Payroll Manager (Contract) - San Jose, CA - $74/hr

Job Description

Job Description

Location: San Jose, CA (Hybrid -- onsite Mon/Tue/Thu, remote Wed/Fri through September, then fully remote)

Compensation: $74/hour (W2 contract, 8-month assignment)

Employment: Contract (8 months)

An established financial services company needs a hands-on Payroll Manager to own end-to-end payroll for a 1,500+ employee workforce across the US and Australia during a critical coverage period.

What You'll Own

- Prepare and process end-to-end multi-state payroll for 1,500+ employees in Workday Payroll

- Process equity transactions and related tax withholding through Workday

- Prepare payroll journal entries and GL reconciliations and support month-end and year-end close, including W-2/W-2c

- Ensure federal, state, and local multi-state payroll tax compliance and payroll SOX controls

- Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, Tax, and Benefits to resolve payroll matters quickly

- Support Australia payroll (superannuation and data prep for a third-party provider)

What You'll Bring

- 8+ years of end-to-end payroll and equity transaction experience (4-6 years considered with exceptional Workday ownership)

- Hands-on Workday Payroll expertise, personally processing payroll end to end rather than only managing or approving it

- Strong payroll accounting: journal entries, GL reconciliation, month-end and year-end close, SOX controls

- Deep federal and multi-state payroll tax knowledge and W-2/W-2c processing

- Year-end experience in Workday and ADP SmartCompliance

- Advanced Excel and Google Sheets

Nice to Have

- Basic Australia payroll and superannuation exposure

- Experience leading a payroll team

- Experience using AI tools to streamline payroll work

This is a rare chance to own a complex, high-volume payroll end to end. If you are a true hands-on Workday payroll pro who can hit the ground running, this one is for you.