Payroll Analyst

Lilly • Toronto, ON

11d • CA$63,000 - CA$137,500 • Hybrid

About The Position

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Reports To:
Associate Director, Controller

Purpose
The Payroll Analyst leads the Canadian payroll function at Lilly Canada, accountable for end-to-end payroll execution and ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time while meeting all government tax and reporting obligations. As the primary Canadian payroll contact for Global IT and HR Shared Services, this role drives process improvement through automation and AI, and translates changing compliance and business requirements into practical solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Finance, Accounting, or a related field
• Canadian Payroll Association (CPA) certification
• 5+ years of payroll experience in a multinational corporate environment
• Knowledge of Canadian payroll processes, tax structure, statutory deductions, and International/shadow payroll, accounting skills
• Strong project management skills; ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines across multiple workstreams.
• Strong, proven diligence with a customer service emphasis
• Proven ability to work with and influence stakeholders across Payroll team, HR, Finance, IT, and Global functions.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and advanced communication skills; comfortable presenting to senior management
• Demonstrated experience leading payroll transformation and technology migration initiatives.
• Experience interacting with external auditors and government tax authorities.
• Proficiency in English

Nice To Haves

• Solid system aptitude, preferably with Workday HCM/Payroll, including participation in implementation or continuous improvement projects.
• SAP knowledge and advanced Excel proficiency
• Team management and coaching skills

Responsibilities

• Accountability for the efficient and effective execution of all Canadian payroll processes
• Ensure full compliance with all applicable tax laws and proactively stay informed of regulatory changes impacting the company.
• Continuously improve payroll processes through automation and system’s integrations; identify manual processes and streamline through system configuration and AI. Ensure all related documentation updated accordingly.
• Lead annual equity reporting file preparation and processing.
• Lead annual corporate bonus file preparation and required processing, including accruals and forecast.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with internal Centers of Excellence, external tax vendors, and government agencies.
• Champion compliance best practices and model a strong compliance culture across the payroll team.
• Serve as the primary Canadian payroll Lead to Eli Lilly Global payroll business partners and the HRSS team; represent the Canadian affiliate in enterprise payroll forums and project workgroups.
• Align with HRSS on payroll process improvements, technology enhancements, and policy changes; translate enterprise decisions into effective local implementation, through effective Project Management
• Maintain a broad view of the Canadian payroll landscape — anticipating regulatory changes, system evolution, and organizational shifts — and develop proactive action plans in response.
• Project Management lead for the Canadian payroll workstream within Workday continuous improvement initiatives, including requirements definition, testing, parallel runs, and post-implementation stabilization.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement improvements to payroll processes and solutions; build the business case for change and drive adoption across the team and with stakeholders.
• Support and develop the Senior Expert Co-Ordinator Payroll through regular knowledge transfer, on-the-job support, payroll submission backup and structured coverage planning; serve as the primary escalation point for day-to-day payroll questions.
• Influence the direction of payroll-related decisions by providing expert analysis, recommendations, and clear communication to Finance leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Own the execution and documentation of all assigned SOx and payroll operational controls; proactively identify and remediate control gaps.
• Lead continuous improvement of the SOx and operational control framework as processes evolve with Workday.
• Provide guidance to the Senior Expert Co-Ordinator Payroll on control requirements and compliant execution.
• Prepare and review payroll journal entries and inter-company billings; ensure correct accounting classifications in SAP and alignment with Finance standards, reconcile to bank and Workday reporting.
• Oversee the preparation and government remittances and reporting (EHT, WSIB, and others) for Canada; resolve government agency’s inquiries.
• Complete and review Blackline payroll account reconciliations and related GL accounts; ensure timely clearance of reconciling items.
• Manage payroll accruals; collaborate with Finance and Operations to ensure accurate and timely period-end entries.

Benefits

• participation in the Lilly Bonus Program
• pension plan
• vacation benefits
• healthcare benefits
• flexible benefits (if applicable)
• life insurance and death benefits
• certain time off and leave of absence benefits
• well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level