Payroll Team Lead

AstraZeneca•Mississauga, ON

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a Payroll Team Lead to help manage end‑to‑end payroll for 2,500+ employees across four Canadian legal entities, based in Mississauga, Ontario. This is a hands‑on role that also provides day‑to‑day guidance to one Payroll Analyst, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll with a strong focus on controls and employee experience.

Requirements

5-7 years of experience in Canadian full‑cycle payroll, including year‑end and statutory reporting for at least 1000 employees
Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) designation from the National Payroll Institute
Previous experience in a senior, lead, or supervisory payroll role, supporting at least one other payroll professional.
Solid knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation.
Proficiency with Workday HCM, Workday Payroll, Workday Time and Absence and advanced Excel.
High attention to detail, strong controls approach, excellent problem‑solving skills, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
Flexibility to work extended hours during peak periods (e.g. year‑end, bonus cycles).

Nice To Haves

Post‑secondary education in Accounting, Finance, Business, HR, or related field
Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) designation from the Canadian Payroll Association
Multi‑entity payroll experience
Understanding of US payroll
Experience with Microsoft Power Automate, PowerBI, AI tools

Responsibilities

Lead and perform full‑cycle processing of regular and off‑cycle payrolls for all Canadian entities.
Review and approve payroll input/output (earnings, deductions, benefits, RRSP/pension, incentives, taxable benefits).
Maintain compliance with federal and provincial requirements and manage year‑end activities (T4/RL‑1, reconciliations, filings).
Provide technical guidance and daily direction to the Payroll Analyst.
Allocate workload and ensure coverage at peak times.
Act as senior point of contact for complex payroll issues and escalations, partnering closely with HR, Benefits, Compensation, and Finance.
Maintain and enhance payroll controls, reconciliations, and documentation.
Support system changes and continuous improvement initiatives using available automation tools (e.g. Power BI, Power Automate, AI Agents etc.)