Manager, Payroll Operations

ICON•Austin, TX

5d•Onsite

About The Position

ICON builds robotic systems that construct multi-story buildings. The Manager, Payroll Operations owns end-to-end payroll across multiple states and international employment, including processing, compliance, controls, reporting, and the payroll vendor and systems roadmap. The role is initially hands-on, personally running payroll cycles while standardizing processes, then building the team and automation needed to move toward oversight as the company grows. The manager is accountable for accurate, on-time pay for salaried, hourly, and field employees across ICON’s jurisdictions. The role partners with People Operations, Total Rewards, HRIS, Accounting, Finance, and Legal, and establishes documentation, audit trails, and internal controls appropriate to a federal government contractor. The position is based on-site at ICON’s Austin campus; candidates must be based in Austin, Texas, or able to relocate.

Requirements

At least 6 years of progressive payroll experience, including prior supervisory, lead, or people management responsibility.
Demonstrated ownership of multi-state payroll processing and related tax registration, filing, and compliance work.
Experience supporting a workforce with a significant hourly population, including time and attendance integration and overtime and wage and hour compliance.
Experience on an established payroll team within a mature organization, with exposure to defined controls, audit requirements, and documented processes.
Willingness to personally process payroll in the near term while building toward an oversight model.
Advanced proficiency with payroll and HRIS platforms and spreadsheet-based reconciliation and reporting.
Based in Austin, Texas, or able to relocate; the role is on-site at ICON’s Austin campus.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on Workday Payroll processing and configuration experience.
International or global payroll experience, including in-country providers or employer of record models.
Experience scaling a payroll function through rapid headcount growth, including system implementation or migration.
CPP or FPC certification.
Exposure to government contracting environments, certified payroll, or prevailing wage reporting.
Experience in manufacturing, construction, logistics, or another environment with field-based and shift-based labor.

Responsibilities

Own and personally execute the end-to-end multi-state payroll cycle, including off-cycle runs, retroactive pay, terminations, bonuses, commissions, and equity-related events, until the function is staffed and stabilized.
Administer payroll for hourly and field-based employees, including time and attendance integration, shift differentials, overtime, meal and rest premiums, and applicable prevailing wage or certified payroll requirements.
Design and document the payroll calendar, processing checklist, and approval workflow, and ensure the organization meets deadlines and provides required inputs.
Coordinate international payroll through in-country providers or an employer of record, reconcile cycles to ICON records, and resolve vendor discrepancies.
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour, tax, and reporting requirements, and manage new state registrations as the company expands.
Build and operate payroll internal controls, including segregation of duties, change auditing, and pay data review; serve as the primary contact for internal and external payroll audits.
Own payroll tax filings, amendments, agency notices, and year-end processes, including W-2 and 1099 issuance, coordinating with providers and tax agencies to resolve issues.
Partner with Legal and People Operations on wage and hour questions, pay practice changes, and employee escalations; document decisions and apply them consistently.
Own payroll system configuration and roadmap, including earning and deduction codes, pay groups, costing, and integrations with HRIS, time tracking, benefits, and the general ledger.
Partner with Accounting on payroll journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations, and with Finance on labor cost reporting by department, project, and contract; provide accurate and timely payroll inputs for Accounting’s close.
Deliver recurring and ad hoc payroll reporting to People Operations, Finance, and leadership, and support data requests related to government contracts, benefit plan audits, and workers’ compensation.
Evaluate and select payroll vendors and tools, manage vendor relationships and service levels, and lead system implementations or migrations driven by growth.
Build the payroll team as volume justifies it by defining roles, hiring, onboarding, and developing staff, and establish backup and cross-training coverage.
Establish procedures, documentation, and automation to support a doubling of headcount without a proportional increase in manual effort.
Set and report operational metrics for payroll accuracy, on-time delivery, and issue resolution, and use them to prioritize process improvements.