Payroll & Benefits Lead

Vaco Recruiter Services; Toronto; On-site; CAD 72,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco Recruiter Services in Toronto is seeking a Payroll & Benefits Leader to oversee end-to-end payroll, pension, and benefits administration with strict confidentiality and compliance. You will manage complex processes, mitigates risk, and drive improvements across HR, Finance, and external partners.

You will leverage Workday, provide subject-matter guidance, and coach a payroll team, ensuring timely delivery, accurate reporting, and steady service throughout year-end cycles and regulatory

Qualifications

• Workday experience required.
• 5+ years of full cycle payroll and benefits experience with payroll lead responsibilities.
• Strong communication skills across HR, management, and external partners.
• PCP certification or equivalent credential required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Payroll & Benefits team to ensure accurate, timely, confidential, and compliant payroll administration.
• Oversee complex payroll processing, leaves, pension, benefits, and year-end activities.
• Ensure compliance with CRA, employment standards, pension legislation, and internal controls.
• Provide expert advice on payroll, benefits, and legislative matters to stakeholders.
• Manage external providers and drive process improvements and vendor relationships.

Skills

Workday experience

Payroll & benefits leadership

Strong communication skills

Education

PCP certification

Job description

About the Opportunity

• Lead the Payroll & Benefits team, ensuring accurate, timely, confidential, and compliant payroll, pension, and benefits administration.
• Oversee complex payroll processing, benefits, pension, leaves, disability, terminations, severance, year-end activities, and statutory reporting.
• Ensure compliance with CRA, employment standards, pension legislation, internal policies, financial controls, and audit requirements.
• Provide subject matter expertise and advice to HR, management, employees, government partners, and external stakeholders on payroll, benefits, pension, compensation, and legislative matters.
• Manage external payroll, pension, benefits, and consulting providers, including service delivery, issue resolution, system changes, and vendor relationships.
• Identify and mitigate operational and financial risks, strengthen controls, investigate discrepancies, and drive continuous process and system improvements.
• Lead payroll and benefits projects, policy and legislative changes, system implementations, audits, reporting, and organizational initiatives.
• Develop payroll calendars, year-end processes, special payroll runs, financial accruals, and workforce planning requirements.
• Provide employee education and confidential support regarding payroll, pension, benefits, and employment-related matters.
• Coach, mentor, and develop the Payroll & Benefits team, managing workload, performance, priorities, and business continuity.
• Build strong relationships across HR, Finance, government, auditors, consultants, and service providers to support effective program delivery.

About You

• Workday experience
• 5+ years of full cycle payroll and benefits experience, payroll lead experience
• Strong Communication skills
• PCP required

Pay Range

$52 - $55 / hour

This position for employment is for a current vacancy with Vaco/Highspring’s client. You must currently reside within the Greater Toronto Area and be permitted to work in Canada to be considered for this opportunity. A recruiter will be in touch with you if your profile meets our client’s requirements for this role.

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco/Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to the individual’s skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, office location and other geographic considerations, as well as other business and organizational needs. With that said, as required by local law in geographies that require salary range disclosure, Vaco/Highspring notes the salary range for the role is noted in this job posting. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, and can participate in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company’s 401(k) retirement plan. Additional disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted in the job description, the position Vaco/Highspring is filing for is occupied. Please note, however, that Vaco/Highspring is regularly asked to provide talent to other organizations. By submitting to this position, you are agreeing to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. Submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase within