Overview

The Payroll Manager oversees strategic and operational leadership of payroll services across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The role ensures accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery, drives vendor and technology optimization, leads a high performing team, and partners with senior stakeholders to support transformation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Operational Excellence and Compliance

• •Oversee and manage end to end payroll activities including audits, reconciliations, year-end processes, garnishments, benefits, equity, and special payments.
• •Ensure compliance with IRS, CRA, Puerto Rico Hacienda, and applicable state, provincial, and local laws, as well as internal audit and SOX standards.
• •Lead the design, documentation, and testing of payroll controls and risk mitigation measures.
• •Maintain jurisdictional tax setup, updates, and adherence to legislative changes.
• •Maintain confidentiality and always safeguard sensitive payroll and employee data.

Team Leadership and Capability Development

• •Lead and develop payroll specialists and analysts; build a culture of accuracy, accountability, and strong employee experience.
• •Provide coaching and in-depth technical expertise for all North American payroll jurisdictions.
• •Support workforce planning, hiring, and capability building aligned with future digital payroll needs.
• •Direct reports include 2 Payroll Analysts and 1 Payroll and Benefit Administrator.

Reporting, Insights, and KPIs

• •Deliver and maintain payroll dashboards and KPIs covering accuracy, timeliness, SLA performance, tax error rate, and processing costs.
• •Use analytics to identify trends, reduce defects, and drive operational improvements.
• •Provide reporting for Finance, Total Rewards, and Accounting covering accruals, costing, and headcount.
• •Communicate insights, risks, and opportunities to leadership.

Strategic Leadership and Regional Oversight

• •Lead multi-country payroll operations ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions.
• •Develop and execute regional payroll strategies aligned with global policies and operating models.
• •Partner with senior HR, Finance, and Technology leaders to drive standardization and operational excellence.
• •Serve as the primary escalation point for complex payroll, taxation, and compliance issues.

Digital, Data, and AI Capability

• •Demonstrate strong functional expertise in enterprise payroll systems with the ability to understand end-to-end data flows, diagnose issues, and support system enhancements and integrations.
• •Leverage payroll data, dashboards, and AI-enabled insights to perform reconciliations, analyze trends, identify risks, and support informed decision-making.
• •Identify and own automation opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and strengthen controls, partnering with IT and vendors.
• •Apply AI responsibly within payroll operations using approved tools while exercising judgment, validating outputs, and maintaining human oversight.
• •Ensure automation and AI-supported processes comply with regulatory, data privacy, audit, and SOX requirements.

Vendor, System, and Technology Management

• •Manage relationships with external payroll vendors such as ADP and Deel and drive SLA performance and optimization.
• •Partner with HRIS and Workday teams to enhance integrations, improve data quality, and support configuration updates.
• •Influence payroll technology roadmaps including automation, RPA, workflow tools, data insights, and digital transformation initiatives.
• •Lead issue resolution, root-cause analysis, and implementation of long-term corrective actions.

Cross-Functional Partnerships

• •Collaborate with HR, Legal, Accounting, Total Rewards, and Time and Attendance teams on policy design and pay practices.
• •Support M&A due diligence, onboarding, and payroll integrations.
• •Partner with global payroll leaders on shared services design, governance, and process harmonization.
• •Has responsibility for leading projects as they relate to payroll.

Requirements

• •Minimum of 7 years of progressive payroll experience with significant U.S. multistate exposure.
• •Strong experience with Canadian payroll and Puerto Rico payroll.
• •Deep knowledge of payroll laws and compliance across North America.
• •Experience managing multi-country payroll teams or leading a payroll function.
• •Proficiency with Workday and major payroll systems such as ADP and Deel.
• •Strong analytical, problem-solving, and reporting skills.
• •Ability to operate successfully in a fast-paced, complex global environment.
• •Experience in a shared services or Center of Excellence environment.
• •Above average computer literacy including Excel, Word, and various vendor applications.
• •Strong organizational abilities with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• •Bachelor's degree or CPP, FPC, PCP, or CPM certifications.
• •Experience with large-scale payroll transformations, vendor consolidation, or digitalization initiatives.
• •Knowledge of RPA, workflow automation, or process mining.
• •Lean or Six Sigma certification.