Senior Manager, Payroll Operations & Accounting

Partners for Rural Impact's (PRI)work began more than 30 years ago with a place-based partnership in Appalachian Kentucky, where we’ve shown demographics don’t have to determine destiny. Today, we partner with rural leaders and allies across the country to share that work and build local partnerships that put young people on a path to economic mobility.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Payroll Operations & Accounting leads the organization’s full-cycle payroll function for a multi-state employee population, ensuring payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. This is a hands-on payroll leadership role with direct responsibility for day-to-day execution, oversight, and continuous improvement of payroll operations.

This position requires strong expertise in payroll accounting and payroll-related expenses and benefits (PEBT). The Senior Manager must understand the operational and accounting lifecycle of payroll, from employee-level payroll transactions and system configuration.

The Senior Manager of Payroll Operations & Accounting also provides technical leadership in multi-state payroll taxation, payroll system configuration, benefits and retirement plan deductions and contributions, internal controls, and payroll-related audit activities.

Because payroll processes directly affect employees, the Senior Manager also maintains strong focus on the employee experience. The position periodically interacts directly with employees to resolve complex payroll matters and is expected to consider clarity, accessibility, timeliness, and employee impact when implementing payroll processes, controls, communications, and system changes.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements of the position are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, with regular and predictable attendance essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Payroll Operations and Oversight

• Lead and maintain organizational accountability for full-cycle payroll operations for a multi-state employee population, including payroll activities performed by the organization’s third-party payroll provider

• Maintain hands-on involvement throughout the payroll cycle, including data preparation, payroll calculations, review, processing, reconciliation, and post-payroll activities

• Serve as the primary operational owner of the relationship with the organization’s third-party payroll provider

• Coordinate with the payroll provider on system configuration, tax setup, integrations, testing, upgrades, and implementation of regulatory or organizational changes

• Review earnings, deductions, taxes, benefit contributions, retirement plan contributions, garnishments, leave-related adjustments, and other payroll transactions for accuracy

• Implement systems to calculate and process new hires, terminations, compensation changes, retroactive adjustments, supplemental payments, bonuses, unpaid leave, overpayments, and other non-routine transactions

• Manage payroll corrections and off-cycle payments and ensure adjustments are appropriately reflected across payroll, accounting, tax, benefit, and retirement records

• Establish and maintain payroll calendars, procedures, checklists, controls, and supporting documentation

Payroll Accounting and PEBT

• Serve as subject matter expert for the accounting of payroll-related expenses and benefits (PEBT), ensuring payroll activity is complete, accurate, and appropriately classified

• Reconcile wages, employer payroll taxes, employee deductions, employer benefit costs, and retirement plan contributions

• Reconcile payroll records to benefit invoices, retirement plan funding records, tax reports, vendor reports, and other supporting documentation

Payroll Tax Administration

• Oversee federal, state, and local payroll tax administration for a geographically dispersed workforce, including activities performed by the third-party payroll provider

• Ensure employee work locations, tax jurisdictions, withholding elections, and applicable state and local tax requirements are accurately established and maintained

• Review payroll tax calculations, deposits, filings, and reports for accuracy, completeness, and reasonableness

• Monitor the payroll provider’s completion of required tax filings and deposits and ensure identified discrepancies are corrected timely

• Research and resolve tax notices, filing discrepancies, registration issues, amendments, and other payroll tax matters in coordination with the payroll provider and taxing authorities

• Monitor changes in payroll tax requirements and coordinate necessary payroll system and process changes

• Lead payroll year-end activities, including W-2 reconciliation, taxable fringe benefit reporting, and other required adjustments

Benefits and Retirement Plan Payroll Administration

• Oversee the payroll administration and accounting of employee benefit deductions and employer contributions

• Ensure benefit deductions and contributions are accurately configured, calculated, withheld, funded, and recorded

• Reconcile payroll activity to benefit enrollment records, carrier invoices, and retirement plan records

• Oversee payroll-related retirement plan activity, including employee deferrals, employer contributions, funding, corrections, and reconciliation

