Payroll Manager

Overview of Position The Payroll Manager oversees strategic and operational leadership of payroll services across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The role ensures accurate, compliant, and timely payroll delivery, drives vendor and technology optimization, leads a high performing team, and partners with senior stakeholders to support transformation and continuous improvement initiatives. What will my duties and responsibilities be in this job? Operational Excellence & Compliance 60% Oversee and manage end to end payroll activities including audits, reconciliations, yearend processes, garnishments, benefits, equity, and special payments. Ensure compliance with IRS, CRA, Puerto Rico Hacienda, and applicable state/provincial/local laws, as well as internal audit and SOX standards. Lead the design, documentation, and testing of payroll controls and risk mitigation measures. Maintain jurisdictional tax setup, updates, and adherence to legislative changes. Maintain confidentiality and always safeguard sensitive payroll and employee data. Team Leadership & Capability Development Lead and develop payroll specialists, and analysts; build a culture of accuracy, accountability, and strong employee experience. Provide coaching and in-depth technical expertise for all North American payroll jurisdictions. Support workforce planning, hiring, and capability building aligned with future digital payroll needs. Reporting, Insights & KPIs Deliver and maintain payroll dashboards and KPIs (accuracy, timeliness, SLA performance, tax error rate, processing costs). Use analytics to identify trends, reduce defects, and drive operational improvements. Provide reporting for Finance, Total Rewards, and Accounting (accruals, costing, headcount). Communicate insights, risks, and opportunities to leadership. Strategic Leadership & Regional Oversight Lead multi‑country payroll operations ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions. Develop and execute regional payroll strategies aligned with global policies and operating models. Partner with senior HR, Finance, and Technology leaders to drive standardization and operational excellence. Serve as the primary escalation point for complex payroll, taxation, and compliance issues. Digital, Data & AI Capability 20% Demonstrates strong functional expertise in enterprise payroll systems with the ability to understand end‑to‑end data flows, diagnose issues, and support system enhancements and integrations. Leverages payroll data, dashboards, and AI‑enabled insights to perform reconciliations, analyze trends, identify risks, and support informed decision‑making. Identifies and owns automation opportunities to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and strengthen controls, partnering effectively with IT and vendors. Applies AI responsibly within payroll operations, using approved tools to enhance productivity while exercising judgment, validating outputs, and maintaining human oversight. Ensures automation and AI‑supported processes comply with regulatory, data privacy, audit, and SOX requirements through strong governance and cross‑functional partnership. Vendor, System & Technology Management 10% Manage relationships with external payroll vendors (ADP, Deel etc.). and drive SLA performance and optimization. Partner with HRIS/Workday teams to enhance integrations, improve data quality, and support configuration updates. Influence payroll technology roadmaps, including automation, RPA, workflow tools, data insights, and digital transformation initiatives. Lead issue resolution, root‑cause analysis, and implementation of long‑term corrective actions. Cross‑Functional Partnerships 10% Collaborate with HR, Legal, Accounting, Total Rewards, and Time & Attendance teams on policy design and pay practices. Support M&A due diligence, onboarding, and payroll integrations. Partner with global payroll leaders on shared services design, governance, and process harmonization. Responsibility for the work of others 2 Payroll Analysts and 1 Payroll and Benefit Administrator Project management responsibilities Has responsibility for leading project as it relates to payroll. What are the requirements needed for this position? Minimum of 7 years of progressive payroll progressive payroll experience with significant U.S. multistate exposure. Strong experience with Canadian payroll and Puerto Rico payroll. Deep knowledge of payroll laws and compliance across North America. Experience managing multi country payroll teams or leading a payroll function. Proficiency with Workday and major payroll systems (ADP, Deel etc.). Strong analytical, problem solving, and reporting skills. Ability to operate successfully in a fast paced, complex global environment Experience in a shared services or Center of Excellence environment. Above average computer literacy, e.g., EXCEL, WORD, and various vendor applications. Strong organizational abilities with excellent verbal and written communication skills to communicate effectively with various levels of management and staff personnel. What other skills/experience would be helpful to have? Bachelors, CPP, FPC, PCP, or CPM certifications. Experience with large scale payroll transformations, vendor consolidation, or digitalization initiatives. Knowledge of RPA, workflow automation, or process mining. Lean/Six Sigma certification preferred. #J-18808-Ljbffr Assurant, Inc.