Payroll Manager

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Payroll Manager to lead our end-to-end payroll operations for our workforce. The ideal candidate will bring deep payroll expertise, advanced knowledge of California and other states payroll regulations, and a strong commitment to accuracy, compliance, and service excellence. This role will oversee payroll processing, reporting, auditing, and system optimization while ensuring associates are paid correctly and on time.

• Manage and process full-cycle payroll for multi-state associates, with an emphasis on California compliance.
• Ensure accurate and timely bi-weekly/weekly payroll processing, including wages, bonuses, commissions, and special payments.
• Maintain strict compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws including CA wage and hour regulations, garnishments, tax withholding, and reporting requirements.
• Own payroll controls, audits, and reconciliations to maintain data integrity and resolve discrepancies.
• Administer payroll deductions for company-issued associate loans, ensuring accurate setup, repayment tracking, and coordination with Accounts Payable to reconcile outstanding balances.
• Administer all associate garnishments—such as child support, tax levies, and wage orders—ensuring accurate setup, correct deductions, timely remittance, and full compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Manage payroll system configuration, upgrades, and optimization (e.g., ADP, Paycor, Paylocity, UKG, Workday). Deploys suggested updates to payroll accounting software, systems, and procedures.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and Operations on payroll-related matters including benefits, timekeeping, new hire setup, and terminations.
• Conduct new hire payroll training and ongoing as needed for all associates to support education and understanding of capabilities.
• Prepare and distribute payroll reports to internal stakeholders, including labor cost analysis, GL reports, and audit support.
• Lead year-end activities such as W-2s, ACA filings, and compensation reporting.
• Assists the Finance team in the preparation of GL reports and answering payroll questions about salary/tax/deduction.
• Develop and implement payroll policies and procedures to increase efficiency and ensure compliance and resolve escalations.
• Manage payroll tax compliance, including federal, state, and local tax filings, tax account setup, quarterly/year-end reconciliations, and responding to tax agency notices.
• Monitor multi-state tax regulations and ensure accurate associate tax setup for new states and locations.
• Reconcile all benefit-related deductions, including medical, dental, vision, FSA/HSA, life insurance, and disability, ensuring alignment between payroll, carriers, and Finance.
• Administer pay during leaves of absence, including state disability, Paid Family Leave, CFRA/FMLA coordination, and supplemental pay calculations.
• Track and reconcile benefit premiums during LOA, ensuring proper associate repayment setup and compliance with company policy.
• Process off-cycle payments, including retroactive pay adjustments, corrections, bonuses, and severance.
• Ensure accurate and timely final pay in compliance with California waiting time requirements.
• Audit and validate timekeeping data for accuracy, including CA meal/rest premiums, overtime, double-time, and shift differentials.
• Investigate and resolve timecard discrepancies in partnership with supervisors and HR.
• Document and create SOPs for all payroll processes, including retirement plan workflows, garnishment steps, and loan deduction procedures.

• Administer 401(k) and retirement plan payroll functions, ensuring accurate and timely processing of associate deferrals, employer match contributions, Roth elections, and catch-up contributions.
• Coordinate associate eligibility, enrollments, changes, and terminations, partnering with HR to maintain accurate data between the payroll system and the plan recordkeeper.
• Prepare and submit 401(k) payroll contribution files after each pay cycle, validating totals, reconciling variances, and ensuring compliance with DOL remittance timing requirements.
• Maintai…