Senior Payroll Lead

Ascend Federal Credit Union•Tullahoma, TN

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Payroll Lead role leads the administration of accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing across the organization. This position owns the payroll system and related integrations, maintains compliance with federal and state regulations, and is a team member in delivering a positive employee experience. The role also supports broader Total Rewards functions, collaborating closely with the Compensation & Analytics and Benefits & Experience teams on coordinated service delivery, strategic reporting, and data integrity.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, or related field required
5-8 years of experience processing payroll including multi-state environment required
Familiarity with HRIS and payroll platforms (e.g., ADP, Workday) required
Working knowledge of labor laws, payroll processing and compliance, tax regulations (FLSA, EEO, ADA, FMLA), and wage & hour laws.
Knowledge of Payroll best practices, standard concepts, policies, and procedures.
Demonstrated experience with payroll system setup, upgrades, and integrations.
Understanding of how payroll contributes to overall total rewards strategy.
Delivers high-quality, accurate payroll services consistently.
Leads system upgrades, troubleshooting, and integration strategy.
Experience with basic pay practices for multiple states.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel a must.
Strong organizational and analytical skills
Strong oral and written communication skills
Ability to work independently
Exceptional attention to detail
Maintain high standards of integrity
Display excellence in member service; resolves employee pay concerns with empathy and accountability.
Maintains full discretion with sensitive data and ensures legal adherence.
High accuracy, discretion, and ability to work under tight deadlines.
Works effectively with Compensation, Benefits, Finance, and People teams.
Regular and reliable attendance is required.

Nice To Haves

CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or FPC certification preferred
Experience in a financial services or regulated industry preferred

Responsibilities

Own and process regular and off-cycle payroll runs, ensuring accuracy, tax compliance, and timeliness.
Maintain payroll calendars, internal control procedures, and regulatory compliance across multi-state jurisdictions.
Ensure proper calculation and processing of earnings, deductions, bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay, and garnishments.
Serve as the primary point of contact for employee pay inquiries, offering responsive and service-minded support.
Maintains employee confidence and protects payroll operations by keeping information confidential.
Ensures payroll issues are escalated and promptly resolved.
Updates payroll records by reviewing and approving changes in exemptions, job titles and location transfers, monitoring and inputting PTO, insurance coverage, deductions for benefits and wage garnishments.
Prepares reports by compiling summaries of earnings, taxes, deductions, leave, disability, nontaxable wages, 401K benefits, workers compensation, health benefits, Department of Labor and unemployment wages for quarterly reports.
Ensure compliance with all payroll laws, tax regulations, and company policies.
Ensure configuration, maintenance, and optimization of the payroll platform at all times in partnership with People and Experience team members.
Manage system upgrades, new feature implementations, and integrations with timekeeping and general ledger systems.
Ensure accurate data flow between systems and coordinate user acceptance testing (UAT) for payroll-related changes.
Complete employment and wage verifications.
Complies with federal, state and local legal requirements by studying existing and new legislation, enforcing adherence to requirements, advising management of needed actions.
Support payroll system updates, testing, and process improvement initiatives.
Collaborates with People and Experience colleagues on team initiatives.
Partner with Benefits and Leave to ensure accurate deductions for benefits, 401(k), and leaves of absence.
Collaborate with Finance/Accounting on payroll reconciliations, funding schedules, journal entries, and tax filings.
Participate in internal and external audits, providing payroll documentation and controls evidence as needed.
Coordinate with Compensation during annual merit and incentive cycles, including retroactive or off-cycle adjustments.
Validate and process approved pay changes in accordance with compensation structures and internal policies.
Support compensation reporting and reconciliation efforts to ensure data accuracy and alignment.
Assist with total rewards reporting, pay equity reviews, and ongoing compensation-related audits.
Read all internal publications including HUB and Possibilities.
Perform other duties as required or assigned.
Must adhere to all company policies and procedures, as well as all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act, the USA PATRIOT Act, and regulations enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).