Payroll Lead

At Amy’s Kitchen, we're more than just a food company—we're a family‑owned, proudly independent organic, and vegetarian food company on a mission. As a Certified B Corporation®, our purpose is clear: to make it simple and enjoyable for everyone to eat well. We're committed to crafting authentic, mouthwatering dishes using only the finest organic ingredients sourced with care. From farm to table, we ensure top‑notch quality in every bite, making healthy eating accessible and convenient for all. At Amy’s, we're not just serving meals; we're serving up a taste of goodness, one delicious dish at a time. Perks are as delicious as our meals! Comprehensive health plans with Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, plus Flexible Spending Accounts. Mental health support with Modern Health to nourish you and your family’s mental well‑being. 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match and Financial Wellness support at no cost to plan for the future. Referral Rewards and Scholarship Program to celebrate and invest in our teams. Tuition Reimbursement Program to fuel your educational pursuits. Paid parental leave for new parents. Paid Time Off for vacations and sick days, with 9 paid US Holidays annually to savor those special moments. Amy's product discount reimbursement to keep your pantry stocked, plus remote gym discounts to keep you moving and grooving! Join us and indulge in a career where the benefits are as fulfilling as our food! Bay area California Compensation $37.50 to $54.50 Other locations are subject to a lower range. The Payroll Lead is responsible for overseeing and executing various payroll activities for processing payroll for approximately 2,000 employees across multiple locations, ensuring compliance with all Federal, State, and Local regulations. This role services as subject matter expert for payroll operations, system functionality, and audit controls, providing guidance to the Senior Payroll Specialist.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

may include the following. Other duties may be assigned. Payroll Lead Responsibilities Functions as the backup to the Payroll Manager when needed. This includes: Close payroll after receiving the sign‑off approval from the Senior Director, People Shared Services, and completing the additional required audits and post‑payroll tasks, Time Off audit, 401k audit, GL, etc. Process the Canadian payroll. Submit the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and the Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP) contributions and match to Desjardins, for the Canadian payroll. Responsible for approving and printing all manual checks and fund all pay card requests as submitted by the Senior Payroll Specialist. Cancel checks with the banks as required. Managed direct deposits that are returned. Send daily positive pay files to all required banks. Process the 401(k) deferrals and loan files from Transamerica. Send the 401(k) deferrals, loan payments and employer match file to Transamerica. Send the non‑qualified contributions (Salary deferrals, Social Security offsets (code=SSOFF) to Principal Financial each payroll. If applicable, send the Long‑Term Incentive (LTI) to Principal Financial annually. Send Annual Incentive Plan (AIP) to Principal Financial for participants who deferred all or part of their AIP. Payroll Processing and Auditing Responsible for the accurate and timely payroll processing, submission, reporting and auditing for exempt and non‑exempt employees while ensuring compliance with all government and regulatory requirements. Maintain a high standard of quality and accuracy by being proactive in managing the payroll cycle to meet all payroll deadlines. Provide excellent customer service by answering all payroll related inquiries and work closely and collaboratively with the People Department and other cross‑functional departments. Perform payroll‑related functions including but not limited to processing separation of employment, status changes, tax changes, deductions, and direct deposit changes. Review garnishments and upload them to wage garnishments services through UKG Pro for processing. Audit garnishment changes to ensure orders are accurately processed, checks reflect current orders, and orders are loaded to Employee File Management (EFM). Review and verify employee data entered by UKG Pro workflows or received via employee self‑service data entry. Review and verify payroll data in a proactive timely manner as defined by the payroll guidelines. This would include all regular pay, overtime, bonus payments, other premium pay, differentials, etc. Audit and verify all New Hires and Rehires, including but not limited to pay rates, earnings, taxes, deductions, and PTO plans. Proactively work with the People Teams, supervisors, and managers to identify issues and problem‑solve before they become larger issues. Act as first line of communication supporting high priority and escalated customer service matters and issues. Support the Payroll Manager with any initiatives, projects, and processes (e.g., direct deposit campaign, electronic paychecks, earned wage access initiative, etc.). Function as a business partner and as the Subject Matter Expert (SME) and work with your assigned locations to create an optimal employee experience. Train Managers and Supervisors on Time & Attendance processes including correcting missed punches, adding reason codes, approving timesheets and time off requests, and Payroll Right First Time. Contact employees whenever required and respond to routine inquiries concerning payroll deductions and accruals, wage garnishments, child support payments, W‑2 questions, etc. When necessary, prepare manual checks and paycard payments and record them on the manual check log daily. Enter and audit meal waiver premiums for Amy’s Kitchen and the Drive Thru. Prepare and submit New Hire Reporting to the California Employment Development Department (EDD) for all states. Complete Social Security verification for all Amy’s Kitchen and Drive Thru employees. Assist in maintenance of payroll records and files including but not limited to vacation, sick and other accrued leave. Collaborate with the payroll team and/or the People Technology Coordinator on payroll issues to ensure resolution. Audit and calculate merit increases, promotions, and bonus premium over‑time (OT), and prepare export files. Process retroactive calculations, bonus premiums and at times retroactive Vacation and Sick plan adjustments for promotions of Non‑Exempt to Exempt employees. Review and audit daily hours, meal premiums and missed punches on employee timesheets for accuracy before exporting hours from time management system to UKG Pro Payroll Gateway. Process imports into UKG Pro Payroll Gateway and balance for employee hours worked, bonuses, prior pay period time off (manual), retro calculations for merits, overtime premium and retro overtime premium, gift cards, prizes, expenses, tips, etc. Audit pre‑check reports for accuracy related to employee earnings and deductions. Responsible for identifying process improvements and make recommendations for changes. Lead and support process quality and optimization initiatives. Perform other duties as assigned. It is the responsibility of all employees to uphold the mission of the Amy’s Food Safety and Quality Policy. This includes following all Food Safety and Sustainability programs and participating in all required training. Supervisory Responsibilities This position does not have supervisory responsibilities but is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the Senior Payroll Specialist. Qualifications To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION

