Lead Administrator - Payroll

The Lead Administrator - Payroll serves as a highly analytical and forward thinking change agent within our payroll department. Leads payroll process, strategy and the architectural integrity of our payroll operations. Will identify inefficiencies, design and document optimized workflows, and lead the technical execution of process improvements. The lead will bridge the gap between high-level strategy and daily operations by kicking off payroll cycles and ensuring the broader team is trained on new standards. Acts as subject matter expert (SME) for employee support request cases, acting as the final escalation point for complex or sensitive employee inquiries.

Responsibilities:

Process Innovation & Change Control

• Design & Strategy: Work with payroll management to help identify manual bottlenecks and design automated or streamlined solutions that align with 2026 payroll goals.
• Testing & Validation: Work with HRIS to help conduct rigorous User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and impact analysis for all proposed process changes or system updates.
• Approval Workflow: Present comprehensive "Case for Change" proposals to management, including testing results and risk assessments, to obtain formal sign-off prior to any production implementation.
• Implementation: Once approved, lead the rollout of new procedures, ensuring all changes are integrated without disrupting active payroll cycles. 

Tier 4 Escalation & Customer Service

• Serve as the final point of escalation for complex payroll inquiries that Tier 1–3 support are unable to resolve.
• Provide "white-glove" customer service to senior leadership and handle sensitive, high-priority payroll issues with extreme discretion and professionalism.
• Analyze recurring ticket trends to identify root causes and propose permanent process fixes

Documentation & Quality Assurance

•  Propose and maintain comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and process maps for all payroll functions.
• Develop and execute rigorous User Acceptance Testing (UAT) scripts for any system changes, tax updates, or new earnings/deduction codes.
• Partner with Payroll Manager and Director to ensure all processes meet internal audit and SOX compliance standards.  Coordinate the submission of payroll process controls evidence for compliance programs related to SOX, ISO, IT General Controls, etc.

Payroll Execution & Initiation

• Lead the "Day 0" kickoff activities for each of payroll cycle, ensuring all data integrations, timecard imports, and preliminary interfaces are functioning correctly.
• Perform high-level background audits and reconciliations (e.g., gross-to-net variance analysis) before handing off to the processing team.

Training & Enablement

• Develop training materials and conduct workshops for the payroll processing team to ensure seamless adoption of new tools and procedures.
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for payroll system functionality, providing technical guidance to colleagues.

Qualifications:

• Associates' Degree (U.S.)/College Diploma (Canada)
  Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive payroll experience, with a emphasis on system implementation or process design.
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in UKG, WFM and expert-level Excel skills.
• Customer Service: Proven track record of managing high-level escalations.
• Analytical Mindset: Ability to troubleshoot complex data discrepancies and envision more efficient technical paths.
• Communication: Exceptional ability to translate technical system requirements into simple instructions for non-technical users.
• Autonomy: High level of self-motivation to drive improvements without the need for direct supervisory tasks.
• Ability to travel 0% - 25%