Payroll Accounting Project Manager

Socket.dev; Reading (Berks County); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Penske Truck Leasing/Transportation Solutions is seeking a Payroll Accounting Project Manager to lead payroll accounting projects, financial analysis, and system improvements from planning through implementation. This role partners with Payroll, Finance, HR, IT, and Legal to ensure accurate, compliant, and efficient processes.

The position focuses on recurring accounting support, reporting, monitoring, controls, automation, and cross-functional project leadership, with a hybrid on-site/remote

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll accounting and project management.
• Familiarity with financial systems, controls, and reporting.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including payroll journal entries and reconciliations.
• Lead payroll accounting projects from planning to post-implementation reviews with cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate testing, validation, deployment, and integrations for payroll systems and changes.
• Develop and monitor reporting, metrics, and controls to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Serve as a liaison among Payroll, Accounting, Finance, HR, IT, Legal, and vendors.

Job description

Payroll Accounting Project Manager

Position Summary

The Payroll Accounting Project Manager manages payroll accounting projects, financial analysis, systems support, compliance activities, and process improvement initiatives that support the Payroll Accounting function. This role partners closely with Payroll, Finance, HR, Benefits, Information Technology, Legal, and external service providers to ensure payroll-related processes, systems, and controls are accurate, compliant, efficient, and aligned with business objectives.

This position leads payroll accounting and payroll-related projects from planning through implementation, including requirements gathering, analysis, testing, documentation, monitoring, and post-deployment review. Key areas of focus include recurring accounting support, reporting and analytics, internal controls, system enhancements, acquisitions and integrations, automation, and cross-functional project leadership.

This position is located at our Corporate offices in a beautiful country setting 7 miles South of Reading, PA which is a convenient commute with ample free and easy parking.

Work Location - 2675 Morgantown Rd Reading, Pennsylvania Work Schedule - 4 days onsite/ 1 day remote

Major Responsibilities

Payroll Accounting & Financial Analysis

• Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including payroll-related journal entries, accruals, reclasses, reconciliations, variance analyses, and supporting schedules.

• Analyze payroll accounting data to identify trends, discrepancies, root causes, and opportunities to improve accuracy, controls, and efficiency.

• Ensure payroll-related transactions are accurately recorded, reconciled, monitored, and reported within accounting and payroll systems.

• Develop and maintain reporting, analytics, measures, and metrics to support payroll accounting decision-making and process performance.

Project Management & Process Improvement

• Manage payroll accounting and payroll-related projects, including project plans, timelines, resource needs, risks, milestones, deliverables, documentation, implementation, and post-deployment review.

• Lead cross-functional initiatives involving Payroll, HR, Finance, IT, Benefits, Legal, and external vendors.

• Monitor project progress and communicate status, risks, recommendations, and outcomes to stakeholders and leadership.

• Identify and implement opportunities to streamline processes, automate manual activities, strengthen controls, and improve operational efficiency.

Payroll Systems & Controls

• Partner with Payroll Operations and IT to optimize payroll processes, system functionality, interfaces, and integrations.

• Coordinate testing, validation, deployment, implementation, upgrades, and acquisition-related integration activities for payroll system changes.

• Develop and maintain monitoring processes and controls to support payroll accounting accuracy and compliance.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure payroll accounting processes comply with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, accounting policies, and internal control requirements.

• Assess regulatory, financial, operational, and compliance risks; coordinate needed changes with affected business functions.

Stakeholder & Change Management

• Serve as a key liaison among Payroll, Accounting, Finance, HR, Benefits, IT, Legal, and external vendors.

• Create and maintain project documentation, process flows, standard operating procedures, and training materials.

• Support business users through adoption of new processes, controls, reporting, and system enhancements.

About Penske Truck Leasing/Transportation Solutions

Penske Truck Leasing/Transportation Solutions is a premier global transportation provider that delivers essential and innovative transportation, logistics and technology services to help companies and people move forward. With headquarters in Reading, PA, Penske and its associates are driven by a dedication to excellence and a commitment to customer success. Visit Go Pensketo learn more.