestitures, or restructuring.

Key Competencies Payroll & Compliance Expertise Leadership & Talent Development Operational Excellence Risk Management & Internal Controls Business Acumen Analytical Thinking Continuous Improvement Technology & Systems Orientation Cross-Functional Partnership Employee Service Orientation Change Leadership Judgment & Decision Making Success Measures Success in this role may be measured through: Payroll accuracy and on-time completion Reduction in payroll errors, corrections, and off-cycle payments Strength and effectiveness of payroll controls Timely resolution of payroll inquiries and escalations Audit and compliance results Year-end payroll accuracy and readiness Payroll process efficiency and automation Team capability, development, and cross-training Effectiveness of Workday payroll functionality and processes Employee and stakeholder experience All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, military status, disability, genetic information and/or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.