Assistant Payroll Manager

CACI International•Oklahoma City, OK

2d•$55,400 - $116,400

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 running 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 serves as the escalation point for complex payroll, tax, and benefits issues. The role leads and develops payroll specialists, maintains processes in accordance with changing federal, state, and local tax requirements, and guides year-end W-2 reporting and corrections. This hands-on leadership role learns payroll processes end to end, identifies opportunities to simplify work, and leads the use of AI and automation tools, such as Microsoft Copilot and Power Automate, to reduce manual effort, strengthen controls, and enable higher-value work. The position leads semi-monthly payroll cycles, periodic tax filings, and year-end reporting; supports projects across the organization; oversees payroll operations, reconciliations, journal entries, and audits; and helps modernize payroll operations.

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.
Demonstrated 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 payroll processing, configuration impacts, integrations, reporting, and issue resolution.
Demonstrated experience identifying and implementing payroll process improvements, including standardization, workflow redesign, elimination of manual processes, and development of 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 large or complex datasets, reconcile payroll results, identify root causes, and translate findings into corrective actions and sustainable process improvements.
Experience in a strong internal-control environment, including SOX controls, documented management reviews, reconciliations, audit support, and segregation-of-duties requirements.
Demonstrated 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 ability to communicate complex payroll, tax, systems, and data issues to employees, business partners, and senior leadership.
Demonstrated 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 artificial intelligence 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 opportunities for AI-enabled or automated workflows 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 other tools to monitor payroll accuracy, service levels, controls, and team performance.
Continuous-improvement mindset with demonstrated 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 organizational projects, partnering with Benefits, HRIS, Tax, IT, and other groups as needed.
Oversee payroll systems and ensure withholding orders are entered by the garnishment specialist.
Ensure manual checks are calculated, processed, and submitted each day before the deadline.
Ensure tickets and open items are addressed and closed in accordance with company policy.
Ensure information communicated to customers by payroll specialists is complete and correct.
Lead the team in following Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance rules and target a zero-exception annual audit of Payroll processes.
Oversee reconciliation of Payroll liability and cash accounts.
Work with Corporate Accounting to research complex journal-entry issues.
Ensure all 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 for improvements and guidance on changes.
Own the daily off-cycle process through settlement and sign off on the daily payroll checklist.
Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll, tax, and benefits issues.
Lead and develop payroll specialists and keep processes current with changing federal, state, and local tax requirements.
Identify opportunities to simplify payroll work and lead the use of AI and automation tools to reduce manual effort and strengthen controls.