Sr Manager, Payroll Operations - Global Industrial

Genuine Parts Company•Atlanta, GA

23h

About The Position

The Senior Manager of Payroll leads payroll operations for a complex international and multi-state organization, reporting directly to the Director of Payroll. The role ensures accurate and compliant payroll processing and provides leadership to a payroll team. It partners with Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit, and senior business leaders to support organizational goals, financial reporting requirements, and SOX compliance. The position also influences payroll strategy, leads process improvements, develops talent, and drives operational excellence. The role leads full-cycle payroll operations and payroll accounting, maintains compliance and internal controls, oversees audit activities, and resolves complex payroll issues. It also serves as the payroll functional lead for Workday Absence, Payroll, and Time and Scheduling, collaborating with HRIS, IT, Finance, and business stakeholders to optimize processes, system performance, reporting, and data integrity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field is typically required.
Ten or more years of progressive payroll experience, including significant experience managing multi-state payroll operations.
Five or more years of experience leading payroll teams.
Experience with Workday Payroll and Workday HCM.
Extensive knowledge of full-cycle payroll processing and administration.
Strong understanding of payroll tax regulations, wage and hour laws, and payroll compliance requirements.
Experience supporting payroll accounting, including journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and month-end close processes.
Demonstrated experience working in a SOX-controlled environment.
Experience supporting internal and external audits.
Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience using payroll reporting tools.
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead full-cycle international and multi-state payroll processing for exempt and non-exempt employees, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing.
Oversee payroll earnings, deductions, taxation, garnishments, benefits, direct deposits, and year-end processing.
Manage payroll calendars, processing schedules, quality controls, and service-level expectations.
Review payroll audits, exception reports, reconciliations, and data validation processes.
Lead, coach, and develop payroll professionals; set performance expectations, conduct performance reviews, support succession planning and career development, and assist with onboarding and training.
Promote continuous improvement, customer service, collaboration, and compliance within the payroll function.
Partner with Finance and Accounting to ensure payroll transactions are accurately reflected in the general ledger.
Oversee payroll accruals, journal entries, and month-end close activities; support accurate financial reporting and forecasting.
Analyze payroll trends and provide reporting and recommendations to leadership.
Maintain and strengthen payroll controls in a SOX-compliant environment; ensure adherence to payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, tax requirements, and company policies.
Develop, monitor, and improve payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls; partner with Internal Audit and Compliance to evaluate and mitigate risks and maintain control documentation.
Serve as the primary contact for internal and external payroll audits, coordinate audit requests, and deliver supporting documentation in a timely manner.
Manage complex payroll issues and escalations, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.
Serve as the Payroll functional lead for Workday Absence, Payroll, and Time and Scheduling, partnering with HRIS, IT, Finance, and business stakeholders to optimize processes and system performance.
Oversee payroll-related Workday configuration, testing, validation, and release management.
Lead payroll participation in Workday enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and new functionality deployments.
Ensure data integrity among Workday Payroll, HCM, Benefits, Time Tracking, Finance, and third-party systems.
Develop and maintain Workday payroll reports, dashboards, and analytics; identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls, and employee experience through Workday functionality.