• Partner with Human Resources, Finance/Accounting, payroll and benefit vendors, and retirement plan providers to investigate and resolve deduction, contribution, enrollment, and funding discrepancies

Payroll Operations and Employee Experience

• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll questions and issues, researching issues thoroughly and communicating resolutions clearly and professionally

• Ensure payroll corrections and employee-impacting issues are addressed promptly, accurately, and with appropriate communication to affected employees

• Translate complex payroll, tax, deduction, and benefit matters into clear and understandable information for employees and other stakeholders

• Consider the employee experience when developing or modifying payroll procedures, workflows, forms, communications, and system functionality

• Balance operational efficiency and internal control requirements with the need for payroll processes to be understandable, accessible, and practical for employees

• Anticipate the employee impact of payroll system or process changes and partner with Human Resources to develop appropriate communication, guidance, and implementation strategies

• Handle employee payroll concerns with discretion, responsiveness, and sensitivity while maintaining consistent application of organizational policies and payroll requirements

• Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist and support in the attainment of our mission

Position Location & Schedule

This position is designated as a remote/home-office position and will support an employee population primarily located across the Eastern and Central time zones. The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

Remote work must be performed from a location approved by PRI and in accordance with PRI's Remote Work Policy. Not all positions are eligible for remote work; eligibility is determined based on the responsibilities and operational needs of each position. Remote/home-office positions may also be subject to residency restrictions and limited to states in which PRI is authorized to employ staff.

PRI Headquarters are located in Berea, Kentucky. Occasional travel for meetings, conferences, training, or other organizational events is sometimes required. Travel may be regional or national depending on business needs.

Minimum Qualifications

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification preferred, but not required

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible payroll experience, including substantial hands-on responsibility for full-cycle payroll operations

• Demonstrated experience leading or overseeing payroll operations for a multi-state employee population

• Strong payroll accounting expertise, including demonstrated knowledge of payroll-related expenses and benefits (PEBT) and the accounting treatment of employee and employer payroll and benefit transactions

• Experience overseeing payroll delivered through a third-party payroll provider, including validation of provider outputs, issue resolution, and vendor accountability

• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax administration, including experience overseeing tax services performed by a third-party provider

• Experience reconciling payroll deductions and employer contributions to benefit carrier enrollment, retirement plan, and invoicing

• Demonstrated experience with payroll system configuration, including earnings, deductions, taxes, employer contributions, benefits, and general ledger mappings

• Experience developing and maintaining payroll internal controls, reconciliations, and auditing documentation

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Demonstrates the technical expertise necessary to independently evaluate payroll results, challenge discrepancies, and ensure issues are resolved

• Understands the interdependencies among payroll, HRIS, benefits, retirement, timekeeping, tax, and financial systems and can identify and resolve issues across those systems

• Recognizes payroll as both a critical operational function and an essential employee service. Considers employee impact when making decisions about payroll processes, systems, controls, and communications

• Analytical problem-solving approach; does not solely rely on vendor or system outputs to determine accuracy. Independently analyzes data

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and demonstrated ability to analyze complex payroll data

• High level of discretion and sound judgment in handling confidential payroll, compensation, tax, and employee information

• Experience in non-profit, grant-funded, or similarly complex accounting environment preferred, but not required

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• Must have access to reliable transportation

• Successfully complete pre-employment background check

Physical requirements:

• Ability to work in a high-energy office

• Ability to accurately communicate and exchange information with partners, stakeholders, and/or meeting participants

• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer software programs

• Ability to travel independently by car and plane both locally and nationally

Environmental conditions:

• Work in a fast-paced setting with frequent interruptions and shifting priorities

Additional Company Information

PRI offers a wide array of benefit options, to meet the financial, educational, and health needs of you and your family.

• Comprehensive insurance plans including medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.
• Flexible spending accounts, plus an employee assistance program.
• Life and long-term disability insurance and retirement plan.
• Generous paid time off work options including vacation, sick leave, and annual holidays, in addition to paid parental leave.
• Tuition assistance and professional development for employees.

Partners for Rural Impact is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status. 

Originally posted on Himalayas