POSITION OVERVIEW

The Manager, Payroll Operations and Systems is primarily responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing by managing our payroll provider(s) and systems (currently ADP, Dayforce in the future), ensuring accurate outflows of information to our payroll provider(s) for processing, as well as ensuring the outputs from payroll provider(s) are accurate and complete. This includes managing the internal processes and personnel responsible for payroll related procedures and processes including hourly, salary, bonus and off cycle payroll disbursements, withholdings including garnishments, employment related federal, state and local regulations and taxes. Additionally the manager leads the accounting for payroll and related activities, including reviewing journal entries and balance sheet accounts, including variance analysis and explanations. The manager works closely with store operations, human resources, finance, IT legal and other departments and plays a key role in managing compliance risk and issue resolution in relation to payroll.

The Manager will manage the relationship with 3rd party providers and ensure proper controls are in place to ensure timeliness and accuracy of payroll disbursements and related taxes, appropriate withholding of garnishments, confidentiality of sensitive data and compliance with multiple sources of rules and regulations. The Manager also ensures related policies and procedures are documented, ensures the department is compliant with data retention laws, maintains proper segregation of duties and complies with internal control considerations. The Manager also maintains appropriate audit trails and ensures compliance with applicable federal and local regulations and internal policies.

The role requires significant cross department coordination, including working together with 3rd party providers, Human Resources and the Associate Service Center to respond to employee inquiries, educate and counsel employees on how to use the tools available to them, and to otherwise provide a positive associate experience.

The Manager will also play an integral role in the implementation of new payroll and payroll-related systems, providing guidance and insight to various stakeholders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Ensure timely and accurate payroll processes and proper accountability with the vendor (where applicable)
• Through 3rd party providers, manage the filing of federal, state and local employment taxes, where applicable, and ensure accuracy and timeliness of W-2 distributions
• Maintain appropriate controls and documentation
• Monitor and evaluate payroll regulation changes in coordination with legal team and 3rd parties, and ensure proper implementation of them
• Manages payroll team, including hiring, assigning work, evaluating performance and providing opportunities for associate development and recognition
• Identify savings planning and process improvement opportunities and implement solutions
• Oversee / support payroll related ad-hoc projects including regulation changes, internal policy changes and technology/systems changes
• Oversee payroll implications of system changes/implementation including design and testing

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, compensation and benefits, federal, state and local payroll taxes and compliance
• Broad exposure to hourly and salary payroll in a multi-site, multi-jurisdiction environment, preferably at a national retailer or similar footprint organization
• Peoplesoft, ADP, and/or Dayforce payroll systems experience is a strong plus, including system administration and user acceptance testing of system changes
• Certified Payroll Practitioner a plus
• Experience: 7+ years payroll and accounting experience with at least 2+ years of management experience

CRITICAL SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

• Proven leadership skills with ability to build an effective team
• Strong organizational, prioritization and time management skills
• Ability to build cross-functional partnerships
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel) and data mining tools