Payroll Manager

Purpose:

Vida HR is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to lead a team responsible for multi-state payroll processing across a diverse portfolio of client organizations. This is a working-manager role combining people leadership, payroll operations, client escalations, implementation support, and process improvement.

The Payroll Manager maintains a small portfolio of assigned payrolls, generally not exceeding approximately 20% of the Payroll Specialist position's regular workload, and provides additional processing support for temporary coverage. The role partners closely with the Director of HCM Solutions, who provides isolved and technical training and supports system configuration and platform-related improvements.

Essential Responsibilities:

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, support, and hold accountable the Lead Payroll Specialist and Payroll Specialists through clear expectations, regular one-on-one meetings, coaching, feedback, and performance management.
• Partner with the Lead Payroll Specialist to coordinate daily workflow, reinforce department procedures, and support consistent service delivery.
• Participate in hiring and onboarding and recommend staffing or workload changes when needed.
• Identify development needs, coach team members on performance and client service, and coordinate isolved and technical training with the Director of HCM Solutions.

Payroll Operations and Coverage

• Coordinate daily payroll operations and ensure client payrolls are completed accurately and on time.
• Assign and balance payroll workloads based on complexity, volume, team capacity, and service needs.
• Monitor payroll schedules, deadlines, exceptions, and service risks and intervene when a payroll is at risk of delay or error.
• Maintain a limited portfolio of assigned payrolls that generally does not exceed approximately 20 percent of the position's regular workload.
• Provide additional payroll-processing coverage during vacations, leaves, vacancies, peak periods, and other temporary business-continuity needs.
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) for various payroll processes to ensure consistent, efficient, and accurate payroll processing.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve payroll efficiency, reduce manual work, strengthen controls, and make effective use of isolved and related technology.

Client Implementations and Transitions

• Participate in payroll-readiness reviews for new clients and confirm that documented payroll requirements and processing inputs are ready for the first live payroll.
• Process and oversee the first two to three live payrolls following implementation to identify gaps and stabilize the payroll process.
• Document client-specific payroll requirements and complete a structured handoff to the assigned Payroll Specialist after the stabilization period.
• Communicate setup concerns and recurring issues to the implementation team and Director of HCM Solutions; system configuration remains with the appropriate HCM or implementation resource.

Escalations and Quality Control

• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll questions, significant service concerns, recurring errors, and sensitive client situations rather than routine client inquiries.
• Investigate issues thoroughly, coordinate corrective action, communicate clearly with affected clients, and confirm resolution.
• Review significant or recurring errors, identify the cause, and implement practical corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain and improve payroll procedures, checklists, controls, and documentation in partnership with the team and Director of HCM Solutions.
• Monitor a focused set of department measures, including payroll timeliness, material errors, adjustments, workload, and client-impacting escalations.
• Recognize potential compliance concerns and escalate them to the appropriate internal or external resource.
• Partner with Client Services, Human Resources, Benefits, Finance, and HCM team members to resolve cross-functional payroll matters.
• Maintain appropriate confidentiality, security, and access controls for payroll and employee information.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• At least seven years of hands-on payroll processing experience, including high-volume and multi-state payrolls.
• At least two years of direct supervisory or people-management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to lead payroll operations while personally processing payroll and resolving complex issues.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll requirements, wage and hour considerations, garnishments, payroll taxes, and year-end processes.
• Strong client-service judgment, attention to detail, organization, and written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing deadlines, make sound decisions, and remain calm and accountable when resolving urgent payroll matters.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience processing payroll in an HRIS; strong isolved experience is highly preferred.
• Experience working in an HRO, PEO, payroll service bureau, or other multi-client environment.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification or Certified Payroll Professional designation preferred; if not currently certified, willingness to obtain an agreed-upon certification within one (1) year of hire.
• Associate's or bachelor's degree in business, accounting, human resources, or a related field; equivalent experience will be considered.

Working Conditions:

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment including, but not limited to computers, phones, photocopiers and filing cabinets.

Physical and Mental Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee is occasionally required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel and crouch. The employee must frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and move objects up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• The employee must possess the skills needed to complete tasks, including the ability to learn, remember, focus, categorize, and integrate information for decision-making, problem-solving, and comprehension.
• The employee must be able to apply established protocols in a timely manner, including following up and closing the loop on client-specific situations.
• The employee must be able to think critically and act logically to evaluate situations, solve problems, and make decisions, as well as use information-systems effectively

Team Management: Will oversee a team of Payroll Specialists.

Collaboration and Interaction: Expected to collaborate with various departments to ensure compliance and effective payroll management.

Status: Full-Time Classification: Exempt

Salary: $78,000 - $88,000

Benefits: Medical; Dental; Vision; Company Paid Life, LTD & STD; PTO, Holiday, EAP, 401k + Match; Profit Sharing.

Office Location: 1685 West Uintah Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904. This position may be on-site or hybrid, with a minimum of one on-site day required each week.

Note: This description is not intended and should not be construed, to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. It is intended to be a reflection of the principal job elements.