Accounting Payroll Manager

Calculated Hire; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Calculated Hire is assisting a client in Houston, TX, seeking a Payroll Accountant Manager to plan, organize, and lead the payroll accounting department in a large enterprise environment. You will oversee general ledger entries for payroll and stock activity, perform balance sheet reconciliations, and ensure accrual accounting for compensation and benefits.

You will review North American payroll procedures, manage system changes, and handle support tickets to ensure accurate payroll processing,

Qualifications

• Direct payroll accounting in a large enterprise (8+ years).
• Strong GL, accruals, reconciliations, and payroll-related accounting.
• Experience with SAP S/4HANA and ADP in a global payroll environment.
• Knowledge of internal controls, financial analysis, and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll accounting and related GL entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Oversee year-end payroll processes and regulatory reporting compliance.
• Manage payroll systems upgrades and policy changes with cross-functional teams.
• Develop staff, audits, and process improvements in payroll operations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to management on payroll analytics and strategy.

Skills

Payroll accounting

General ledger

Accruals

reconciliations

Internal controls

Project management

Financial analysis

Regulatory reporting

Payroll systems

SAP S/4HANA

ADP familiarity

ADP GlobalView

SuccessFactors/Employee Central

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA preferred (not required)

Tools

SAP S/4HANA

ADP GlobalView

SmartCompliance

Workforce Software time system

Job description

Our Client is seeking a Payroll Accountant Manager to support its payroll accounting operations in a large enterprise environment. This role is responsible for planning, organizing, and leading the payroll accounting department. Responsible for accurate general ledger entries related to payroll, stock transactions, performing balance sheet reconciliations, and ensuring proper accrual accounting for employee compensation, benefits, and stock activity. This role will review North American payroll procedures, manage system changes, manage support tickets to ensure accurate payroll processing.

Key Responsibilities

• Under broad direction, responsible for planning, organizing, and leading accounting department staff in the activities supporting general ledger, sub-systems, and related business applications, which may also include the preparation of financial statements and ancillary reports in a corporate or cost accounting environment
• Responsible for preparation, review, and accuracy of business activities within the department, including executing financial close activities, reviewing and updating business practices, performing internal control self-assessments, preparing forecasts and annual business plans, and performing ongoing process/system improvements
• Responsible for managing the recruitment, training, and development of accounting personnel within the assigned area
• Serves as a trusted business advisor to management on payroll analysis, error resolution and escalation, key financial issues, financial performance, and strategy execution, including commercial business insight
• Responsible for interpreting and applying company policy and accounting principles to financial transactions for internal control compliance
• Responsible for interpreting and applying company policy to ensure payroll processing in North America is compliant with regulations and abide with internal control compliance
• Manage payroll related accounting, accruals, balance sheet reconciliations, and GL entries
• Manage PTO/vacation reserve tracking and year-end vacation payouts, and communications
• Reconciliation of W-2's, 1099's, T-4's, payroll accounts, including wages payable, taxes, and benefits, including adjusting entries.
• Maintain accurate payroll records for audits and regulatory purposes
• Manage internal and external audits related to payroll
• Ensure adherence to internal controls and company policies
• Identify and implement improvements to payroll processes
• Support payroll system upgrades or implementations
• Perform Root Cause Analysis, communicate issues and resolution, work to remediate and implement process/system changes to prevent reoccurrence.
• Manage payroll related projects to implement system/policy changes with various teams.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of accounting experience with direct payroll accounting responsibilities in a large enterprise
• Strong command of GL accounting, accruals, reconciliation, and payroll-related accounting treatments
• Applies technical accounting skills acquired through completion of an accounting or business university degree and eight (8) years of progressive experience in finance or accounting related roles, including management experience.
• Demonstrates project management skills and awareness of financial performance metrics
• Demonstrates strong knowledge in aspects of finance and accounting, internal controls and risk mitigation, company policy, financial analysis and statutory reporting, forecasting, and financial applications
• SAP S/4HANA experience required; ADP familiarity a plus
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance;
• Experience with full cycle payroll processing, different types of stock transactions and federal, state, and local taxes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional accounting certification preferred.
• Experience with ADP GlobalView (or enterprise-level payroll system) and SmartCompliance in a large enterprise payroll environment
• Workforce Software time system experience
• CPA preferred or actively pursuing
• SAP ECC experience
• SuccessFactors/Employee Central experience
• Knowledge of fundamental time and payroll regulations