Assistant Payroll Manager

CACI • Oklahoma City, OK

1d

About The Position

The Assistant Payroll Manager is the day-to-day operational leader of the Payroll team and the Payroll Manager’s partner and backup in delivering accurate, compliant, and well-controlled multi-state payroll. Reporting to the Payroll Manager, this role owns the daily off-cycle process through settlement, signs off on the daily payroll checklist, and handles escalations involving complex payroll, tax, and benefits issues. The Assistant Payroll Manager leads and develops payroll specialists, keeps processes current with changing federal, state, and local tax requirements, and guides year-end W-2 reporting and corrections.

This hands-on leadership role covers payroll processes end to end, identifies opportunities to simplify work, and leads the adoption of AI and automation tools, including Microsoft Copilot and Power Automate, to reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and enable higher-value work. The position partners across the organization with Benefits, HRIS, Tax, IT, Accounting, and other groups.

Requirements

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• At least 5 years of progressive payroll experience in a large, complex, multi-state payroll environment, including experience supporting or leading payroll operations.
• Experience leading, coaching, or providing day-to-day direction to payroll professionals in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong working knowledge of U.S. payroll taxation, wage and hour requirements, earnings and deductions, garnishments, gross-to-net calculations, payroll accounting, and year-end reporting.
• Experience with enterprise payroll and HCM systems, preferably Workday Payroll, including processing, configuration impacts, integrations, reporting, and issue resolution.
• Experience identifying and implementing payroll process improvements, including standardization, workflow redesign, eliminating manual processes, and developing scalable operating procedures.
• Experience using automation tools, advanced Excel functionality, reporting tools, or other technologies to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, controls, and employee service.
• Ability to analyze complex datasets, reconcile payroll results, identify root causes, and translate findings into corrective actions and sustainable improvements.
• Experience in a strong internal-control environment, including SOX controls, documented management reviews, reconciliations, audit support, and segregation-of-duties requirements.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, payroll deadlines, projects, escalations, and operational issues while maintaining accuracy and appropriate controls.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex payroll, tax, systems, and data issues to employees, business partners, and senior leadership.
• Ability to partner cross-functionally with HR, Benefits, Tax, Accounting, Finance, Treasury, HRIS/IT, Legal, and other stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• Advanced experience with Workday Payroll and Workday reporting, integrations, business processes, or related HCM functionality.
• Experience with Deltek Costpoint, Deltek Time, or comparable ERP and timekeeping systems, particularly in a government-contracting environment.
• Experience supporting payroll for a large federal contractor or other highly regulated organization.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, lookups, pivot tables, data validation, reconciliation tools, and large-data analysis.
• Experience with workflow and process-automation technologies such as Microsoft Power Automate, Power Apps, robotic process automation, scripting, or comparable platforms.
• Practical experience using AI or generative AI tools to improve payroll operations, research, documentation, data analysis, process design, knowledge management, or employee support while maintaining appropriate data-security and governance standards.
• Experience evaluating AI-enabled or automated workflow opportunities and translating business requirements into controlled, sustainable solutions.
• Experience participating in or leading payroll system implementations, integrations, acquisitions, conversions, testing, or other large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Knowledge of international payroll operations and experience coordinating with global payroll providers or internal international payroll teams.
• Experience developing payroll metrics, dashboards, operational reporting, or tools to monitor payroll accuracy, service levels, controls, and team performance.
• Continuous-improvement mindset with experience applying root-cause analysis, controls optimization, standardization, or similar process-improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Payroll team in completing semi-monthly payroll cycles, periodic tax filings, and year-end W-2 reporting.
• Serve as the Payroll Manager’s backup on departmental and organization-wide projects, partnering with Benefits, HRIS, Tax, IT, and other groups.
• Oversee payroll systems and ensure garnishment specialists enter withholding orders.
• Ensure manual checks are calculated, processed, and submitted daily before deadlines.
• Ensure tickets and open items are addressed and closed in accordance with company policy.
• Ensure information communicated by payroll specialists to customers is complete and correct.
• Lead the team in following Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance requirements and target a zero-exception annual audit of Payroll processes.
• Oversee reconciliation of payroll liability and cash accounts.
• Partner with Corporate Accounting to research complex journal-entry issues and ensure journal entries are loaded and posted.
• Assist the payroll team in additional areas as directed.
• Conduct periodic internal audits of payroll areas and document recommendations, improvements, and guidance for changes.
• Identify opportunities to simplify payroll work and lead adoption of AI and automation tools to reduce manual effort and strengthen controls.

Benefits

• Flexible time off benefit.
• Robust learning resources and learning and development opportunities.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Healthcare, wellness, financial, retirement, family support, continuing education, and time off benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level