Payroll Manager

Sunstall Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

UnitedMechanical is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead the payroll function, ensure accurate general ledger reconciliation, and support month-end and year-end closes. The role oversees weekly payroll processing for union and nonunion staff, manages payroll controls, audits, and multi-state compliance, and collaborates with HR and Finance on system improvements.

The ideal candidate brings extensive payroll leadership experience, strong analytical and communication skills, and a proactive approach

Qualifications

• Minimum seven years of progressive payroll experience, including at least three years of payroll leadership or management experience.
• Strong payroll accounting and general ledger reconciliation experience.
• Experience preparing payroll journal entries and supporting month-end and year-end close.
• Experience managing complex, high-volume, and deadline-driven payroll.
• Experience leading payroll controls, audits, reconciliations, and corrective action plans.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and strong experience with payroll, timekeeping, and accounting systems.
• Strong leadership, organizational, analytical, problemsolving, and communicationskills.

Responsibilities

• Own the payroll general ledger reconciliation process and ensure payroll activity is accurately reflected in the financial statements.
• Prepare, review, or approve payroll journal entries and provide payroll accounting support for month-end and year-end close.
• Reconcile payroll cash, accrued wages, payroll taxes, deductions, benefits, garnishments, union contributions, and other payroll-related liability accounts.
• Lead overall leadership and accountability for the accurate and timely processing of weekly payroll for union and nonunion employees.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll, accounting, tax, compliance, union, employee, and system issues.
• Design, implement, and maintain payroll controls, approval workflows, reconciliation standards, audit procedures.

Skills

Payroll leadership

General ledger reconciliation

Payroll journal entries

High-volume payroll management

Payroll controls & audits

Timekeeping systems

Problem solving & communication

Multistate payroll

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Sage

Miter

CPP certification

Job description

ThePayrollManagerprovidesleadership,accountingoversight,andoperationalcontrolofthepayrollfunction.Thisroleisresponsibleforpayrollgeneralledgerreconciliation,payrollaccounting,monthendandyearendclosesupport,taxcompliance,unionreporting,audits,internalcontrols,systemintegrity,andthedevelopmentofthepayrollteam.Thepositionensurespayrollactivityisaccurate,properlyrecorded,compliant,andsupportedbyeffectivecontrolsanddocumentedprocedures.

Responsibilities

PayrollAccountingandGeneralLedger

• Ownthepayrollgeneralledgerreconciliationprocessandensurepayrollactivityisaccuratelyreflectedinthefinancialstatements.
• Prepare,review,orapprovepayrolljournalentriesandprovidepayrollaccountingsupportformonthendandyearendclose.
• Reconcilepayrollcash,accruedwages,payrolltaxes,deductions,benefits,garnishments,unioncontributions,andotherpayrollrelatedliabilityaccounts.
• ResearchandresolvepayrollaccountingdiscrepanciesinpartnershipwithAccountingandFinance.
• Maintainsupportingschedules,reconciliations,approvaldocumentation,andaudittrailsforpayrollrelatedaccounts.

PayrollLeadershipandWeeklyPayrollOversight

• Provideoverallleadershipandaccountabilityfortheaccurateandtimelyprocessingofweeklypayrollforunionandnonunionemployees.
• Lead,develop,andsupportthePayrollSupervisorandpayrollteambyestablishingclearresponsibilities,deadlines,reviewexpectations,andbackupcoverage.
• Serveastheescalationpointforcomplexpayroll,accounting,tax,compliance,union,employee,andsystemissues.
• Ensurepayrollissuesarefullyresearched,documented,corrected,andcommunicatedtotheappropriateparties.
• Reinforceaccountability,responsiveness,accuracy,customerservice,andfollowthroughthroughoutthepayrolldepartment.

PayrollControls,Audits,andRiskManagement

• Design,implement,andmaintainpayrollcontrols,approvalworkflows,reconciliationstandards,auditprocedures,anderrorpreventionmeasures.
• Leadpayrollauditsandrespondtorequestsfromexternalauditors,taxingauthorities,governmentagencies,unions,benefitproviders,andotheroutsideparties.
• Identifypayrollrisks,controlgaps,androotcausesandimplementsustainablecorrectiveactions.
• Maintainappropriatepayrollsystemaccess,segregationofduties,confidentiality,andsecuritycontrols.

