Sr. Manager, Payroll

OpenGov•Chicago, IL

1d•$162,000 - $221,000•Onsite

About The Position

OpenGov powers more effective and accountable government, and our Accounting team builds the operations that let us grow with that mission. The Senior Manager, Payroll owns US payroll end-to-end and is accountable for its accuracy, completeness, and compliance across every jurisdiction where we employ people. This leader sets the long-term direction for payroll operations: documenting processes, strengthening controls, and improving systems and automation so payroll scales with the business before we add headcount. The role supervises our lead payroll specialist, works across Finance, Accounting, HR, Enterprise Applications & Engineering and Legal, and may expand over time to include equity administration. This is an in-office role in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, or Boston.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
8+ years of US payroll experience, including 3+ years managing payroll staff, with in-depth knowledge of federal, state, and local employment requirements and multi-state payroll tax
Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll and ADP SmartCompliance
Exceptional attention to detail and a record of delivering accurate, complete payroll on tight deadlines, with proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets, including complex formulas and analysis of large datasets
Sound judgment and a bias for action: spots issues early, escalates them promptly with a proposed resolution, and drives them to closure
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, a record of working cross-functionally, and discretion with confidential employee information
Comfortable using AI-native tools to accelerate workflows and improve efficiency.
Ability to work in office in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, or Boston

Nice To Haves

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC)
Experience designing payroll controls and supporting internal or external audits
Experience improving payroll processes through automation while maintaining accuracy and control
Experience with equity compensation (RSU) payroll tax and reporting
Experience in a SaaS or technology company, including integrating payroll for acquired companies

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end payroll processing for the United States, ensuring every payroll is accurate, complete, timely, and compliant with federal, state, and local requirements
Manage payroll tax compliance across all jurisdictions, including resolving compliance issues, processing adjustments and driving audits to completion in a timely manner with federal, state, and local authorities
Partner with HR on 401(k), HSA, and FSA administration by ensuring employee and employer contributions are calculated correctly and remitted on time, and process all deductions accurately and in compliance with legal requirements
Provide tax information and withholding calculations for RSU settlements, and over time take on administration of RSU settlement process in partnership with Accounting and Legal
Manage quarterly and year-end employment tax reporting, including W-2, 1099, Form 940/941 filings, state and local returns
Own payroll general ledger reconciliations and support month-end close in partnership with Accounting, and oversee payroll-related audits such as 401(k) and workers' compensation
Design, document, and maintain payroll controls, including review and approval steps, reconciliations, checks for completeness and accuracy across spreadsheets and systems and keep the function ready for internal and external audits
Improve processes and systems, using automation where it strengthens accuracy and efficiency, so the function scales before headcount is added
Supervise and develop the lead payroll specialist