Payroll Manager

About the Opportunity

A well-established heavy civil construction company in New York City is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead a high-volume, union payroll function in a fully onsite environment. This role is ideal for a hands-on payroll leader with deep construction industry experience, strong knowledge of union and certified payroll , and prior experience managing staff.

The Payroll Manager will oversee weekly payroll processing for approximately 800 employees and growing, while supervising a team of 3 payroll professionals . The organization is currently transitioning from Sage to CMiC , so experience with CMiC is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end weekly payroll processing for a large, growing employee population
• Oversee payroll operations within a heavy construction environment
• Ensure accurate processing of union payroll , including multiple union agreements and related reporting
• Administer and review certified payroll reporting in compliance with project and regulatory requirements
• Handle year-end payroll activities including W-2s and related reconciliations
• Supervise, train, and prioritize work for a team of 3 payroll staff
• Improve structure, accountability, and workflow across the payroll team
• Partner with internal stakeholders to support payroll compliance and reporting requirements
• Assist with and support the transition from Sage to CMiC
• Maintain payroll records, controls, and documentation in a highly detailed environment
• Help manage manual payroll processes while identifying opportunities for greater efficiency and accuracy

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience in the construction industry
• Prior experience in a Payroll Manager or payroll supervisory capacity
• Strong experience with union payroll
• Strong knowledge of certified payroll
• Experience processing payroll in a high-volume environment
• Experience managing or mentoring payroll staff
• Knowledge of year-end payroll processes including W-2s
• Ability to work fully onsite, 5 days per week

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CMiC software
• Experience supporting a payroll system conversion, ideally from Sage to CMiC
• Background in heavy civil or commercial construction
• Experience working with multiple unions, including trades such as Local 15, 14, 1010, and 361

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Hands-on and detail-oriented
• Comfortable operating in an environment where some processes are still manual
• Strong compliance mindset
• Effective people manager who can bring structure and leadership to an established team
• Proactive and organized, with the ability to manage deadlines in a fast-paced setting

Additional Details

• Hours are approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• No overtime expected
• Fully in-office role in Long Island City