Payroll Manager

What You’ll Do

• Cycle Execution: Own and execute the end-to-end multi-state payroll processing cycle for 17,000+ exempt and non-exempt employees.
• Data Integrity: Audit all payroll inputs, master data changes, and hours tracking files to ensure flawless calculation accuracy before finalizing cycles.
• Deduction Management: Oversee the accurate execution of voluntary and involuntary deductions, including benefits, 401(k), tax levies, and multi-state garnishments.
• System Results Review: Conduct comprehensive pre- and post-payroll audits using system reports to analyze variances and validate final financial outputs.
• Business Ownership: Serve as the primary functional owner of the Workday Payroll module, defining business requirements and testing outcomes for system changes.
• Tech Collaboration: Partner with the HR Technology team to advise analysts on required pay code setups, earnings logic, and specific deduction configurations.
• Tax Compliance: Oversee multi-state, local, and federal tax filings, including W-2 balancing, payroll audits, and resolving tax agency notices across all applicable US jurisdictions.
• Compliance Management: Ensure continuous adherence to federal, state, and local payroll regulations, tax nexus rules, and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines.
• Audit & Control: Maintain rigorous internal controls, lead SOX compliance audits, and reconcile payroll registers against general ledger (GL) accounting strings.
• Team Leadership: Manage and develop a team of operational payroll specialists to maintain service delivery metrics and handle escalated employee inquiries.

What You’ll Need

• Experience: Minimum of 5 years of corporate payroll operations experience, with at least 3 years managing a multi-state workforce of 10,000+ employees.
• Workday Proficiency: Strong experience utilizing Workday Payroll as an operator to run cycles, extract reports, and review processing results.
• Functional Collaboration: Demonstrated success partnering with HR Technology or IT teams to test, refine, and sign off on system configuration logic.
• Regulatory Expertise: Comprehensive knowledge of multi-state tax regulations, wage-and-hour laws, and payroll accounting principles.
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, complex formulas) and Workday Report Writer.
• Analytical Skills: Advanced ability to evaluate complex payroll data sets, spot anomalies, and resolve processing discrepancies under tight deadlines.
• Certifications: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is highly preferred.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or an equivalent combination of work experience.

Pay & Benefits

The starting pay range for this position is: $160,500.00 - $214,100.00. Additionally, for full-time positions, you will be eligible to participate in our incentive program based upon the achievement of organization, team and personal performance.

Benefits

• Remarkable benefits: Health coverage for medical, dental, vision, 401(K) saving plans with company match AND Pension
• Tuition assistance
• Floating holidays and PTO for community volunteer programs
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness programs
• Employee discounts (membership, insurance, travel, entertainment, services and more!)

About the Role

The Automobile Club of Southern California will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO), the Unincorporated Los Angeles County (ULAC) regulation, and the California Fair Chance Act (CFCA).