Sr Manager Payroll

Job Overview

The Sr. Payroll Manager leads payroll governance, operational readiness, controls oversight, testing strategy, complex escalation management, payroll tax partnership, and process improvement across higher-complexity payroll workstreams. This role provides direct leadership for Sr. Payroll Analyst resources and the Payroll Tax Compliance Manager, ensuring advanced analysis, tax compliance, controls, reporting, system readiness, and process governance are aligned to payroll priorities. The Sr. Payroll Manager owns the payroll readiness framework for system and business changes, coordinates complex cross-functional issue resolution, and ensures payroll controls, testing, reporting, documentation, and escalation processes support accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery. The position reports to the Director Payroll and provides leadership depth between daily payroll operations and enterprise payroll strategy.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead payroll governance, operational readiness, controls oversight, reporting cadence, and escalation management across higher-complexity payroll workstreams.
• Provide people leadership for Sr. Payroll Analyst resources and Payroll Tax Compliance Manager, including workload prioritization, coaching, development, performance support, and execution expectations.
• Own payroll testing strategy, system enhancement readiness, production validation approach, implementation coordination, and readiness recommendations for payroll-impacting changes.
• Oversee complex payroll escalations, recurring risk patterns, control gaps, system issues, and cross-functional problem resolution across Payroll, HR, Finance, IT, Treasury, Legal, Labor Relations, Driver Services, vendors, and business partners.
• Lead process improvement roadmap, standard work maturity, documentation improvements, automation opportunities, control enhancements, and operating model improvements across the payroll function.
• Partner with Payroll Manager, Payroll Tax Compliance Manager, Sr. Payroll Analysts, and Director Payroll to align payroll operations, compliance support, tax readiness, service performance, and business priorities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Payroll governance and operational readiness leadership in a complex, multi-state, high-volume environment
• People leadership for senior analysts and specialized payroll compliance resources
• Testing strategy, system readiness, and implementation governance
• Payroll controls oversight, risk assessment, reporting governance, documentation, and audit readiness
• Complex payroll escalation management and cross-functional issue resolution
• Ability to prioritize process improvement roadmap activities and align resources to payroll risk and readiness needs
• Strong communication, stakeholder management, and cross-functional leadership skills

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree (4 years)

Relevant work experience of 7 or more years

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional certification is strongly preferred
• Experience supporting a complex, multi-state payroll environment. Experience with SAP payroll, Workforce Dimensions, Driver Services tool (TMW), payroll tax coordination, payroll controls, payroll reporting, testing strategy, system implementations, compliance support, audit readiness, vendor governance, and process improvement is strongly preferred.

Work Environment

• Office
• This role typically works in a professional office environment using a computer, phone, Microsoft Office tools, payroll systems, reporting tools, vendor portals, Driver Services tool (TMW), Workforce Dimensions, ticketing tools, and collaboration platforms. Work is deadline-driven, confidential, leadership-focused, and risk-oriented, especially during payroll processing, system changes, testing, quarter-end, year-end, audits, compliance reviews, reporting, and escalation resolution periods. No routine heavy lifting is required. Physical requirements are limited to standard office activities, including sitting, standing, walking, typing, using a computer, participating in meetings, and occasionally lifting or carrying office materials up to approximately 25 pounds.