Senior Payroll Manager (Hybrid)

COMMUNITY NAME

Community Support Office

JOB OVERVIEW

The Senior Manager Payroll provides strategic leadership and oversight for the payroll function, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant payroll processing for U.S. and Canadian team members. This role is responsible for developing and implementing payroll strategies, driving continuous improvement initiatives and ensuring compliance with evolving tax laws, labor regulations and company policies. The Senior Manager Payroll also partners closely with Human Resources (HR), Finance, third-party payroll vendors and executive leadership to align payroll operations with business objectives. Lastly, this role serves as the primary escalation point for complex payroll matters, ensuring effective risk management, strong internal controls and a seamless team member experience.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES & QUALIFICATIONS

  Responsibilities:As a part of the Sunrise team, supporting our Mission, Principles of Service and Core Values is a fundamental part of this job. Our foundational belief is the sacred value of human life. The unique responsibilities for this role include but are not limited to the essential functions listed as follows:• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of payroll operations, ensuring a proactive approach to payroll management across the U.S. and Canada• Develop and execute payroll strategies and initiatives to enhance efficiency and drive continuous improvement while also ensuring enterprise-wide compliance with all payroll-related laws, tax regulations, wage & hour laws and company policies• Identify opportunities to enhance payroll efficiency, automation and accuracy by leveraging technology, standardizing procedures and implementing best practices• Oversee payroll audits, reconciliations and reporting to ensure data integrity and accuracy• Lead payroll tax compliance efforts, ensuring accurate tax filings, deductions and reconciliations across multiple jurisdictions• Conduct risk assessments and ensure strong internal controls, identifying areas for improvement in payroll processes, compliance and financial reporting• Ensure payroll systems are optimized, maintained and integrated with HRIS and time-tracking systems, supporting system updates and improvements as needed• Develop and manage relationships with payroll vendors and service providers, ensuring high-quality service delivery, adherence to SLAs and timely issue resolution• Provide leadership with timely updates concerning new payroll policies, industry trends and regulatory changes to ensure Sunrise is consistently following industry best practices• Partner with HR, Finance and Legal leadership teams to support cross-functional initiatives, mergers/acquisitions and policy implementations impacting payroll• Maintain compliance in assigned required training and all training required by state/province or other regulating authorities as applicable to this role to ensure that Sunrise standards are always met• Perform other duties as assigned  

Core Competencies: 

 

• Demonstrated strategic leadership in payroll operations, with the ability to develop and implement payroll strategies that align with business objectives• Advanced knowledge of payroll systems, tax regulations, and compliance requirements for U.S. and Canadian payrolls, including multi-state/provincial complexities• Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop a high-performing payroll team, fostering continuous learning and professional growth• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills to resolve complex payroll and compliance issues efficiently• Strong interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments (e.g., HR, Finance, etc.) and interact professionally with both external vendors and internal stakeholders• Proven ability to identify opportunities for process optimization and automation within the payroll department to improve operational efficiency, reduce errors and enhance service delivery

 

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed throughout this job description are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required.• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field; Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) preferred• Minimum of 7-10 years experience managing multi-state/provincial payroll operations across the U.S. and Canada, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role• At least 3 years of experience with Workday Payroll as part of the overall Workday Human Capital Management suite• Strong understanding of tax laws, compliance requirements, and payroll best practices in a highly regulated environment• Demonstrated advanced proficiency in Excel (e.g., pivot tables, XLOOKUPs, macros, etc.) with at least intermediate level proficiency in other Microsoft Office suite applications• Process improvement mindset, with experience leading payroll transformation initiatives, system implementations, and/or automation projects• Proven ability to communicate complex payroll policies and procedures effectively across all levels of the organization• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment, meeting strict deadlines while maintaining the highest levels of accuracy