PayrollTaxandMultistateCompliance

• Overseefederal,state,andlocalpayrolltaxfilings,payments,registrations,notices,reconciliations,andcompliancerequirements.
• Coordinatequarterendandyearendpayrollactivities,includingtaxreconciliations,W2processing,corrections,andagencyreporting.
• Researchandresolvepayrolltaxnotices,filingdiscrepancies,jurisdictionissues,andemployeewithholdingconcerns.
• MonitorpayrollrequirementsineachstatewhereUnitedMechanicalhasemployeesorperformswork.

UnionPayroll,CertifiedPayroll,andPublicWorksCompliance

• Overseecompliancewithcollectivebargainingagreements,unionwagerates,classifications,fringes,deductions,reportingrequirements,andcontributiondeadlines.
• Reviewunionreportingandtrustfundreconciliationsandensurediscrepanciesareresearchedandcorrected.
• Overseecertifiedpayroll,prevailingwage,andpublicworksreportingthroughLCPtracker,DIR,VTA,andotherrequiredsystems.
• Ensureunionandcertifiedpayrollrecordsarecomplete,accurate,andmaintainedforauditreadiness.

PayrollSystems,Reporting,andProcessImprovement

• LeadthepayrolltransitionfromSagetoMiter,includingparallelpayrolltesting,datavalidation,issuetracking,proceduredevelopment,andteamtraining.
• Identifyopportunitiestoimprovepayrollefficiency,consistency,automation,documentation,andemployeeservice.
• Maintainpayrollprocedures,controls,systemaccess,anddataintegrityacrosspayrollandrelatedsystems.
• PartnerwithHumanResources,Accounting,InformationTechnology,andProjectAdministration,onpayrollsystemandprocessimprovements.

Communication,Confidentiality,andCrossFunctionalPartnership

• Communicateprofessionallywithemployees,leaders,unions,vendors,auditors,andinternalbusinesspartners.
• PartnerwithHumanResourcesandAccountingonemployeechanges,payrolldataintegrity,funding,reconciliations,liabilities,financialreporting,andcloseactivities.
• Maintainpayrollandemployeeinformationinaconfidentialandsecuremanner.

RequiredQualifications

• Minimumsevenyearsofprogressivepayrollexperience,includingatleastthreeyearsofpayrollleadershipormanagementexperience.
• Strongpayrollaccountingandgeneralledgerreconciliationexperiencerequired.
• Experiencepreparingpayrolljournalentriesandsupportingmonthendandyearendcloserequired.
• Experiencemanagingcomplex,highvolume,anddeadlinedrivenpayroll.
• Experienceleadingpayrollcontrols,audits,reconciliations,andcorrectiveactionplans.
• AdvancedMicrosoftExcelskillsandstrongexperiencewithpayroll,timekeeping,andaccountingsystems.
• Strongleadership,organizational,analytical,problemsolving,andcommunicationskills.

PreferredQualifications

• Bachelor’sdegreeinAccounting,Finance,BusinessAdministration,orarelatedfield.
• Experiencewithunionconstructionpayroll,certifiedpayroll,prevailingwage,publicworksreporting,andcollectivebargainingagreements.
• Experiencemanagingmultistatepayrollandleadingpayrollsystemimplementationsorconversions.
• ExperiencewithSage,Miter,orsimilarpayrollsystems;CPPcertificationpreferred.

UnitedMechanicalisanEqualOpportunityEmployerandembracesdiversityinouremployeepopulation.Weprovideequalopportunitytoallqualifiedapplicantsandemployeeswithoutregardtorace,color,religion,sex,sexualorientation,genderidentity,nationalorigin,age,disability,protectedveteranstatus,specialdisabledveteran,maritalstatus,pregnancy,geneticinformation,oranyotherlegallyprotectedstatus.