Payroll Manager

Jobtailor; California (MO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Cooley LLP is seeking an experienced Senior Payroll Manager to oversee day-to-day multi-state payroll processing for US offices, including remote workers, ensure on-time, accurate pay, and maintain compliance with wage and hour laws.

You will supervise a team, coordinate with HR and UK payroll teams, handle tax filings, journal entries, and vendor setups in Workday/ADP/UKG, and drive process improvements while protecting confidential information.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive multi-state payroll experience.
• Extensive knowledge of wage and hour regulations, federal, state and local tax laws.
• Hands-on experience with enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms: Ascentis, Workday, ADP Workforce Now or UKG Pro.
• Proficient in spreadsheet and database applications.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or similar certification preferred.
• Am Law 50 law firm payroll experience preferred.
• Supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the hands-on, day-to-day execution of the firm’s payroll process.
• Handle payroll processing for assigned US offices.
• Process end-to-end payroll for US employees across all states where the firm has workers.
• Audit new employee tax setup and review pre-processed payroll registers.
• Transmit semi-monthly payroll direct deposit and tax files.
• Review off-cycle departure employee final check calculations.
• Oversee verification of new hires, salary changes and terminations in the payroll system.
• Manage Workday time-tracking approval workflows and provide direction to HR on adjustments.
• Administer insurance benefits deductions in the payroll system.
• Process overtime, meal and transportation reimbursement requests and bill clients for reimbursed amounts.
• Process PTO overdrawn deductions and miscellaneous pay requests.
• Manage variable-hour employee hour breakdown approvals and record hours in HR accrual spreadsheets.
• Oversee garnishment order approval workflows and third-party vendor setup.
• Oversee direct deposit processing and resolve issues with financial institutions and employees.
• Provide employment verification and respond to inquiries from government agencies, lenders and employees.
• Prepare journal entries including non-cash fringe benefits.
• Coordinate with the UK payroll team on secondee UK taxes and national insurance.
• Prepare manual journal entries for payroll taxes, HSA funding and foreign currency difference write-offs.
• Review and sign off quarterly payroll tax filings, reconciliations, audits and year-end activities.
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll tax returns and payments.
• Resolve tax notices and follow up on refunds with government agencies.
• Participate in Workday time-tracking system testing and upgrades.
• Review monthly Asia payroll files and audit journal entries.
• Support the Asia Finance team with payroll inquiries and report requests.
• Supervise and mentor direct reports.
• Manage staffing coverage, time logs and time-off requests.
• Support development opportunities for staff.
• Participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling and other lifecycle events.

Skills

Multi-State Payroll Experience

Workday Proficiency

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

Wage and Hour Regulations Knowledge

Supervisory Experience

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

Tools

Workday

Ascentis

ADP Workforce Now

UKG Pro

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

• Oversee the hands-on, day-to-day execution of the firm’s entire payroll process to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time
• Handle payroll processing for assigned US offices
• Process end-to-end payroll for US employees across all states where Cooley has workers, including remote workers in states without a Cooley office
• Audit new employee tax setup and review pre-processed payroll registers
• Transmit semi-monthly payroll direct deposit and tax files
• Review off-cycle departure employee final check calculations
• Oversee verification of new hires, salary changes, terminations, tax status and employee information in the payroll system
• Manage Workday employee timelog approval workflows and provide direction to HR on manual adjustments
• Administer insurance benefits deductions in the payroll system
• Process overtime meal and transportation reimbursement requests and bill clients for reimbursed amounts
• Process PTO overdrawn deductions, special pay adjustments, leave-of-absence integration calculations and miscellaneous pay requests
• Manage variable-hour employee hour breakdown approvals and record hours in HR accrual spreadsheets
• Oversee garnishment order approval workflows and third-party vendor setup
• Oversee direct deposit processing and resolve issues with financial institutions and employees
• Provide employment verification and respond to government agency, lending institution and employee inquiries
• Include non-cash fringe benefits in income calculations and prepare journal entries
• Coordinate with the UK payroll team on secondee UK taxes and national insurance
• Prepare manual journal entries for payroll taxes, HSA funding and foreign currency difference write-offs
• Review and sign off quarterly payroll tax filings, reconciliations, audits and year-end activities
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll tax returns and payments
• Resolve tax notices and follow up on pending tax refunds with government agencies
• Participate in Workday time-tracking system testing and upgrades
• Review monthly Asia payroll files and audit journal entries
• Support the Asia Finance team with payroll inquiries and report requests
• Supervise and mentor direct reports
• Manage staffing coverage, time logs and time-off requests
• Support professional and continued educational development opportunities
• Participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events
• Perform other assigned duties

Requirements

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours
• Ability to travel, as required
• 5+ years of progressive multi-state payroll experience
• Extensive knowledge of wage and hour regulations, federal, state and local tax laws including multi-state and reciprocity rules and compliance requirements
• Hands-on experience with enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms: Ascentis, Workday, ADP Workforce Now or UKG Pro
• Proficient in spreadsheet and database application
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or similar certification preferred
• Am Law 50 law firm payroll experience preferred
• Supervisory experience preferred
• Excellent attention to detail
• Exceptional interpersonal communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems
• Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines
• Ability to drive projects to completion and achieve goals
• Strong judgment
• Team-player with collaborative spirit
• Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects and client data
• High level of professionalism at all times
• Ability to work under pressure and meet strict deadlines; resourceful and self-reliant
• Responsive and reliable with a strong sense of urgency
• Ability to lead through influence and develop talent
• Proactive, analytical mindset
• Effective presentation skills

Core Competencies

Demonstrates extensive knowledge of multi-state payroll processing, compliance with federal, state, and local tax laws, and proficiency in enterprise HRIS/Payroll platforms. Exhibits strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to lead and mentor teams effectively.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Multi-State Payroll Experience
• Workday Proficiency
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)
• Wage and Hour Regulations Knowledge
• Supervisory Experience

Hard Skills

• Payroll Processing
• Tax Compliance
• Journal Entry Preparation
• Payroll Tax Filings
• Spreadsheet ProficiencyDatabase Application Proficiency
• Employee Verification
• Garnishment Order Approval
• Overtime Calculation
• PTO Management

Soft Skills

• Attention to Detail
• Interpersonal Communication
• Problem Solving
• Organizational Skills
• Team Collaboration

Certifications & Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

Industry Keywords

• Payroll Compliance
• Wage and Hour Regulations
• Employee Lifecycle Events
• Am Law 50 Experience
• Confidentiality Management

Tools & Technologies

• Workday
• Ascentis
• ADP Workforce Now
• UKG Pro
• Microsoft Office Suite