Manager of Payroll Consulting

Foster Thomas, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

FosterThomas Consulting is seeking a Manager of Payroll Consulting to lead and grow our payroll practice for clients nationwide. You will blend hands-on payroll expertise with consulting leadership, directing discovery calls, SOW development, workforce planning, and partnerships.

You will manage payroll specialists, oversee engagement health, ensure compliance with payroll laws, and drive revenue growth while mentoring a team and collaborating with practice leaders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• Experience leading payroll teams and virtual staff.
• Proven ability to draft and manage SOWs and consulting engagements.
• Experience building partnerships and growing account scope.
• Experience processing multi-state payroll for 1,000+ employees.

Responsibilities

• Grow the payroll consulting practice by expanding revenue and billable hours.
• Lead client discovery calls to tailor service scope and engagements.
• Draft and manage Statements of Work (SOWs) with deliverables and timelines.
• Develop partnerships to support growth of the payroll practice.
• Manage and mentor payroll specialists and virtual employees.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Client relationships

SOW development

Capacity planning

Partnership development

Stakeholder management

CPP certification

Communication

Analytics

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ADP WorkForce Now

Job description

Manager of Payroll Consulting

FosterThomas Consulting Human Capital Management Consulting | Annapolis, MD | Clients Nationwide Manager of Payroll Consulting Location: Remote | Practice: Payroll Consulting

About FosterThomas

For more than 27 years, FosterThomas has delivered trusted Human Capital Management consulting to clients nationwide, spanning payroll processing and consulting, HR systems implementation, human resources management, and talent acquisition. Our Payroll Consulting practice is entering its next phase of growth, and we're looking for an experienced manager to help build on that momentum.

Position Overview

The Manager of Payroll Consulting is a leadership role focused on growing FosterThomas's payroll consulting practice — expanding revenue and billable hours, deepening client relationships, and building a strong consulting team. This role blends hands‑on payroll expertise with client‑facing consulting work: you'll spend time on client discovery calls, Statement of Work (SOW) development, workforce and capacity planning, and partnership development, while staying close enough to the work to speak credibly to clients and step in on complex issues.
You'll lead a team of payroll specialists and virtual employees, help manage the financial and operational health of client engagements, and serve as a key point of contact — internally with other FosterThomas practice leaders, and externally with client contacts and HR/Finance stakeholders. If you combine solid payroll expertise with a knack for client relationships and growing a book of business, this role offers a great opportunity to help build the practice.

Key Responsibilities

Practice Growth & Client Strategy

• Support growth of the payroll consulting practice's billable hours and revenue through expanded scope within existing accounts and new business development.
• Lead client discovery calls to assess payroll needs, uncover pain points, and shape the right service approach and engagement scope.
• Draft and manage Statements of Work (SOWs), defining deliverables, timelines, staffing, and fees for consulting engagements.
• Develop and expand partnerships — including technology and service partners — that support the growth of the payroll consulting practice.
• Partner with other FosterThomas practice leaders (HR consulting, systems implementation, talent acquisition) to identify cross‑sell opportunities and deliver integrated client solutions.

Financial & Workforce Management

• Track billable hours, utilization, and engagement profitability on an ongoing basis, flagging variances and recommending corrective action.
• Support workforce planning for the payroll team — helping forecast staffing needs, allocate resources across engagements, and plan capacity for onshore and virtual/offshore employees.
• Run and analyze reporting across financial, operational, and client‑facing dimensions (utilization, SLA compliance, payroll accuracy, revenue) to inform decisions and updates.

Team & Client Delivery Leadership

• Manage, mentor, and develop a team of payroll specialists and virtual employees, ensuring quality, productivity, and clear career paths.
• Facilitate regular stakeholder discussions with client contacts and internal leadership on program status, risks, and opportunities.
• Serve as an escalation point for critical payroll issues, driving root‑cause analysis and corrective action.
• Oversee accurate, timely payroll processing for supported clients — including PTO, wage garnishments, incentives, and accruals — and ensure compliance with client policies and procedures.
• Support payroll team development and a culture of continuous improvement across the practice.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local payroll laws and regulations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including in‑depth functional knowledge of large‑scale payroll platforms (ADP products, including WorkForce Now, strongly preferred).
• Experience managing a team of payroll professionals, including experience managing virtual or remote staff.
• Experience developing SOWs, scoping consulting engagements, or otherwise operating in a professional‑services/consulting delivery model preferred.
• Experience building or growing partnerships, revenue, or account scope within a consulting, agency, or professional‑services environment is a plus.
• Experience processing complex, multi‑state payroll for 1,000+ employees; ability to research and resolve data conflicts affecting payroll processing.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills, with comfort running and interpreting operational and financial reports.
• Experience with payroll systems implementations is a plus.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills; a consultative mindset and the ability to build trust quickly with clients and internal partners.
• Ability to set priorities, manage multiple engagements simultaneously, and adapt quickly as client and business needs shift.
• Proficiency with MS Office; CPP certification a plus.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of company and client information.

Why FosterThomas

This remote role offers great professional growth potential: the chance to help build a growing consulting practice, lead and develop a team, and work directly with clients on meaningful payroll initiatives — all backed by FosterThomas's 27-year track record in HCM consulting.

EEO Statement: FosterThomas is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to equal employment opportunities in recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, compensation and disciplinary action regarding the terms and conditions of employment. FosterThomas does not discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, color, age, sex, disability, marital status, gender identity genetic information, sexual orientation, or sex, including pregnancy and childbirth, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

FosterThomas does not use third‑party domains for recruiting or interviews.
Legitimate communications will always come from Fosterthomas.com email addresses.
FosterThomas does not conduct interviews solely via text‑based chat on Microsoft Teams.