Manager, Payroll Operations

ICON•Austin, TX

4d•Onsite

About The Position

ICON is hiring a Manager, Payroll Operations to own end-to-end payroll as the company scales its workforce across multiple states and internationally. The role is accountable for accurate, on-time pay for salaried, hourly, and field employees, along with payroll compliance, controls, reporting, systems, and vendor relationships. Initially, the manager will personally process payroll while standardizing operations; as the function grows, they will build a team and automation to shift toward oversight. The manager will partner with People Operations, Total Rewards, HRIS, Accounting, Finance, and Legal. They will establish documented processes, audit trails, and internal controls suitable for a federal contractor, and help ensure payroll can support substantial headcount growth without a proportional increase in manual work. This is an on-site position at ICON's Austin campus; candidates should 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 experience owning multi-state payroll processing, including 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 full 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 prevailing wage or certified payroll requirements where applicable.
Design and document a standardized payroll calendar, processing checklist, and approval workflow, and ensure the organization meets related deadlines and input requirements.
Coordinate international payroll through in-country providers or an employer of record; reconcile international cycles to company 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's footprint 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, resolving issues with providers and tax agencies.
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.
Deliver recurring and ad hoc payroll reporting to People Operations, Finance, and leadership, and support 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 as scale requires.
Build the payroll team as volume justifies, including defining roles, hiring, onboarding, developing staff, and establishing backup and cross-training practices.
Establish procedures, documentation, and automation that allow payroll to support headcount growth without a proportional increase in manual effort.
Set and report payroll accuracy, on-time delivery, and issue-resolution metrics, and use them to prioritize process improvements.