Prefer Associate's degree (A.) in accounting or related field equivalent from two‑year college or technical school.

EXPERIENCE

Candidate must have 5‑7 years of solid end‑to‑end payroll processing experience including Time and Attendance systems (preferably UKG Pro Time Management) and Payroll systems (preferably UKG Pro). Solid understating of federal, state, and local tax laws, FLSA and Wage and Hour requirements. Familiar with California payroll regulations such as meal and break rests, overtime, double‑time and termination of employment. Deep understanding of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and tax compliance (preferably multi‑state). Minimum two years’ experience with a large Human Resource Management System or payroll system. Minimum of one year accounting experience. Proficient in Microsoft Excel. Spanish/English bilingual strongly preferred.

SKILLS

Understanding of accounting principles and the ability to reconcile various payroll. Understanding of the payroll administration of 401(k) and other employee benefit plans; garnishments; and worker’s. Prior experience in a high volume, fast‑paced payroll environment. Strong attention to detail. Exceptional work ethic, organization, and time management skills. Able to multi‑task and perform under multiple conflicting priorities with strict deadlines. Demonstrate a sense of urgency when responding to inquiries. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Ability to exercise good sound judgment and maintain strict confidentiality.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and comprehend instructions, correspondence, and.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as overtime, double‑time, shift differentials, calculate gross and net wages, tax withholdings, imputed income, etc.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations. Physical Demands 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. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit. Travel Less than 10% total travel time to the manufacturing facilities and/or headquarters office.

REMOTE OR HYBRID WORK OPTION

Hybrid and remote available. This position requires the incumbent to work until at least 2:30pm Pacific Time to ensure appropriate coverage. Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor. #J-18808-Ljbffr Amy