Certified Payroll & Compliance Lead

Encore Fire Protection•Needham, MA

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

The primary focus of this role is taking ownership of the Certified Payroll and Prevailing Wage function, while also supporting broader payroll compliance. The ideal candidate will be a subject matter expert in the regulatory requirements and underlying compliance principles associated with certified payroll, going beyond just preparing and submitting reports. This role requires someone who can interpret requirements, identify potential compliance risks, and ensure payroll practices and documentation consistently meet applicable federal, state, and local regulations. The person we hire will serve as the primary resource for complex prevailing wage and certified payroll matters.

Requirements

Strong hands-on experience with Certified Payroll and Prevailing Wage compliance.
Strong understanding of federal, state, and local payroll compliance requirements, particularly in a multi-state environment.
Knowledge of the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, state and local prevailing wage requirements, wage determinations, employee classifications, base wage rates, fringe benefit requirements, and overtime calculations.
Hands-on experience with Elation Systems, EMARS, LCPtracker, and/or similar certified payroll compliance platforms.
5+ years of payroll experience with direct Certified Payroll/Prevailing Wage experience, preferably in a construction, service-based or multi-state environment.
Proficiency in Excel including formulas, pivot tables, and organized data management.
Clear and professional communication skills with the ability to guide employees and internal teams.
A proactive, accountable mindset with the desire to improve processes and maintain high accuracy.

Nice To Haves

Sage 300 CRE experience preferred.
Dayforce experience preferred, particularly experience supporting system implementation, testing, or prevailing wage configuration.
Familiarity with AIA contracts/billing and construction project documentation preferred.
A bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
Previous experience leading a team, and/or process ownership experience.
Experience working in a private equity-backed environment or within a scaling, growth-oriented business.

Responsibilities

Lead the review of new projects and jobs to identify applicable prevailing wage, certified payroll, reporting, and documentation requirements.
Partner closely with Operations, Project Management, Contracting, and Payroll to ensure compliance requirements are identified and addressed at the beginning of a project.
Oversee the preparation, review, and timely submission of certified payroll reports, including WH-347 and other federal, state, local, customer, or project-specific reports.
Manage certified payroll requirements across multiple states, projects, and reporting platforms.
Research, interpret, and resolve complex wage, fringe, classification, reporting, and documentation issues.
Manage rejected reports, corrections, missing documentation, compliance notices, and other outstanding items through resolution.
Provide day-to-day guidance and support to team members involved in certified payroll activities, including reviewing work and helping prioritize deadlines, while also serving as the escalation point for complex certified payroll & prevailing wage questions.
Develop and maintain standardized procedures, documentation, controls, and tracking to support an effective and scalable certified payroll process.
Support audits and requests from government agencies, general contractors, customers, and internal stakeholders.