Payroll Manager

Overview:

SageSure is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead payroll operations across the organization and its affiliated entities. This role reports to the Director, Compensation & Benefits and serves as SageSure's primary subject matter expert for all things payroll.

In this role, you will own the strategy and execution of payroll operations — from day-to-day processing to compliance, systems administration, and process improvement. You will be responsible for maintaining strong internal controls, ensuring regulatory compliance across multiple states and jurisdictions, and delivering a consistent, reliable payroll experience for our employees. You will partner closely with the People Team, Corporate Finance, Legal, and external vendors to ensure payroll scales effectively as the organization grows.

What you’d be doing:

• Own and manage bi-weekly and semi-monthly payroll operations for the company and affiliated entities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.

• Ensure accurate payroll calculations for wages, overtime, benefits, taxes, deductions, reimbursements, commissions, and bonus payments.

• Review and audit payroll data prior to processing to identify and resolve discrepancies, exceptions, and compliance concerns.

• Oversee employee lifecycle payroll events, including new hires, promotions, compensation changes, transfers, leaves of absence, and terminations.

• Serve as the organization's primary payroll subject matter expert and escalation point for complex payroll matters.

• Administer and maintain payroll data within UKG Pro and other integrated systems, ensuring data integrity, consistency, and compliance.

• Manage relationships with payroll, tax, and benefits vendors, ensuring service levels, issue resolution, and compliance requirements are met.

• Oversee multi-state payroll tax compliance, including tax registrations, filings, payments, account maintenance, and resolution of tax notices and inquiries.

• Lead quarterly and annual payroll compliance activities, including W-2 preparation, reconciliation, distribution, and year-end reporting.

• Administer wage garnishments, child support orders, tax levies, and other involuntary deductions in accordance with federal and state requirements.

• Partner with Corporate Finance to support payroll reconciliations, general ledger activity, journal entries, accruals, and month-end close processes.

• Collaborate with the Benefits team to ensure accurate payroll deductions, 401(k) contributions, loan repayments, HSA funding, and benefit plan administration.

• Support internal and external audits, including payroll tax audits, workers' compensation audits, retirement plan audits, financial audits, and compliance reviews.

• Develop, maintain, and analyze payroll-related reports, dashboards, and metrics to support business and operational needs.

• Lead payroll system implementations, enhancements, testing, and process improvement initiatives.

• Establish and maintain payroll procedures, documentation, and internal controls to support organizational growth and mitigate risk.

• Investigate, resolve, and implement corrective actions for payroll discrepancies, compliance concerns, and process gaps.

• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, strengthen controls, increase efficiency, and enhance the employee experience.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.

• Demonstrated experience managing multi-state payroll operations, payroll tax compliance, and end-to-end payroll administration within a complex organization.

• Experience using UKG Pro or another enterprise payroll system such as ADP, Workday, or Oracle.

• Strong understanding of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and compliance requirements.

• Experience supporting payroll accounting activities, including reconciliations, accruals, journal entries, and audit support.

• Experience managing payroll vendors, tax service providers, and third-party payroll relationships.

• Experience supporting payroll audits, tax inquiries, compliance reviews, and year-end payroll activities.

• Strong Excel skills, including data validation, reconciliation, reporting, and analysis.

• Experience developing payroll processes, documentation, controls, and operational improvements.

• Ability to manage confidential and sensitive employee information with discretion and professionalism.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively support employees and business partners at all levels.

• High level of integrity, professionalism, and accountability.

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification strongly preferred.

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