Payroll Accounting Project Manager

Penske•Reading, PA

2h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Payroll Accounting Project Manager manages payroll accounting projects, financial analysis, systems support, compliance activities, and process improvement initiatives that support the Payroll Accounting function. This role partners closely with Payroll, Finance, HR, Benefits, Information Technology, Legal, and external service providers to ensure payroll-related processes, systems, and controls are accurate, compliant, efficient, and aligned with business objectives. This position leads payroll accounting and payroll-related projects from planning through implementation, including requirements gathering, analysis, testing, documentation, monitoring, and post-deployment review. Key areas of focus include recurring accounting support, reporting and analytics, internal controls, system enhancements, acquisitions and integrations, automation, and cross-functional project leadership.

Requirements

Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including payroll-related journal entries, accruals, reclasses, reconciliations, variance analyses, and supporting schedules.
Analyze payroll accounting data to identify trends, discrepancies, root causes, and opportunities to improve accuracy, controls, and efficiency.
Ensure payroll-related transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled, monitored, and reported within accounting and payroll systems.
Develop and maintain reporting, analytics, measures, and metrics to support payroll accounting decision-making and process performance.
Manage payroll accounting and payroll-related projects, including project plans, timelines, resource needs, risks, milestones, deliverables, documentation, implementation, and post-deployment review.
Lead cross-functional initiatives involving Payroll, HR, Finance, IT, Benefits, Legal, and external vendors.
Monitor project progress and communicate status, risks, recommendations, and outcomes to stakeholders and leadership.
Identify and implement opportunities to streamline processes, automate manual activities, strengthen controls, and improve operational efficiency.
Partner with Payroll Operations and IT to optimize payroll processes, system functionality, interfaces, and integrations.
Coordinate testing, validation, deployment, implementation, upgrades, and acquisition-related integration activities for payroll system changes.
Develop and maintain monitoring processes and controls to support payroll accounting accuracy and compliance.
Ensure payroll accounting processes comply with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, accounting policies, and internal control requirements.
Assess regulatory, financial, operational, and compliance risks; coordinate needed changes with affected business functions.
Serve as a key liaison among Payroll, Accounting, Finance, HR, Benefits, IT, Legal, and external vendors.
Create and maintain project documentation, process flows, standard operating procedures, and training materials.
Support business users through adoption of new processes, controls, reporting, and system enhancements.

Responsibilities

Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including payroll-related journal entries, accruals, reclasses, reconciliations, variance analyses, and supporting schedules.
Analyze payroll accounting data to identify trends, discrepancies, root causes, and opportunities to improve accuracy, controls, and efficiency.
Ensure payroll-related transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled, monitored, and reported within accounting and payroll systems.
Develop and maintain reporting, analytics, measures, and metrics to support payroll accounting decision-making and process performance.
Manage payroll accounting and payroll-related projects, including project plans, timelines, resource needs, risks, milestones, deliverables, documentation, implementation, and post-deployment review.
Lead cross-functional initiatives involving Payroll, HR, Finance, IT, Benefits, Legal, and external vendors.
Monitor project progress and communicate status, risks, recommendations, and outcomes to stakeholders and leadership.
Identify and implement opportunities to streamline processes, automate manual activities, strengthen controls, and improve operational efficiency.
Partner with Payroll Operations and IT to optimize payroll processes, system functionality, interfaces, and integrations.
Coordinate testing, validation, deployment, implementation, upgrades, and acquisition-related integration activities for payroll system changes.
Develop and maintain monitoring processes and controls to support payroll accounting accuracy and compliance.
Ensure payroll accounting processes comply with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, accounting policies, and internal control requirements.
Assess regulatory, financial, operational, and compliance risks; coordinate needed changes with affected business functions.
Serve as a key liaison among Payroll, Accounting, Finance, HR, Benefits, IT, Legal, and external vendors.
Create and maintain project documentation, process flows, standard operating procedures, and training materials.
Support business users through adoption of new processes, controls, reporting, and system enhancements.