Payroll Manager

jas; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

JAS, a global supply chain services company, seeks a Payroll Manager in Atlanta to lead payroll for 900+ employees. You will ensure accurate, timely processing and compliance across federal and state regulations, while partnering with HR, Finance, Benefits, and external vendors.

You are a hands-on leader with expertise in Workday Payroll and ADP Smart Compliance, driving continuous improvement, data integrity, and a high-quality payroll experience for all employees.

Qualifications

• Oversee payroll for 900+ employees including salaries and hourly staff.
• Proven ability to implement and optimize payroll processes and controls.
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax, benefits, and compliance regulations.

Responsibilities

• Oversee accurate and timely payroll processing for 900+ employees.
• Provide direction and support to payroll team to meet deadlines.
• Review payroll data for accuracy, including taxes, deductions, and garnishments.
• Establish payroll controls, reconciliation, and audit procedures.
• Coordinate with ADP, Workday, HR, and Finance to resolve issues.
• Ensure policies are documented and followed; act as escalation point.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Workday

ADP Smart Compliance

Payroll taxation

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Workday Payroll

ADP

Job description

JAS is an international, non-asset-based supply chain services and solutions company. Our services include air and ocean freight forwarding, contract logistics, customs brokerage, distribution, inbound logistics, truckload brokerage and other supply chain management services, including consulting, the coordination of purchase orders and customized management services.

The Payroll Manager is responsible for overseeing the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of payroll for more than 900 employees. This position provides leadership and direction for the payroll function while serving as a subject-matter expert in payroll processing, payroll taxation, Workday, ADP Smart Compliance, 401(k) administration, and HSA management.

The Payroll Manager is responsible for ensuring payroll operations are efficient, well‑controlled, and compliant with federal, state, and local regulations. This role partners closely with Human Resources, Finance, Benefits, and external vendors to resolve complex payroll matters, strengthen processes and controls, and deliver a high‑quality payroll experience for employees.

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on payroll leader who can effectively balance people leadership, payroll operations, technical expertise, compliance, and continuous process improvement.

Essential Responsibilities:

Payroll Operations & Oversight

• Oversee the accurate and timely processing of payroll for 900+ employees, including salaried and hourly employees.
• Provide direction, support, and oversight to payroll team members to ensure payroll deadlines and service expectations are consistently met.
• Review payroll for accuracy and completeness, including earnings, deductions, taxes, benefits, garnishments, reimbursements, and other payroll‑related transactions.
• Establish and maintain effective payroll controls, review procedures, and reconciliation processes.
• Conduct pre‑payroll and post‑payroll audits to identify and resolve discrepancies before and after payroll is finalized.
• Review and approve payroll adjustments, corrections, retroactive payments, off‑cycle payrolls, and other complex payroll transactions.
• Oversee the investigation and resolution of payroll discrepancies, including overpayments, underpayments, deduction issues, and employee data errors.
• Ensure payroll processes are documented and consistently followed.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop payroll team members to ensure accurate, timely, and customer‑focused service.
• Establish clear expectations, priorities, and performance standards for the payroll team.
• Monitor workload, deadlines, and service levels to ensure payroll activities are completed accurately and on time.
• Provide ongoing training and guidance on payroll processes, systems, compliance requirements, and best practices.
• Review team processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and accountability.
• Foster a collaborative environment with strong communication and partnership across Payroll, HR, Benefits, Finance, and Accounting.

Workday Payroll

• Serve as the Payroll subject‑matter expert and business lead for Workday payroll processes.
• Oversee payroll‑related transactions and ensure accurate employee, compensation, deduction, tax, and benefit data within Workday.
• Troubleshoot complex payroll and system issues and coordinate with HR, Finance, Benefits, and Workday support resources to resolve them.
• Review Workday payroll outputs and integrations for accuracy and completeness.
• Participate in Workday testing, system enhancements, releases, integrations, and process changes.
• Identify system opportunities and recommend improvements to enhance payroll efficiency and data integrity.
• Develop and maintain payroll‑related Workday procedures, job aids, and standard operating procedures.

Payroll Tax & Compliance

• Oversee federal, state, and local payroll tax processes and compliance requirements.
• Ensure payroll tax calculations, filings, and payments are accurate and completed timely.
• Monitor changes in payroll tax laws and regulations and coordinate implementation of required changes.
• Review and resolve payroll tax notices, agency correspondence, discrepancies, and compliance issues.
• Partner with ADP and other payroll tax vendors to research and resolve tax‑related issues.
• Ensure accurate employee tax elections, work locations, and tax jurisdictions.
• Support year‑end payroll tax activities, including W‑2 processing and reconciliation.

ADP Smart Compliance

• Oversee the use of ADP Smart Compliance for payroll tax filing, payments, notices, and compliance activities.
• Monitor tax filings, payments, notices, and agency correspondence to ensure timely resolution.
• Review and resolve tax filing exceptions and discrepancies.
• Partner with ADP to investigate and resolve complex payroll tax issues.
• Maintain accurate tax jurisdiction and employee tax information.
• Ensure payroll tax processes and vendor