Payroll Lead

FTS is seeking an experienced Payroll Lead for a growing company with a fast-paced, high-volume payroll operation.

About the Role: This position serves as a key resource for complex payroll questions, accurate employee records, leave compliance, and process improvements. The ideal candidate brings strong technical knowledge, sound judgment, and the ability to guide teammates with minimal oversight.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a lead resource for the payroll team, balancing competing priorities and resolving complex payroll issues.
• Coordinate weekly onboarding for union employees, review required documentation, and maintain accurate employee information in the ERP payroll system.
• Maintain payroll records for new hires, employee changes, payroll updates, and terminations.
• Track vacation, holiday, sick and safe leave, and other paid time off balances; provide regular reports to management.
• Support sick and safe leave compliance across multiple jurisdictions, including eligibility, accrual rates, caps, carryover, and usage requirements.
• Monitor changes in payroll and leave requirements and help implement necessary updates.
• Review weekly payroll audits, investigate discrepancies, and coordinate timely corrections.
• Process documented payroll adjustments, including wage rates, fringe benefits, expenses, travel pay, allowances, and other corrections.
• Prepare reports and analyses covering payroll accuracy, leave usage, accrual balances, and compliance.
• Improve payroll processes, strengthen controls, and identify opportunities for automation.
• Support internal and external audits.
• Partner with employees, field leadership, accounting, and corporate payroll to provide timely, professional support.
• Protect confidential employee information and assist with special projects as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least five years of payroll experience.

Required Skills

• Experience leading payroll operations or serving as a senior resource in a comparable high-volume environment, ideally supporting 2,000+ employees.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills.
• Experience with payroll processing and reporting systems.
• Ability to resolve complex payroll situations independently while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines.
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to guide teammates and improve payroll processes.

Preferred Skills

• Experience supporting both union and non-union payroll, including collective bargaining agreements.
• Construction industry experience.
• Experience with multistate payroll and jurisdiction-specific sick and safe leave requirements.

Who Should Apply: Payroll Leads, Payroll Supervisors, and Senior Payroll Specialists who are ready for greater ownership and an opportunity to build toward payroll management.