Manager Payroll Operations (US & Canada)

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Direct end-to-end payroll operations for U.S. and Canadian employees, including regular and off-cycle payrolls, new hires, terminations, leaves, retroactive pay, bonuses, commissions, equity-related earnings,…
• Ensure payrolls are processed accurately, timely, and in accordance with approved calendars, documented procedures, service-level expectations, and applicable funding and approval requirements.
• Partner with the Director, Payroll Services and Principal Payroll Tax Lead to support federal, state, provincial, and local payroll tax compliance, including accurate withholding, quarter- and year-end reconciliations,…
• Maintain compliance with applicable wage-and-hour, payroll tax, record-retention, privacy, escheatment, and final-pay requirements;
• Own payroll reconciliations, variance analysis, funding validation, general-ledger interfaces, balance-sheet support, and coordination with Accounting and Treasury.
• Maintain a strong internal-control environment, including segregation of duties, access reviews, change controls, evidence retention, business continuity, and SOX control execution;
• Lead root-cause analysis for payroll errors and service issues; document corrective and preventive actions, monitor recurrence, and escalate material risks promptly.
• Develop payroll metrics and dashboards covering accuracy, timeliness, case volumes, cycle performance, adjustments, control exceptions, vendor performance, and employee experience.

Job requirements

• Minimum 10 years of progressive payroll experience, including at least 5 years leading payroll professionals in a large, complex, multi-state organization.
• Demonstrated responsibility for U.S. payroll operations and working knowledge of Canadian payroll requirements; experience supporting large employee populations and multiple legal entities or pay groups.
• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, payroll tax, wage-and-hour requirements, garnishments, accounting and reconciliation practices, internal controls, and year-end reporting.
• Experience managing payroll systems, integrations, time and attendance platforms, vendors, audits, controls, and cross-functional projects.
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data, identify risk, and communicate clear recommendations.
• Strong people leadership, executive communication, stakeholder management, organization, and change-management capabilities.
• Ability to handle confidential information, competing priorities, and time-sensitive issues with sound judgment and discretion.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, lead through change, build cross-functional partnerships, develop talent, drive operational excellence, and balance innovation with appropriate risk and control discipline