Manager of Payroll

JOB SUMMARY:

The Payroll Manager leads the payroll team and is accountable for accurate and timely payroll for hourly and salaried team members in the United States and Canada. This position oversees payroll for union and non-union populations, makes sure payroll information is complete and approved before each payroll is processed, and works closely with Human Resources, HRIS, Finance, and plant leadership to resolve issues. The Payroll Manager is also responsible for maintaining effective payroll processes and controls and for ensuring compliance with tax requirements, wage and hour laws, collective bargaining agreements, Company policies, and approved pay practices.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead and develop the payroll team, including Payroll Specialists and other payroll staff. Assign work, provide training and coaching, manage performance, and maintain appropriate cross-training and backup coverage.
• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of U.S. and Canadian payrolls for hourly and salaried team members across multiple legal entities, pay groups, locations, and tax jurisdictions.
• Make sure all information that affects payroll is received, reviewed, approved, and entered by established deadlines. This includes time records, pay adjustments, compensation changes, deductions, leave information, and team member data changes.
• Review and approve payroll results before payroll is finalized, including payroll registers, gross-to-net calculations, exception reports, funding requirements, deductions, tax liabilities, and other control totals.
• Maintain payroll calendars, processing schedules, written procedures, internal controls, escalation steps, and business continuity plans.
• Work with plant Human Resources teams and managers to ensure timesheets, approvals, pay adjustments, and team member data are complete and accurate. Follow up on missing punches, unapproved time, pay code errors, labor allocation issues, and other payroll exceptions.
• Interpret and administer payroll provisions in collective bargaining agreements, including wage rates, overtime, premiums, shift differentials, holidays, paid time off, union dues, and other negotiated payments or deductions.
• Oversee regular payrolls and special payments, including off-cycle checks, final pay, retroactive pay, bonuses, lump-sum payments, manual checks, corrections, and other payroll adjustments.
• Ensure payroll is processed in accordance with applicable federal, state, provincial, and local wage and hour, tax, payment, and recordkeeping requirements.
• Oversee payroll tax setup and team member tax elections in Dayforce. Coordinate tax registrations, agency accounts, notices, amendments, reconciliations, and issue resolution with HRIS, Finance, service providers, and government agencies.
• Manage quarter-end and year-end payroll work, including reconciliations, tax filings, W-2 and T4 reporting, Records of Employment, required team member statements, and corrections.
• Maintain current knowledge of payroll regulations and procedures that affect time collection, payroll processing, taxation, wage payments, and payroll records in the United States and Canada.
• Serve as the escalation point after the Payroll Specialist for complex payroll questions, pay discrepancies, tax issues, system problems, and team member concerns. Make sure issues are resolved accurately and promptly.
• Work with the HRIS team to maintain and improve Dayforce payroll and Workforce Management configuration, interfaces, security, workflows, and reporting.
• Lead payroll testing for system releases, configuration changes, new earnings or deductions, new locations or legal entities, integrations, and payroll process changes.
• Make sure hires, transfers, promotions, compensation changes, leaves, and terminations are reflected correctly and on time in the HRIS system.
• Coordinate changes to union dues, benefit rates, retirement contributions, garnishments, tax elections, and other recurring payroll deductions.
• Reconcile payroll funding, tax liabilities, benefit and union deductions, general ledger activity, and other payroll accounts in partnership with Finance and the responsible business functions.
• Develop and maintain payroll reports, reconciliations, audit support, and operating metrics used to identify issues and monitor payroll performance.
• Maintain payroll controls and support internal, external, tax, and union audits by providing accurate records and responding to questions.
• Manage relationships with payroll, tax, banking, garnishment, and other payroll service providers. Monitor service levels and coordinate issue escalation and resolution.
• Maintain team member confidence and protect payroll, banking, tax, compensation, and other confidential information.
• Review payroll errors and recurring problems, identify the cause, and work with Payroll, HRIS, Human Resources, Finance, and operations to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again.
• Identify and implement practical improvements to payroll processes, controls, reports, and team procedures.
• All other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, Management, or a related field required.
• Ten or more years of progressively responsible payroll experience, including at least five years of experience leading or supervising payroll employees.
• Experience managing multi-jurisdictional payroll operations in both the United States and Canada required.
• Experience supporting hourly and salaried team members in a multi-site environment required. Manufacturing payroll experience strongly preferred.
• Experience administering payroll for union-represented employees and interpreting collective bargaining agreements required.
• Dayforce Payroll and Workforce Management experience strongly preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP), or equivalent payroll credential preferred.

TRAVEL:

• Travel Required: Limited, generally 1-10%, primarily to Company locations in the United States and Canada and for training or professional development.