[Hiring] Payroll Director @P\S\L Group

Role Description

The Senior Payroll Manager will be the independent, hands-on payroll subject-matter expert responsible for the accurate, timely, compliant, and confidential delivery of payroll for US and Canadian operations. The role owns the full payroll lifecycle and partners closely with Talent, Finance, Legal, employees, benefit and payroll vendors to maintain strong controls, resolve issues, and build scalable payroll practices.

This is a highly autonomous role for a professional who can confidently manage complex multi-jurisdiction payroll operations, including payroll accounting, statutory reporting, benefits deductions, and 401(k) payroll support. The successful candidate will improve processes and systems while providing a reliable, high-service experience to employees and stakeholders.

What you will do

• Payroll Operations and Compliance
  • Lead end-to-end biweekly payroll processing for US and Canadian employees, including regular wages, overtime, bonuses, monthly sales commissions, deductions, reimbursements, terminations, and off-cycle payments.
  • Act as the primary internal expert for US federal, state, and local payroll requirements and Canadian federal and provincial payroll requirements.
  • Review and validate payroll inputs before each payroll cycle.
  • Support new US state and Canadian provincial registrations and maintain compliance calendars.
  • Review, investigate, and coordinate responses to payroll tax notices, agency inquiries, audits, and other compliance matters.
  • Maintain secure and confidential handling of employee payroll information.
• Year-End Reporting and W-2 Accountability
  • Own and coordinate US year-end payroll activities, including reconciliation, review, timely filing, and employee distribution of Forms W-2 and W-3.
  • Manage W-2 correction processes, including W-2c coordination.
  • Reconcile W-2 totals to payroll registers, quarterly payroll tax returns, general ledger activity, benefit deductions, and retirement-plan contributions.
  • Coordinate required Canadian year-end reporting, including T4s and T4As.
  • Ensure accurate and timely payroll tax filings and remittances.
• Benefits, 401(k), and Employee Deductions
  • Manage payroll-related benefit deductions and eligibility changes.
  • Administer and reconcile payroll-related Canadian retirement savings deductions.
  • Oversee payroll aspects of 401(k) administration.
  • Partner with Talent and Benefit vendors to implement annual enrollment changes.
  • Identify, investigate, and resolve discrepancies between payroll, HRIS, benefits, and vendor records.
• Finance, Controls, and Reporting
  • Prepare and reconcile payroll journal entries and related accruals.
  • Coordinate with Finance on payroll close activities and general ledger accuracy.
  • Develop and maintain payroll reconciliations, audit trails, and operating procedures.
  • Create payroll reports and analyses for stakeholders as needed.
• Systems, Process Improvement, and Stakeholder Support
  • Maintain payroll systems and data integrity.
  • Partner with HRIS, Finance, and payroll vendors to improve integrations.
  • Assess payroll processes and recommend improvements.
  • Support payroll-system implementations and transitions.
  • Serve as a trusted point of contact for employees and stakeholders.
  • Communicate payroll deadlines and policy updates clearly.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including independent ownership of multi-state US payroll; direct Canadian payroll experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading the full payroll cycle in a fast-paced environment.
• Hands-on US year-end payroll experience, including W-2 and W-3 review and reconciliation.
• Strong working knowledge of US payroll compliance.
• Working knowledge of Canadian payroll requirements.
• Experience supporting payroll-related benefits and 401(k) deductions.
• Experience preparing payroll journal entries and audit support.
• Proficiency with payroll systems; ADP experience preferred.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to work independently.

Requirements

• Ability to obtain and maintain authorized, secure administrative access to the Company payroll systems.

Preferred qualifications

• CPP, FPC, PCP, or comparable payroll certification.
• Experience leading or supporting payroll-system implementations.
• Experience in a professional services, healthcare, or consulting environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, Business, or a related discipline.
• Experience supporting international, UK, or EU payroll is a plus.

First 90-Day Plan

• Deliver consistently accurate, timely, and compliant biweekly US and Canadian payroll.
• Establish reliable W-2, W-3, and Canadian year-end reporting processes.
• Strengthen payroll, benefits, and 401(k) reconciliation procedures.
• Improve payroll documentation, compliance calendars, and audit readiness.
• Identify and implement prioritized systems, workflow, vendor, and process improvements.
• Become the trusted internal payroll expert for employees and stakeholders.

Reports to

Head of Financial Operations, North America