Manager, Payroll

Cargojet•Mississauga, ON

11d

About The Position

The Manager, Payroll is responsible for leading end-to-end payroll operations and ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing across all employee groups. This role requires strong hands-on expertise in UKG Pro and UKG Workforce Management (WFM), with responsibility for payroll system configuration, troubleshooting, reporting, integrations, process optimization, and data integrity. The Manager provides leadership to the payroll team, ensures compliance with federal and provincial legislation and collective agreements, and oversees year-end, audit, remittance, and reconciliation activities. Working closely with HR, Finance, IT, and operational stakeholders, the role also leads continuous improvement initiatives and supports enhancements to payroll processes, controls, and UKG functionality.

Requirements

Minimum 12 years of progressive Canadian payroll experience, including at least 5 years in a supervisory or managerial role.
Payroll Leadership Professional (PLP) designation required;
Strong knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation, taxation, statutory deductions, year-end requirements, and payroll compliance.
Extensive hands-on experience with UKG Pro Payroll is required, including payroll processing, configuration, troubleshooting, reporting, testing, and system optimization.
Strong hands-on experience with UKG Workforce Management (WFM) is required, including payroll/timekeeping integrations, system implementations and upgrades, configuration changes, troubleshooting, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
Proven experience leading or playing a key leadership role in an end-to-end UKG implementation is required, including requirements gathering, system configuration, integrations, testing/UAT, data validation, go-live, and post-implementation support.
Demonstrated experience in payroll process improvement, automation, system controls, reconciliations, and data integrity.
Experience managing payroll in a multi-province and/or federally regulated environment is strongly preferred; experience working with unionized employee groups is an asset.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to investigate complex payroll and system issues and identify effective solutions.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including PivotTables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, complex formulas, data analysis, and reconciliations.
Strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with HR, Finance, IT, operations, and external vendors.
High level of accuracy, attention to detail, discretion, and confidentiality, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet strict payroll deadlines.

Nice To Haves

experience working with unionized employee groups is an asset.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end payroll processing on a bi-weekly basis across all employee groups, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, compliance, and appropriate payroll controls.
Lead and supervise the payroll team, providing guidance, training, coaching, workload management, and performance management to maintain high standards of accuracy and service.
Review and validate payroll transactions, including new hires, terminations, salary and wage changes, bonuses, retroactive payments, leaves, taxable benefits, and other payroll adjustments.
Ensure statutory deductions, benefits, pension and RRSP contributions, garnishments, and other payroll deductions are accurately processed, reconciled, and remitted within required timelines.
Ensure payroll practices, processes, and system configurations comply with applicable federal and provincial legislation, CRA requirements, the Canada Labour Code, employment standards legislation, company policies, and collective agreements; proactively identify compliance risks and implement corrective actions.
Lead and support payroll audits, reconciliations, year-end activities, and statutory reporting, including T4s, T4As, RL-1s, taxable benefits, and other required filings, while maintaining appropriate documentation and internal controls.
Maintain current knowledge of legislative, taxation, and regulatory changes and ensure applicable payroll processes and system configurations are updated accordingly.
Serve as the payroll subject matter expert for UKG, with hands-on responsibility for payroll processing, configuration, troubleshooting, reporting, controls, testing, and continuous system optimization.
Maintain and optimize payroll-related functionality and integrations within UKG, including earnings and deduction codes, taxation, pay rules, employee data, workflows, timekeeping/WFM, Finance, and other related systems.
Partner with HR, IT, Finance, UKG, and other vendors to troubleshoot system and data issues and support system upgrades, enhancements, implementations, integrations, configuration changes, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
Lead and drive payroll transformation and continuous improvement initiatives by leveraging UKG functionality to streamline processes, increase automation, strengthen controls and data integrity, and improve payroll accuracy and operational efficiency.
Develop, maintain, and analyse payroll reports, audits, queries, and reconciliation tools to support payroll validation, labour cost analysis, tax remittances, headcount reporting, financial reconciliation, and management decision-making.
Maintain payroll procedures, system documentation, configuration records, and process controls to support consistency, compliance, audit requirements, and business continuity.
Respond to payroll-related inquiries and escalations from employees, management, auditors, government agencies, and other stakeholders in a timely and professional manner.
Collaborate with HR, Finance, IT, and other stakeholders on compensation changes, budgeting and forecasting, employee data management, organizational changes, policy changes, process standardization, and other payroll-related projects.
Perform other related duties as required.