Payroll Operations Manager - Anywhere in the U.S.A.

Job Summary

The Payroll Operations Manager is responsible for the accurate, timely, and compliant delivery of payroll operations for assigned employee populations. This role oversees day-to-day payroll processing, operational calendars, reconciliations, and issue resolution while ensuring adherence to tax, wage-hour, and statutory requirements. The position also serves as a key liaison across HR Technology, Finance, and HR Operations to lead cross-process and system changes, govern pay-impacting rules, and provide operational analytics that strengthen payroll accuracy and service performance.

The role can be based anywhere in the U.S.A.

Key Tasks & Responsibilities (Essential Functions)

Payroll Operations & Delivery: Manage end-to-end payroll processing cycles, calendars, cutoffs, and funding coordination to ensure accurate and timely payroll execution across all pay groups. Oversee off-cycle payments, retro adjustments, and final pay calculations while monitoring accuracy rates, cycle times, and error trends.

Project Management & System / Implementation Leadership: Lead payroll workstreams for system implementations, upgrades, and configuration changes. Partner with HR Technology, Finance, and IT to assess cross-process impacts, coordinate testing and readiness activities, and manage timelines, risks, and stakeholder communication.

Service Delivery, Ticket Governance & Case Management: Oversee payroll inquiry queues, ticket volumes, and escalation pathways even when direct ticket closure is delegated. Establish SLAs, monitor resolution performance, and drive case-deflection strategies through knowledge resources and process clarity.

Compliance, Controls & Reconciliation: Ensure adherence to payroll tax, statutory, and wage-hour regulations through reconciliations, audits, and validation checks. Maintain documented procedures, segregation of duties, and audit readiness while supporting responses to tax notices or compliance inquiries.

Foundational Pay-Impacting Process Governance: Govern operational rules and standards for upstream workforce processes that directly affect pay outcomes, including time capture, compensation updates, terminations, leave status, and pay codes. Monitor exception trends and partner with HR/HRIS to reduce downstream payroll errors.

Analytics, Dashboards & Reporting: Develop and maintain dashboards and scorecards related to payroll accuracy, ticket volumes, overpayments, and time-and-pay exceptions. Analyze trends and provide actionable insights to leadership and cross-functional partners

Skills and Minimum Experience Required

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent
• 9+ years experience in payroll 
• Deep knowledge of end-to-end payroll processing (cycles, cutoffs, funding, off-cycles, final pay)
• Strong payroll calendar and deadline management discipline
• Experience leading payroll projects, system upgrades, and implementations
• Working knowledge of payroll systems, HRIS, and Time & Attendance platforms/integrations
• Ownership of workforce time rules and standards (pay codes, overtime rules, shift premiums, accrual logic, union/CBA rules where applicable)
• Ability to drive time & attendance change management (policy updates, system rule changes, stakeholder communication, training)
• Troubleshooting expertise for time capture issues (missed punches, scheduling conflicts, accrual errors, integration defects)
• Vendor and SLA management experience
• Ticket queue and case management oversight skills
• Payroll tax, statutory, and wage-hour compliance knowledge
• Reconciliation, audit, and internal controls experience
• Understanding of upstream pay-impacting processes (time capture, comp changes, terminations, pay codes)
• Ability to build and interpret payroll dashboards and metrics
• Strong cross-functional collaboration (Finance, HRIS, IT, Benefits, Vendors)
• Clear executive communication and escalation management
• Risk identification and structured problem-solving ability
• Ability to travel for business as needed