Payroll Manager

About the role

The Payroll Manager is responsible for leading and administering full-cycle payroll operations across multiple company codes and payroll frequencies, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing for all employee populations. This role supports more than 2,000 full- and part-time employees and plays a critical role in maintaining strong internal controls, data integrity, and audit readiness across all payroll-related activities.

Responsibilities

• Administer and accurately process full-cycle payroll for all full-time and part-time employees on semi-monthly and biweekly payroll schedules across 8 company codes, ensuring timeliness, accuracy, and compliance with applicable laws and internal deadlines.
• Process wage garnishments, interrogatories, levies, and other court-ordered deductions in accordance with applicable regulations, required timelines, and documentation standards.
• Manage payroll-related employee lifecycle transactions, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, and other ancillary payroll activities, ensuring accurate data entry and adherence to established deadlines.
• Oversee end-to-end payroll operations, including timekeeping administration, payroll uploads, audits, tax filings, payroll-related check requests, and manual payroll calculations when required.
• Support the Director with payroll processing for Players, Coaches, and travel staff, ensuring accurate and timely payroll execution for specialized employee populations.
• Work with Ticket Logistics team to document and process ticket taxation spreadsheet for identified sold-out games per IRS guidelines.
• Manage and post 16+ monthly payroll-related journal entries for both semi-monthly and biweekly payrolls and 8 company codes, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely posting to the general ledger.
• Process intercompany payroll journal entries in accordance with established accounting practices and internal controls.
• Cook up and confirm Indiana Pacers player payroll schedules with the NBA League Office for each semi-monthly payroll cycle to ensure compliance with league requirements and payroll deadlines.
• Cook up and confirm Indiana Fever player payroll schedules with the WNBA League Office and Fever Basketball Operations for each payroll during the WNBA season, ensuring timely and accurate processing.
• Maintain the State Wage Allocation spreadsheet for Pacers, BOOM, and Fever travel staff, ensuring accuracy of data related to multi-state work locations, and submit information to the Director for timely payroll processing.
• Track NBA, D-League, and WNBA duty days for travel staff on an annual basis and prepare customized duty-day summaries for each travel staff member as part of their annual W-2 distribution.
• Prepare and submit wage allocation state filings for California, Oregon, New York, Louisiana, and any other applicable states, ensuring compliance with state-specific payroll and tax regulations.
• Manage and maintain taxable per diem calculations for travel staff and scouts, ensuring proper tax treatment and accurate reporting through payroll.
• Track and deduct player and coach fines as communicated by the NBA and WNBA league offices.
• Prepare and distribute annual W-2 packets for travel staff employees.
• Work with ADP and the appropriate agencies, state and federal, to resolve any tax filing discrepancies.
• Monitor changes in federal, state, and local payroll laws and regulations; partner with the Director to update payroll policies, procedures, systems, and internal controls to ensure ongoing compliance.
• Ensure compliance with payroll record retention requirements and maintain accurate, auditable payroll documentation in accordance with legal and organizational standards.
• Partner with the Accounting department to resolve payroll reconciliations, general ledger discrepancies, and payroll-related financial inquiries, ensuring alignment between payroll and financial reporting.
• Manage the payroll general ledger interface and reporting processes, including mapping, testing, validation, and the timely delivery of accurate monthly and ad hoc payroll reports to Finance.
• Aid with annual financial audits, including those required by the NBA and WNBA league offices, related to payroll.
• Provide exceptional customer service to internal customers (employees) and external partners by responding to payroll-related inquiries and issues in a professional, timely, and confidential manner.
• Demonstrate and promote the company’s “Elevate” culture through all interactions, consistently modeling professionalism, accountability, and service excellence.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive employee and organizational information.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support payroll operations and organizational objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field
• 3-5 years of related experience required
• Proficient with payroll software; ADP experience preferred
• Full understanding of payroll functions including preparation, balancing, internal controls, and payroll taxes
• Payroll certification preferred
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong computer skills including a very strong knowledge of MS Office including Excel, Windows, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint as well as other software related to HR and payroll management
• Ability to build rapport with employees and vendors
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions