Payroll Manager

Aston Carter•Pontiac, MI

7d•$50 - $50•Remote

About The Position

The client has an urgent need for an experienced Payroll Manager / Senior Payroll Consultant to step in quickly and stabilize day-to-day payroll operations while the organization works through an acquisition, payroll harmonization, and Dayforce transition. This person will support a green payroll team, keep payroll moving accurately and on time, review payroll outputs, help troubleshoot issues, and provide experienced guidance during a high-change period. This is primarily a contract opportunity with potential to convert, but the immediate priority is getting a strong payroll resource in place quickly. Expected Duration: Approximately 6-7 months, with potential for longer-term need or conversion. Location: Mostly remote; may require periodic onsite meetings in Auburn Hills, MI, especially early in the engagement or during project milestones. Travel: Under 10%; potential for limited domestic or international travel in the future, but most work should be remote. Systems: Dayforce strongly preferred; UKG, ADP, Workday, or Ceridian experience may be considered if Dayforce becomes a roadblock. Payroll Scope: Primarily U.S. and Canada payroll operations; global payroll awareness is preferred but may be flexible for the contract role. Employee Population: Approximately 3,800 employees across U.S. and Canada payroll today; global population around 5,300 and growing. Payroll Team: Eight payroll team members reporting into this role.

Requirements

Strong payroll experience with legitimate progressive payroll experience; payroll must be the core of their career, not primarily HR or benefits
Multi-state U.S. payroll experience required
Dayforce payroll experience strongly preferred; client may flex to Ceridian, UKG, ADP, or Workday if the candidate is otherwise strong
Experience reviewing payroll, validating accuracy, identifying discrepancies, and ensuring payroll is completed on time
Ability to support a green payroll team and provide hands-on guidance, coaching, and day-to-day leadership
Experience with hourly and salaried payroll populations
Union payroll experience strongly preferred; client has 10+ unions / CBAs
Strong compliance knowledge around payroll tax, wage and hour requirements, deductions, garnishments, overtime, pay practices, and payroll controls
Ability to work in a high-change, high-volume environment and jump in quickly with minimal ramp-up

Nice To Haves

Global payroll exposure; Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, and Canada experience would be especially helpful
Payroll harmonization, acquisition integration, or M&A experience
HRIS implementation, payroll system migration, testing, or configuration exposure
Manufacturing payroll experience
CPP certification
Experience supporting payroll process improvement, documentation, and standardization
Experience working with multiple legal entities, locations, pay groups, and payroll frequencies

Responsibilities

Keep day-to-day payroll operations moving accurately and on time during a period of acquisition integration and team transition
Review payroll results prepared by payroll specialists, including payroll registers, exceptions, deductions, taxes, funding, and gross-to-net calculations
Provide direction and support to an eight-person payroll team that is still developing broader payroll knowledge
Help troubleshoot payroll issues related to timekeeping, pay codes, overtime, union rules, employee data, deductions, taxes, and payroll corrections
Support weekly union payroll, biweekly payroll, and semi-monthly payroll while the organization works toward payroll frequency harmonization
Partner with HR, HRIS, Finance, plant leadership, and payroll team members to resolve payroll issues quickly
Assist with payroll harmonization as the company works to move one population into another Dayforce environment
Help create consistent payroll processes across legacy company groups
Support payroll testing, reporting, troubleshooting, and transition activities as needed
Ensure compliance with multi-state payroll requirements and union payroll rules
Provide experienced payroll judgment and recommendations rather than waiting for step-by-step direction
Help stabilize the team, identify process gaps, and escalate risks before they create payroll issues