Payroll Manager

AscendHire; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

AscendHire is seeking a Payroll Manager to oversee payroll administration, WIP reporting, and escrow management for construction clients. You will manage contractor payroll across platforms (ADP, Paychex) and review WIP schedules to ensure accurate job costing and compliance.

The role requires hands-on QuickBooks experience, attention to detail, and the ability to coordinate with contractors, banks, and virtual staff to keep records audit-ready and on schedule.

Qualifications

• Hands-on QuickBooks experience with construction job costing and reviewing work by others.
• Direct experience preparing or overseeing WIP schedules in a construction environment.
• Understanding of billings-to-date, cost-to-complete, percentage-of-completion, and over/under-billing.
• Experience processing payroll using multiple payroll systems.
• Strong Excel and financial reporting skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee contractor QuickBooks records and ensure transactions, job costs, and financial data are accurate and properly coded.
• Manage and review the work of virtual accounting assistants responsible for maintaining contractor books.
• Prepare, review, and maintain Work-in-Progress (WIP) schedules for multiple construction projects.
• Review contract values, billings-to-date, estimated costs to complete, and percentage-of-completion calculations.
• Identify discrepancies between WIP schedules and QuickBooks job-cost information.
• Monitor over-billings, under-billings, job profitability, and other key construction accounting metrics.

Skills

QuickBooks

Payroll

WIP reporting

Construction accounting

Excel

Remote staff management

Auditing / audit readiness

Tools

ADP

Paychex

Certified payroll systems

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly detail-oriented Payroll Manager to oversee payroll administration, contractor financial records, surety-related fund disbursements, and escrow management for construction clients.

This is a hands-on position with significant responsibility for QuickBooks, Work-in-Progress (WIP) reporting, payroll, lien waivers, union compliance, and contractor funds control. The ideal candidate will have strong payroll experience and be comfortable reviewing financial information, managing payroll across multiple platforms, and working directly with contractors, banks, unions, and remote support staff.

A strong working knowledge of QuickBooks and construction job costing/WIP schedules is essential would-be a plus but not a mandate!

Key Responsibilities

QuickBooks & WIP Management

• Oversee contractor QuickBooks records and ensure transactions, job costs, and financial data are accurate and properly coded.
• Manage and review the work of virtual accounting assistants responsible for maintaining contractor books.
• Prepare, review, and maintain Work-in-Progress (WIP) schedules for multiple construction projects.
• Review contract values, billings-to-date, estimated costs to complete, and percentage-of-completion calculations.
• Identify discrepancies between WIP schedules and QuickBooks job-cost information.
• Monitor over-billings, under-billings, job profitability, and other key construction accounting metrics.
• Ensure financial information is accurate, current, and audit-ready.

Payroll Administration

• Process weekly payroll for multiple construction contractors.
• Manage payroll across multiple systems, including platforms such as ADP, Paychex, and certified payroll systems.
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately and on schedule.
• Review payroll information against project, union, and contractual requirements.
• Coordinate with contractors and virtual support staff to resolve payroll discrepancies.

Escrow & Funds Control

• Establish and administer 2-3 escrow accounts in connection with contractor funds-control arrangements.
• Monitor contractor funds and ensure disbursements comply with surety, escrow, and contractual requirements.
• Review and approve documentation supporting fund disbursements.
• Maintain accurate records of escrow activity and contractor obligations.
• Serve as a key point of contact with banking partners regarding escrow and funds-control matters.

Qualifications

Required

• Hands-on QuickBooks experience a PLUS, including construction job costing and reviewing work completed by others.
• Direct experience preparing or overseeing WIP schedules in a construction environment.
• Understanding of billings-to-date, cost-to-complete, percentage-of-completion, and over/under-billing.
• Experience processing payroll using multiple payroll systems.
• Strong Excel and financial reporting skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple contractors, projects, deadlines, and financial requirements simultaneously.
• Comfortable working directly with contractors, banks, unions, and other external stakeholders.
• Experience managing or directing remote/virtual staff.