US / Canada Payroll Tax Lead

Accenture•St. Louis, MO

4d•$26 - $70•Hybrid

About The Position

The US / Canada Payroll Tax Lead provides comprehensive payroll tax guidance and support to a high-volume, complex payroll department. The role ensures payroll tax operations comply with federal, state, provincial, and local regulations. It governs the accurate and timely remittance, reconciliation, and reporting of payroll taxes handled by a third-party provider and taxes maintained internally. The lead supports audits and tax system updates and collaborates with internal stakeholders, tax authorities, and external vendors to promote end-to-end compliance and efficiency. The role also resolves complex employee tax questions and manually calculates taxable wage bases in accordance with varying payroll tax requirements. The position is hybrid, with a negotiable location. Accenture anticipates the posting will remain open until 12/04/2026. Compensation varies by location, role, skills, and experience; the posting provides hourly salary ranges for listed U.S. locations.

Requirements

At least 5 years of payroll tax experience.
Strong payroll acumen.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong analytical skills to solve complex issues.
Strong technology skills and ability to learn new systems and tools quickly.
Excellent attention to detail.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work creatively and analytically in a fast-paced environment with competing deadlines.
Ability to make sound, data-driven decisions under pressure.
Continuous-learning and improvement mindset, with a desire to grow and take on additional challenges.
Ability to manually calculate taxable wage bases and understand varied payroll tax requirements.

Nice To Haves

CPP (US) or PCP (Canada) certification is preferred but not required.
Strong sense of customer service.

Responsibilities

Ensure accurate calculation, withholding, and remittance of payroll taxes across federal, state, provincial, and local jurisdictions.
Improve payroll tax processes, systems, and documentation using available AI technologies.
Prepare or complete unsupported payroll tax filings, including Nevada Business Tax, Washington L&I, and Seattle PET, and related monthly, quarterly, and annual returns, reports, and amendments by strict deadlines.
Maintain compliance with current tax laws and monitor legislative changes affecting payroll taxation.
Manage and resolve tax notices, audits, and inquiries from government agencies within company-determined SLAs.
Coordinate, verify, and register new tax codes as needed.
Partner with Payroll, HR, Benefits, Global Equity, Finance, and external vendors on compliance and reporting processes.
Reconcile tax liabilities and coordinate appropriate accounting with Controllership.
Implement and maintain internal controls to minimize risk and ensure data integrity.
Support audits and tax system updates.
Resolve complex employee tax questions and related queries.
Manually calculate taxable wage bases in accordance with applicable payroll tax requirements.