US and Canada Payroll Manager

Delinea•Redwood City, CA

1d•$110,000 - $125,000

About The Position

The US and Canada Payroll Manager is the hands-on, end-to-end process owner for payroll in the United States and Canada. The role owns two semi-monthly payroll cycles per month for each country, running payroll in Workday, maintaining compliance, and establishing controls and automation. This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports. It reports to the Global Payroll Director and directs the day-to-day US and Canada work of a Global Payroll Administrator, who supports both payroll managers and provides backup coverage. US payroll is currently processed in Workday by a managed services partner. A central mandate is to transition US payroll processing in-house; the partner will continue to provide quarterly and annual services. Canada payroll is currently a manual process handled by an international accounting firm partner. The manager will oversee that partner and prepare Canada payroll for a planned move to Deel connected to Workday, starting later in 2027. Latin America remains under the International Payroll Manager. The position works with the International Payroll Manager on shared processes, general ledger and reporting standards, Workday configuration, cross-border employees, and related transitions. It also partners with HR, Finance, Benefits, and Workday teams on data feeds, GL entries, employee payroll questions, integrations, acquisitions, and other changes.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive US payroll experience, including independent ownership of multistate payroll.
Hands-on experience processing US payroll in Workday, including retroactive and off-cycle processing, audits, reconciliations, and reporting.
Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax, year-end reporting, and amendments.
Advanced Excel skills, including working with large datasets, lookups, pivots, and complex reconciliations.
A demonstrated record of process improvement, including at least one project personally owned and delivered.
Clear written and verbal communication skills and sound judgment about when to escalate.
Must be based in the US and able to work Pacific or Eastern business hours.
Hands-on Canadian payroll experience, including provincial withholding, CPP or QPP, EI or QPIP, Quebec requirements, ROEs, and T4 and RL-1 reporting.
Comfort managing an outsourced payroll provider, including setting expectations and reviewing its work.

Nice To Haves

Experience with managed services and payroll tax providers such as ADP or a Workday partner, including vendor relationship management.
Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions or payroll system integrations.
Comfort using AI tools and automation to improve payroll work, with sound judgment regarding confidentiality and compliance.
Experience transitioning payroll processing from a managed services provider to an in-house function.
CPP, FPC, or similar certification.
Exposure to multinational payroll or Deel.

Responsibilities

Own every US and Canada payroll cycle end to end in Workday, including calculations, retroactive processing, off-cycle runs, and troubleshooting.
Review and approve the US and Canada work of the Global Payroll Administrator and establish clear preparer and reviewer procedures.
Conduct pre- and post-payroll audits and reconciliations, resolving discrepancies to their root cause.
Maintain accurate federal, state, and local US withholding, multistate setups, and reciprocity rules.
Oversee quarterly filings and year-end reporting, including W-2s and amendments, delivered by the managed services partner; review for accuracy and own tax agency correspondence.
Research complex payroll scenarios, identify compliance risks early, and recommend defensible solutions.
Maintain accurate Canadian federal and provincial withholding, CPP or QPP, EI or QPIP, and Quebec requirements.
Own Canadian remittances, records of employment (ROEs), and year-end T4 and RL-1 reporting.
Coordinate with the International Payroll Manager on cross-border employees and shared processes.
Manage the international accounting firm partner that currently processes Canada payroll, including data submissions, payroll review and approval, issue tracking, and service expectations.
Prepare Canada payroll for its planned move to Deel connected to Workday, while continuing to run the current manual process through the accounting firm partner until then.
Lead the plan to bring US payroll processing in-house, including documented procedures, knowledge transfer, and a cutover timeline.
Manage the Workday managed services partner during the transition and for ongoing quarterly and annual services, setting service expectations and tracking issues.
Identify and improve broken or manual processes, owning projects from scoping through rollout.
Use Excel, Workday reporting, and responsible AI and automation tools to reduce manual work and errors.
Support payroll integrations, acquisitions, and other transitions as they arise.
Maintain documented controls and provide support for internal and external audits.
Partner with HR, Finance, Benefits, and Workday teams on data feeds, GL entries, and employee payroll questions.