Manager, Payroll and Benefits (North America)

WildBrain Ltd

$110K — $120K *
Business Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Strong communication skills with a customer service focus and high integrity
  • Knowledge of employment and labor laws across state, provincial, and federal levels
  • Preferred experience with UKG HRIS and payroll system
  • Excellent analytical and organizational skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Excel

Responsibilities

  • Manage and execute Canadian and US payroll across multiple entities
  • Oversee health and welfare plans, retirement plans, and leave management
  • Ensure compliance with payroll, time management, and benefit regulations
  • Develop and document payroll and benefits policies and procedures
  • Collaborate with the VP, Global Talent Operations to analyze and improve benefit programs
  • Conduct training sessions to educate employees on benefits
  • Act as a liaison between employees and benefit carriers during claims escalation

Benefits

  • Paid time off
  • Retirement savings plan with company matching
  • Comprehensive health and dental coverage from day one
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Hybrid work model
Full Job Description
Location: 25 York Street, Toronto, Canada

Vacancy: This posting is for an existing open role at WildBrain's Toronto office.

Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work.

About the Role

This role manages a small team that executes Canadian and US Payroll across multiple entities. This manager is also responsible for overseeing and executing against all health and welfare plans, retirement plans and leave management for WildBrain's North American offices. The role works closely with the VP, Global Talent Operation on plan designs and long-term strategy, but is responsible for ongoing execution, state and federal compliance and management of invoicing and remittances across the Payroll and Benefits function. A successful Manager rolls up their sleeves to get the work done while providing supervision and guidance to the team as well.

Job Description
  • Review the bi-weekly payroll process to ensure that all employees are paid timely and accurately
  • Oversee the administration of benefit programs and ensure the enrolment of all eligible employees is complete
  • Maintain an understanding of and ensure compliance with state/provincial and federal regulations around payroll, time management, absence management, retirement and health and welfare programs
  • Develop, maintain and document payroll and benefits policies and procedures for Canada and the US
  • Work closely with Talent Systems on system maintenance and configuration in support of compliant and accurate payroll
  • Work with the VP, Global Talent Operations to analyze the current benefit programs and provide recommendations to improve it
  • Maintain relationships with benefit carriers and brokers, with the support of the VP, Global Talent Operations
  • Coordinate (and conduct as needed) regular training and workshops to educate employees about benefit plans and answer any questions they might have
  • Act as a liaison between employees and benefit carriers during claims escalation progress
  • Own employee communication around Benefits, including all documentation shared on The Hub and Talent Space. Communicate to employees on a frequent basis on such topics as Wellness, Health, Retirement and WildBrain's employee offerings. Will also include collaboration with the EMEA & APAC Talent team on global initiatives
  • Oversee the timely receipt, breakdown and payment of all invoices related to Benefits and Payroll services
  • Lead the execution of equity processing that flows through US and Canadian payrolls
  • Lead absence management in the US and Canada, working with internal teams and vendors to ensure compliance and also provide a good experience to employees navigating the process
  • Manage annual and bi-annual Open Enrollment periods for employees, working with Communications, the Talent Management team, vendors and brokers, and internal systems teams to execute cleanly.
  • Be knowledgeable about current industry trends and market competitiveness, bringing recommendations to the VP, Global Talent Operations
  • Coordinate the global quarterly accruals for Finance around employee payments

Additional accountabilities:
  1. Ensure completion of quarterly reporting for Finance teams (vacation and severance)
  2. Contribute to all Audit activities, running reports, fielding queries and supporting on both internal and external audits
  3. Annual refresh and calculation of fringe rates for Canada and the US, based on anticipated plan design changes, population changes and statutory requirements
  4. Oversee all Compliance Reporting in Canada and the US, including ACA Reporting, 401(K) Discrimination testing and 5500 filings, etc.
  5. Lead preparation and execution of all year-end activities, partnering with Talent Systems to ensure timely updates to tax rates, benefit rates, etc
  6. Ownership of all documentation and communication available on The Hub and Talent Space around Payroll and Benefits
  7. Coordinate required reports for Corporate Insurance renewals in North America (e.g. US Workers Comp)


Qualifications
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with a strong customer service mentality and a high degree of integrity, accountability, and emotional intelligence.
  • Knowledgeable with state, provincial and federal regulations regarding employment and labor laws
  • Experience with UKG HRIS and payroll system preferred
  • Excellent analytical and organization skills, with a proficiency in Microsoft Excel preferred


Additional Information

What We Offer

Working at WildBrain is more than a job - it's the opportunity to join forces with extraordinary, insightful and imaginative people who will recognize your talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work environment that promotes creativity and individuality.

Total Rewards

At WildBrain, we strive for equitable and consistent pay practices within a robust total rewards framework. Compensation may vary within the same role based on experience, performance, specialized expertise, and overall impact.

Compensation: $110,000 - 120,000 CAD (with bonus eligibility). Base salary is part of a comprehensive total rewards package that includes:
  • Paid time off
  • Retirement savings with company matching
  • Comprehensive health and dental coverage, with shared premium costs from day one.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Hybrid work model

Our Hiring Process
  • Initial virtual screening with our Talent Acquisition team
  • Interview with the hiring manager (virtual or in person, TBD)
  • Interview with 2-3 key business partners (virtual or in person, TBD)
  • Role-specific assessment, where applicable

AI in Our Hiring Process

We use artificial intelligence (AI) to support and enhance the recruitment experience-for example, by organizing applications or surfacing relevant qualifications. AI is never used to make hiring decisions. All decisions are made by our hiring managers and recruitment professionals. AI tools used in our recruitment process are subject to rigorous privacy, security, and risk assessments and are applied in alignment with WildBrain's Inclusive Hiring framework. We believe technology should enhance human judgment, not replace it.

Videos To Watch
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