Payroll Lead

F. Schumacher & Co.•Bethlehem, PA

About The Position

F. Schumacher & Co. is seeking a Payroll Lead to join the Finance department’s Treasury team and report to the Treasury Manager. The role will help implement Rippling as the company’s payroll, corporate card, expense reimbursement, and travel system, and support the closure of a former entity in each state where it operates. This hands-on position processes every payroll run, owns payroll tax registrations and reconciliations, maintains employee records, and manages corporate card, reimbursement, and travel programs. It has no direct reports, but its scope, team size, and influence on payroll operations are expected to grow with the business. The Payroll Lead will process payroll for more than 500 employees, handle payroll taxes and year-end activities, support the transition from UKG to Rippling, and coordinate former-entity closures and associated remittances. The role also manages corporate cards, biweekly expense reimbursements, and employee inquiries related to expenses, cards, and travel. The company seeks a detail-oriented, independent professional who handles sensitive employee information appropriately and is comfortable working through change.

Requirements

5–10 years of progressive payroll experience, including end-to-end processing for more than 500 employees.
Hands-on experience running payroll in Rippling.
Multi-state payroll experience, including state and local tax registration, filings, and reconciliation.
Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including final-pay rules.
Proven ability to reconcile payroll registers, tax filings, and general ledger entries.
Proficiency with MS Windows and the Microsoft Office suite.
Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUPs and pivot tables, for audits and reconciliations.
High attention to detail, sound judgment with confidential data, and ability to meet fixed payroll deadlines.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to handle multiple tasks and change direction based on business needs.
Comfort working across multiple systems.
High level of ownership, accountability, and initiative.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC).
Experience with UKG Pro or similar payroll systems.
Experience closing out an entity, including payroll tax account closures across multiple states.
Year-end payroll experience, including W-2 processing.
Experience overseeing a corporate card program and online portals such as Rippling, Amex, or JPMorgan PaymentNet.
Experience processing expense reimbursements with a system such as Rippling or Expensify.
Experience managing a company travel system such as Rippling or Concur.
Experience managing a team or direct report.

Responsibilities

Run the full payroll cycle for more than 500 employees, from data intake through final approval and funding.
Enter payroll transactions in UKG, including new hires, terminations, pay changes, bonuses, commissions, incentives, deductions, garnishments, and off-cycle payments.
Maintain accurate employee profiles in UKG, including pay, tax, direct deposit, and deduction setups.
Prepare and review pre- and post-payroll audits and variance reports, and resolve discrepancies before payroll is finalized.
Process off-cycle, manual, and final paychecks in line with state final-pay requirements.
Respond promptly and accurately to employee and manager payroll questions.
Own state and local payroll tax registrations, including account setups, rate updates, and agency correspondence.
Reconcile payroll tax filings and payments against payroll registers and agency records each pay period and quarter.
Research and resolve tax notices, penalties, and account discrepancies.
Support Q4 and year-end close, including W-2 preparation and review.
Assist with pay runs during the UKG-to-Rippling transition, including parallel runs.
Gather, validate, and map migration data, including employee records, earnings and deduction codes, tax setups, and year-to-date balances.
Test Rippling payroll results and reconcile them against UKG output.
Document new payroll processes and controls and keep registrations up to date in both UKG and Rippling.
Work on the transition of POA and TPA to Rippling in January.
Help close the former entity in each operating state, including payroll tax account closures and final filings.
Work with Finance on payment remittances to tax agencies and other payees associated with the former entity.
Track closure status by state and escalate open items or risks.
Manage the corporate card program, including issuing and cancelling cards and booking journal entries for card transactions.
Process biweekly employee expense reimbursements.
Manage a shared inbox for employee inquiries about reimbursements, corporate cards, and travel.
Assist with additional projects and reporting as needed.
Manage inquiries in a timely and professional manner, provide accurate information, and deliver a strong customer experience.