Payroll Manager

Brief Description

Responsible for leading, managing, and ensuring absolute accuracy, compliance, and execution of the firm’s multi-state payroll operations. This role provides strategic mentorship to the Payroll Specialist and partners closely with the HR and Finance leadership teams.

Department Role

Administrative and clerical support services. Perform a variety of general payroll and accounting tasks.

Reports To

Director of Human Resources directly; CFO and Principals indirectly

Salary Rate

$80,000 to $95,000

Additional benefits

• Medical plans
• Dental
• Vision
• Employee life insurance
• 401(k)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement

Requirements

• Direct, mentor, and evaluate the daily work of the Payroll Specialist, ensuring high-performance standards and continuous professional development
• Act as the final escalation point for complex employee pay inquiries, complex tax adjustments, or time-tracking discrepancies
• Conduct final audits and required approvals on all payroll batches processed prior to funding release
• Serve as backup for completion of any task completed by the Payroll Specialist or other members of the HR team that involve payroll related items (processing semi-monthly payroll, uploading 401k reports, processing payroll deducts, etc.)
• Partner with firm leadership to ensure employee timesheets are accurate, submitted on time, and properly authorized
• Oversee the strict reconciliation of labor distribution reports to confirm that hours are correctly billed to specific project codes, phases, and cost categories
• Manage multi-state payroll complexities specific to local municipal projects, including Certified Payroll reporting and Prevailing Wage compliance where applicable
• Manage payroll adjustments for technical staff transitioning between billable (project) and non-billable (overhead/BD) time blocks
• Posting of Payroll Journal Entries in Financial ERP system
• Maintain comprehensive compliance with all federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations, specifically managing multi-state taxation for field engineers and remote staff
• Own quarterly and year-end payroll processes, including the balancing, reconciliation, and distribution of W-2 forms
• Lead internal and external payroll audits (e.g., Worker’s Compensation, 401k compliance, and tax authority reviews)
• Oversee 401k monthly transaction processing and completion of annual 401k census including reconciliation of wages to W-3, ensure compliance with 401k annual employee contribution limits
• Collaborate directly with the Director of HR and the HR Coordinator to integrate employee benefit adjustments, retirement plan contributions (401k deductions/loans), and HSA/FSA plans into payroll
• Manage calculations and distribution processing for complex compensation payouts, including but not limited to performance bonuses, profit sharing, and final termination payouts
• Provide monthly or quarterly workforce metrics, labor cost dashboards, and utilization analytics to HR and Finance executives to guide firmwide budget decisions
• Avoid assistance in evaluation and integration of payroll software into the ERP system. Includes evaluation of current and future system capabilities

Skills

• Advanced understanding of project-based professional service firms, billable hour metrics, and internal job costing structures
• Expert knowledge of FLSA rules, multi-state wage/hour regulations, garnishments, and employer tax obligations
• High level proficiency in major integrated HRIS/Payroll platforms (e.g., UKG, ADP, Workday, Paylocity) and engineering ERP software (e.g., Deltek, BST, or Ajera)
• Strong analytical and data manipulation skills using Excel including pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, and logic arrays
• Sound judgment, discretion, and integrity handling sensitive confidential financial and personal data

Recommended Education/Training

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, accounting, business administration, or a closely related field is highly recommended
• 6+ years of progressive in-house corporate payroll experience, including 2+ years in a dedicated supervisory and/or leadership capacity
• Experience and demonstrated expertise using enterprise accounting software and HRIS systems
• Experience with payroll for an Architecture, Engineering, or Construction (AEC) firm or a professional services corporation is strongly preferred
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) credential is preferred

Summary

At Wallace Design Collective, our company culture is rooted in our desire to produce quality projects. We strive to be responsive, flexible, and creative. We have a supportive environment where every person is encouraged to continuously learn, grow, and achieve. We understand the importance of respect, compassion, and treating others professionally. We listen.

We offer a competitive and comprehensive package of insurance programs to regular full-time employees and their eligible dependents 30 days after their date of hire. Insurance options include a choice of 5 different medical plans, dental, vision, and supplemental life. Additional insurances, at no cost to the employee include life (employee only), accidental death and dismemberment, accident, and short- and long-term disability. We offer a wide range of other employee benefits, including:

• 401(k)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement