Payroll Consultant

About the position The Payroll Consultant is a strategic and passionate leader responsible for driving and elevating payroll operations to service over 3,500 colleagues across North America. This role requires developing and leading a high-performing team focused on delivering accurate, compliant, and timely payroll with zero margin for error across the US and Canada. More than transactional, this position requires a hands-on operator and people leader who thrives in complexity, champions process standardization through Workday, and prioritizes both employee experience and financial integrity.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a long-term payroll strategy for North America, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Drive harmonization and automation of payroll processes across key areas, including 401(k) reconciliation and Workday earning code mapping to GL.
• Lead and manage payroll-related projects, including system upgrades, integrations/migrations, vendor transitions, and process improvement initiatives.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and IT teams to align payroll operations with broader organizational strategies.
• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of payroll for employees throughout North America, including salary, bonuses, benefits, and other compensation elements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local payroll tax laws and regulations, including multi-state payroll tax registrations and updates.
• Manage year-end payroll activities, including tax reporting and reconciliation processes.
• Act as the primary point of contact for payroll-related audits, including internal and external audits, state audits, and workers compensation reviews.
• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of payroll professionals, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Establish clear performance metrics, SLAs, and KPIs for the payroll team to ensure high-quality service delivery.
• Provide training and development opportunities to enhance team capabilities and expertise.
• Implement and maintain robust controls to ensure compliance with organizational policies, payroll tax laws, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work instructions for payroll processes.
• Conduct regular internal audits of payroll transactions, garnishments, tax withholdings, and absence processing to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Collaborate with external vendors and state agencies to resolve tax-related issues and maintain employer compliance.
• Act as the Functional Lead in Workday Payroll improvement projects, ensuring optimal utilization of the platform.
• Evaluate and recommend third-party vendors to support payroll operations, year-end readiness, and special projects.
• Identify opportunities for process automation and implement best practices to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Develop analytics and reporting tools to monitor payroll performance and support decision-making.
• Coordinate with the Global Mobility team to manage payroll for inbound and outbound expatriates, ensuring compliance with relocation gross-ups, taxation, and year-end reporting.
• Partner with outsourced vendors to address expatriate tax matters and ensure accurate reporting on tax forms.

Requirements

• Strong payroll audit project experience.
• Experience with multistate payroll for the US, specifically in California.
• Proven experience managing payroll for 2000+ employees.
• Advanced working knowledge of Workday Payroll.
• Extensive multi-state and local payroll tax knowledge, including registration and compliance.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive payroll experience, including U.S. and Canadian payroll.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field; CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience transforming payroll and benefits functions to maximize automation, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage project plans, dependencies, critical path activities, and milestones.
• HRIS experience with Workday and integration with payroll systems is a plus.
• Familiarity with global mobility and expatriate taxation matters is a plus.

Benefits

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Apply tot his job Apply To this Job