Accounting & Payroll Manager

Vaco Recruiter Services; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco Recruiter Services in New York, NY is seeking a Payroll & Accounting Manager to lead the administration and continuous improvement of global payroll and compensation accounting processes for a growing international enterprise. You will own end-to-end multi-state US and international payroll operations, and related GL accounting, reconciliations, and vendor relationships.

Collaborating with HR, Finance, external payroll providers, and auditors, you will ensure 100% compliance and accounting

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• 7-10+ years of progressive payroll/compensation accounting experience in a multi-state (and ideally global) organization.
• Strong knowledge of US GAAP and general accounting principles including accruals, GL entries, and reconciliations.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise payroll platforms, HRIS software, and advanced Excel functions.
• In-depth understanding of US multi-state and international payroll regulations, tax filings, and wage/hour laws.
• Ability to work in-office 3 days/week in Seattle, NYC, or Fort Lauderdale, with flexibility for non-standard hours.

Responsibilities

• Global & Multi-State Payroll Leadership: Oversee multi-state US and international payroll processing with compliance and accuracy.
• Vendor & Software Management: Manage relationships with external payroll service providers and software vendors.
• Compensation Accounting & GL Reconciliations: Prepare journal entries, accruals, and ledger reconciliations.
• Financial Planning & Audit Support: Build budgets/forecasts for compensation expenditures and support audits.
• Tax Compliance & Controls: Ensure accurate tax filings and wage/hour compliance across jurisdictions.
• Systems & Process Optimization: Lead payroll and HRIS implementations and design scalable controls.

Skills

US GAAP

Payroll management

GL reconciliations

HRIS systems

Excel

Tax compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Payroll software

ERP/HRIS

Job description

Payroll & Accounting Manager

Compensation: $110,000 - $140,000 base + bonus

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid, 3 days/week in-office)

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a Payroll & Accounting Manager to lead the administration, oversight, and continuous improvement of global payroll and compensation accounting processes for a growing international enterprise.

Serving as the in-house subject matter expert, this role owns end-to-end multi-state US and international payroll operations, compensation-related general ledger accounting, reconciliations, and vendor relationships. You will partner closely with HR, Finance, external global payroll providers, and auditors to maintain 100% compliance and accounting integrity across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

• Global & Multi-State Payroll Leadership: Oversee and execute multi-state US and international payroll processing, ensuring compliance, timeliness, and precision across global entities (including France, UK, UAE, Australia, Japan, and others).
• Vendor & Software Management: Manage relationships with external payroll service providers and software vendors, serving as the escalation point for issue resolution and system optimizations.
• Compensation Accounting & GL Reconciliations: Prepare compensation-related journal entries, accruals, and ledger account reconciliations. Maintain underlying calculations for salary adjustments, bonuses, and long-term incentive programs.
• Financial Planning & Audit Support: Build budgets and forecasts for all compensation-related expenditures. Lead internal and external audit requests, delivering accurate workpapers and technical explanations.
• Tax Compliance & Controls: Partner with US and international payroll vendors to ensure accurate state, federal, and local tax filings, wage/hour compliance, and statutory reporting.
• Systems & Process Optimization: Lead payroll and HRIS software implementations, evaluate workflows, analyze root causes for discrepancies, and design scalable internal controls.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional Experience: 7-10+ years of progressive experience in payroll, compensation accounting, or related financial operations within a complex, multi-state (and ideally global) organization.
• Technical Accounting Foundation: Strong knowledge of US GAAP/general accounting principles, including accruals, GL entries, account reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Systems Proficiency: Hands-on expertise with enterprise payroll platforms, HRIS software, and advanced Excel functions.
• Regulatory Depth: In-depth understanding of US multi-state and international payroll regulations, tax filings, and wage/hour laws.
• Work Arrangement: Ability to work in-office 3 days/week in Seattle, NYC, or Fort Lauderdale, with flexibility for non-standard hours to support global payroll cycles as needed.