Payroll Manager

Cooley LLP•Washington, DC

2d•$130,000 - $175,000

About The Position

Cooley is seeking a Payroll Manager to join the Accounting and Finance Team. The Payroll Manager oversees the hands-on, day-to-day execution of the firm’s entire payroll process to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time. This role will also be responsible for directly handling payroll processing for some assigned US offices.

Requirements

After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours
Ability to travel, as required
5+ years of progressive multi-state payroll experience
Extensive knowledge of wage and hour regulations, federal, state and local tax laws including multi-state and reciprocity rules and compliance requirements
Hands-on experience with enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms: Ascentis, Workday, ADP Workforce Now or UKG Pro
Proficient in spreadsheet and database application
Entrepreneurial by nature
Excellent attention to detail
Exceptional interpersonal communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems
Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines
Ability to drive projects to completion and achieve goals
Strong judgment
Team-player with collaborative spirit
Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects and client data
High level of professionalism at all times
Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines; resourceful and self-reliant
Responsive and reliable with a strong sense of urgency
Ability to lead through influence and develop talent
Proactive, analytical mindset
Effective presentation skills

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or similar certification
Am Law 50 law firm payroll experience
Supervisory experience

Responsibilities

Responsible for end-to-end payroll processing for US employees across all states where we have workers (including remote workers in states where Cooley does not have an office).
Audit new employee tax set up, review pre-processed payroll register for accuracy and transmit the semi-monthly payroll direct deposit and tax files; review off-cycle departure employee final check calculations
Oversee the verification process for updates of new hires, salary changes, terminations, tax status, and all employee information in the payroll system; ensure accurate employee payroll records
Review and manage the approval process for employee timelogs in Workday; provide direction to HR for timelog edits that require manual adjustments in accordance with state labor code or firm policy
Administer the setup of insurance benefits deductions in the payroll system (medical, dental, life insurance, FSA, LTC, HSA, etc.)
Process overtime meals and transportation reimbursement requests: verify receipts and eligibility to ensure compliance with overtime reimbursement policy; bill clients for overtime meals and transportation amount reimbursed to employees
Process PTO overdrawn deductions, special pay adjustments, SDI/WC/PFL integration calculations for LOA employees and miscellaneous pay requests
Manage approvals for precalculated breakdowns of hours to be paid on paper timesheet/invoice for variable hour employees and record total hours worked/paid on HR’s vacation/time off accrual spreadsheet
Oversee the approval workflow for processing garnishment orders according to state/federal laws and communicate to employees on timing and amount of payroll deduction; set up third party vendors in the payroll system.
Oversee the direct deposit process, ensure that direct deposit transmission deadlines are met, and trouble- shoot as needed with financial institutions and employees
Provide government agencies and lending institutions, when requested: employment verification, state unemployment benefit audit and other employee inquiries
Responsible for inclusion of income for all non-cash fringe benefits: gift cards, relocation reimbursement, patent tuition loan forgiveness, Progyny etc. including preparation of journal entries
Coordinate with UK payroll team on secondee’s UK income taxes and national insurance to deduct from employee’s US paychecks
Prepare manual journal entries for payroll taxes payment, HSA funding for staff and partners and small foreign currency difference write offs for Asia employees paid in USD and US employees on UK shadow payroll
Oversee/review/sign off quarterly payroll tax filings, reconciliations, audits, and year-end activities (W2, amendments, etc.); ensure all payroll tax returns are filed timely and tax payments are made to governmental tax agencies correctly and timely; work with governmental tax agencies directly to resolve any tax due notices received and follow up with pending tax refunds
Participate in Workday time-tracking system testing when changes are made to existing calculation rules or due to system upgrade
Review monthly Asia payroll files prior to funding; audit journal entries prior to posting to 3E; provide support to Asia Finance team with payroll related inquiries and report requests
Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports
Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off request
Support business professional development and continued educational development opportunities
In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events
All other duties as assigned or required