Payroll Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Own payroll from end to end

Northwest Ambulance is hiring its first Payroll Manager. Right now, payroll for our roughly 430 employees is spread across a part-time specialist and several people whose real jobs are something else — PTO tracking here, timekeeping downloads there, L&I reporting somewhere else again. No one owns it.

You will. This role consolidates the entire function into a single seat and hands you the authority that goes with it: you decide how payroll operates, you make the classification and filing determinations, and you represent the organization in front of taxing and regulatory agencies.

The processing itself is not the job. We run ADP with approved time exported from ESO, and the transfer takes about five minutes a cycle. What that five minutes executes are decisions you already made. The work is judgment — reading the FLSA and the Washington Minimum Wage Act and deciding how they apply to us, designing pay practices that hold up, and knowing when reported time can't be trusted.

If you've been the person who quietly knew where all the payroll risk was buried but never had the standing to fix it, this is that job with the standing attached.

What you'll do

Design the pay practices and interpret the law behind them

• Decide how payroll operates: pay cycles, pay rules, approval flows, and controls
• Interpret the FLSA and the Washington Minimum Wage Act and apply them to our pay practices, including regular-rate calculation where shift differentials, certification pay, and nondiscretionary bonuses are in play
• Evaluate positions for exempt/non-exempt status and advise leadership on classification
• Advise management on the cost and compliance consequences of proposed differentials, on-call arrangements, and premium pay
• Write payroll policy and interpret it for managers and employees

Own tax, L&I, and regulatory compliance

• Payroll tax compliance for Washington and a small out-of-state employee population — registrations, SUI state determination, withholding setup
• Filing positions, accuracy of quarterly and annual returns (including those ADP prepares on our behalf), and authorization of tax deposits
• Washington-specific programs: Paid Family and Medical Leave, WA Cares, paid sick leave
• L&I risk classification by role and hours-based premium reporting — a determination with real premium consequence
• Audit readiness for L&I and workers' comp premium audits, and representing us during them
• ACA reporting as an applicable large employer: measurement method, affordability safe harbor, Forms 1094-C and 1095-C, and responses to IRS correspondence
• Garnishments and support orders, including competing orders and statutory limits

Govern timekeeping and hold the standard

• Own the accuracy of time flowing into payroll. Operations managers and field supervisors approve time; you set the standard their approvals have to meet
• Establish timekeeping policy, approval requirements, and cycle deadlines that operating departments follow
• Audit approvals continuously — punch edits, edit trails, unapproved overtime, missed meal and rest periods, differential coding — and decide which patterns need intervention
• Train supervisors, escalate chronic noncompliance, and withhold or correct a cycle when reported time can't be relied on
• Flag wage and hour exposure early and advise leadership on remediation

Run the systems and the numbers

• Process each cycle personally in ADP, including the ESO time export, exception review, and release
• Configure ADP earnings codes, deductions, accruals, and pay rules so the system enforces the practices you design — including the workweek settings that drive FLSA overtime for shift patterns crossing workweek boundaries
• Own the ESO-to-ADP data path and fix discrepancies at the source, not with downstream manual corrections
• Record payroll entries with full employer burden, reconcile payroll liability accounts to the GL monthly, and maintain accrued payroll and PTO liability schedules
• Reconcile tax filings to the GL and to W-2s and resolve the differences
• Authorize off-cycle payments and corrections where circumstances require, without waiting for approval

Improve it

• Evaluate configuration and service providers, recommend changes, and lead implementation
• Automate payroll workflows where automation makes sense
• Document the function well enough that another finance team member can run a cycle if you're out

Requirements

Required

• Five or more years of payroll experience, including responsibility for several hundred employees
• Demonstrated ability to interpret wage and hour law and apply it independently to real pay practices
• Working knowledge of Washington requirements: L&I, Paid Family and Medical Leave, WA Cares, paid sick leave
• Federal wage and hour knowledge, including FLSA regular-rate calculation
• Ability to handle out-of-state registrations and filings on your own
• Ability to reconcile payroll liability accounts and trace a variance to its source independently
• Hands-on ADP experience configuring earnings codes, deductions, and pay rules — not solely as an end user
• Experience auditing timekeeping and supervisor approvals, and the willingness to hold operating departments to a standard
• Strong Excel skills and comfort with large payroll data files
• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, human resources, or a related field, or equivalent experience

Nice to have

• CPP or FPC certification
• Healthcare, EMS, or another 24/7 shift-based operation
• Experience consolidating payroll into a single owned function
• Experience preparing for and defending an L&I premium audit
• Experience with ESO, Aladtec, or a comparable public safety scheduling and timekeeping platform — or the ability to learn one quickly
• Experience reconciling an interface between a scheduling system and payroll
• Experience automating payroll workflows or using AI tools in daily practice

Work environment

This is an on-site role at our Everett administrative office. The work is primarily sedentary — extended periods at a desk and computer — with occasional standing, walking, reaching, bending, and grasping, and the ability to lift up to 20 pounds at times. You'll need to read detailed payroll data accurately and communicate clearly in person, by phone, and in writing. Expect extended or non-standard hours around payroll deadlines, quarter- and year-end close, and agency audits. Occasional travel to satellite stations or agency offices may be required.

Before you start

Employment is contingent on a background check and drug screening. A valid driver's license and acceptable driving record are required.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance to ensure the well-being and health of our employees.

Eligible employees who are scheduled to work on a designated company holiday will receive holiday pay in accordance with Northwest Ambulance policy.

We invest in your future with a 401(k)-retirement plan that includes an employer match of up to 5%, helping you build a long-term financial security.

We value work-life balance and offer paid time off, giving you the flexibility to rest, recharge, and take care of what matters most.

$49 - $61 or hour, approximately $102,000-$125,000 annually. Where an offer lands in the range depends on experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Northwest Ambulance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request for candidates with disabilities participating in the application or interview process.