Payroll Manager

Acrisure•Grand Rapids, MI

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Payroll Manager is responsible for leading and managing payroll operations across a complex, multi-state and multi-entity organization. This role ensures accurate, timely, and compliant payroll while providing day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to the payroll team. The Payroll Manager oversees payroll processing across multiple employee populations and pay frequencies, serves as a senior payroll subject matter expert, and provides support for complex payroll activities and escalations. The role also leads new payroll implementations, supports acquisitions, oversees payroll tax activities, drives process improvements, and partners closely with HR, Finance, Compliance, Enterprise Applications, business leaders, vendors, and employees to deliver high-quality payroll services.

Requirements

Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll requirements, controls, and compliance practices.
Experience supporting multiple legal entities and/or complex organizational structures.
Demonstrated experience with full-cycle payroll processing, payroll tax, reconciliations, audits, year-end activities, and reporting.
Strong problem-solving, analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication and stakeholder management skills.
Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and critical payroll deadlines.
High level of discretion and confidentiality.
Experience with Workday, ADP, UKG, or another enterprise HCM/payroll platform.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365, particularly Excel.
7+ years of progressive payroll experience, including experience leading complex, high-volume, multi-state payroll operations.
3+ years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success developing and retaining payroll talent.
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting payroll in a centralized function serving distributed business units.
Experience with payroll implementations, acquisitions, integrations, or significant organizational change.
Experience with payroll process automation, system enhancements, and data/reporting solutions.
Experience with international payroll or exposure to global payroll operations.
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.

Responsibilities

Lead and participate in the day-to-day processing of payroll across multiple pay frequencies, states, entities, and employee populations.
Manage, review, and execute regular and off-cycle payrolls, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
Oversee and perform complex payroll calculations, reconciliations, adjustments, commissions, and other payroll transactions as needed.
Coordinate team workload and priorities to ensure payroll deadlines and service expectations are consistently met.
Supervise, coach, and develop Payroll Team, establishing clear expectations for accuracy, accountability, service, and performance.
Identify skill gaps and provide ongoing training, coaching, and cross-training to strengthen team capability and continuity.
Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and provide hands-on guidance to the team.
Oversee end-to-end payroll tax processing and compliance across applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
Monitor regulatory changes and ensure appropriate payroll practices, controls, and procedures are implemented.
Oversee payroll reconciliations, audits, year-end activities, reporting, and related compliance requirements.
Identify and mitigate payroll risks and ensure appropriate documentation and controls are maintained.
Lead and/or directly participate in new agency payroll implementations, acquisitions, integrations, and transitions into ongoing payroll operations.
Coordinate payroll onboarding activities, ensuring employee data, systems, processes, and payroll requirements are accurately established.
Partner with HR, Finance, Compensation, Benefits, Compliance, and business leaders to resolve complex payroll matters and support business needs with proactive communication and collaboration.
Provide concierge-level service to Agency Partners, employees, HR Associates, HR Business Partners, and other stakeholders.
Own and maintain payroll processes within Workday, ADP, ServiceNow, and other payroll-related technologies.
Coordinate system testing for upgrades, enhancements, integrations, and configuration changes.
Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, controls, efficiency, and automation while maintaining appropriate risk mitigation.
Develop, maintain, and utilize payroll metrics and reporting to monitor accuracy, service levels, workload, and operational performance.
Partner with HR Operations Enablement and Enterprise Applications to implement system and process improvements.
Maintain accurate procedures, documentation, and operating standards.
Manage relationships with payroll tax, technology, and other external vendors to ensure service, data connectivity, and issue resolution.
Partner closely with HR Operations, Human Resources, Finance, Compliance, Enterprise Applications, and other stakeholders to ensure payroll practices support business objectives.
Exercise sound judgment regarding issue resolution and escalation, particularly for sensitive, high-risk, or compliance-related matters.