Payroll Manager

Strata Decision Technology•Chicago, IL

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

As our Payroll Manager, you will own payroll end-to-end, ensuring every team member is paid accurately and on time, while also stepping into the broader world of accounting, payroll tax compliance, and financial operations. This is a role for someone who enjoys both precision and variety. Someone who is just as comfortable reconciling payroll accounts as they are jumping in to support adjacent finance needs. You will bring the experience to spot issues before they become problems and the mindset to continuously improve how things get done. This role is ideal for someone who has been doing this for a while, knows their craft, and is ready to apply that expertise in a collaborative, growth-mindset environment.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in payroll, with strong exposure to accounting or general ledger work
Strong working knowledge of payroll tax compliance, including multi-state complexity
Comfort with reconciliations, journal entries, controls, and financial reporting
A proactive, problem-solving mindset with a healthy skepticism (if something looks off, you investigate)
A collaborative approach and comfortable operating in a hands-on, team-oriented environment where priorities can flex
Clear communication skills and a customer-service mindset supporting internal teams

Nice To Haves

Experience with UKGPro strongly preferred
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation preferred

Responsibilities

Own the full-cycle payroll process, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance
Serve as the internal subject matter expert on payroll and partner with our payroll provider (UKGPro) to manage processing, adjustments and issue resolution
Lead payroll-related reconciliations, journal entries, and reporting activities
Support payroll tax compliance, including multi-state registrations, filings, and issue resolution with agencies
Collaborate closely with People Operations to ensure employee data is accurate and flows cleanly through payroll
Support commission payment preparation and validation
Play an active role in month-end close activities, especially where payroll and accruals intersect
Contribute to broader accounting and operational needs, including corporate credit card administration, expense-related processes, and other operational accounting needs
Identify opportunities to improve and automate payroll processes, controls, and systems…and help implement them
Collaborate with FP&A to produce accurate payroll forecasts and provide monthly variance analysis between forecast and actual payroll expenses