Payroll Services Team Lead - Remote

Intuit; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 96,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

Intuit seeks a Lead Tax Processor and Subject Matter Expert to drive complex payroll tax issues across multiple states. You will own SOPs, governance for approvals, and coaching to build team capability.

You will manage high-stakes escalations, ensure audit trails in IRS/state filings, and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to maintain compliance and operational excellence in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of payroll tax experience with focus on complex tax defect resolution and multi-state filings.
• Experience as a lead, senior specialist, or SME with coaching or training junior staff.
• Expert knowledge of tax payment and filing regulations across US jurisdictions, including local municipal tax systems and state programs.
• Advanced writing skills to create, review, and approve SOPs and technical documents for a tax processor audience.
• Strong ownership of team SLAs by identifying red flags and resolving workflow barriers.
• A proactive, validation-first mindset with presented solutions to leadership.
• 5+ years of experience handling highly sensitive escalations in fast-paced settings.
• Experience in contact center, customer service, or back-office operations.
• Comfort with leveraging AI tools to improve team workflows.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary real-time technical expert for TP1, TP2, TP3 staff and teach resolution paths.
• Own authoring, review, and approval of SOPs and KB articles.
• Conduct quarterly coaching sessions using SBIC feedback model to close skill gaps.
• Lead or support team huddles, QA sessions, and daily stand-ups when needed.
• Oversee team WIP, backlog reduction, and aging reports to guide staffing decisions.
• Resolve severe State and Federal payroll tax notices and cross-jurisdictional issues.
• Approve complex amended Federal and State returns with audit trails.
• Identify systemic risks and communicate findings with data-driven recommendations.
• Represent team in cross-functional meetings, upholding compliance and risk mitigation.

Skills

Payroll tax expertise

Lead / SME experience

US multi-state tax knowledge

SOPs & technical writing

SLA ownership

Structured coaching

Escalation management

Contact center experience

AI tooling in workflow

Job description

Overview

Join Payroll Tax Operations (PTO) as a Lead Tax Processor and Subject Matter Expert (Level X5). In this technical leadership role, you will act as a key operational catalyst, steering critical team initiatives, and serving as the primary go-to resource for the entire team. You will own and independently resolve the absolute most complex, high-stakes, and ambiguous customer or internal escalations. Beyond handling advanced technical casework, you will hold formal approval governance over standard operating procedures, execute structured team coaching, and facilitate routines to systematically build workforce capacity.

Overview

Join Payroll Tax Operations (PTO) as a Lead Tax Processor and Subject Matter Expert (Level X5). In this technical leadership role, you will act as a key operational catalyst, steering critical team initiatives, and serving as the primary go-to resource for the entire team. You will own and independently resolve the absolute most complex, high-stakes, and ambiguous customer or internal escalations. Beyond handling advanced technical casework, you will hold formal approval governance over standard operating procedures, execute structured team coaching, and facilitate routines to systematically build workforce capacity.

About SelectTime

SelectTime employees provide virtual expert services directly to Intuit's customers, working year-round with flexible hours and schedules. This role has a minimum of 20 hours per week with the option to flex up to 40 hours per week based on business need. As an hourly, non-exempt position, this role is eligible for overtime pay.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary, real-time go-to technical expert for TP1, TP2, and TP3 staff, answering complex questions and teaching resolution paths to build team capability rather than dependency.
• Own the authoring, technical review, and formal approval of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Knowledge Base (KB) articles across core operations.
• Conduct structured, formal coaching sessions at least once per quarter with assigned team members using the SBIC feedback model to proactively close skill gaps.
• Lead or contribute to team huddles, group QA sessions, and performance board updates, serving as the primary backup facilitator for Daily Stand-Ups when the M1 manager is unavailable.
• Maintain total mastery of the daily business landscape, providing independent oversight of team WIP management, backlog reduction, and aging reports to recommend staffing adjustments to the M1 manager.
• Resolve the most severe State and Federal payroll tax notices in the queue, including multi-quarter IRS discrepancies, state audit inquiries, and cross-jurisdictional penalty assessments.
• Approve highly complex amended Federal (Form 941-X, W-2c) and State returns across all states, ensuring complete audit trails and ledger reconciliation.
• Identify systemic trends, emerging compliance risks, and Known Issues (KIs), communicating findings to the M1 manager and cross-functional stakeholders with data-driven recommended responses.
• Represent the team's perspective in cross-functional meetings, model an unwavering commitment to compliance integrity, and provide risk-informed alternatives under pressure.

Required Qualifications

• 4+ years of payroll tax experience with a demonstrated focus on complex tax defect resolution, notice response, and multi-state amendment filings.
• Prior experience functioning formally as a lead, senior specialist, or SME, with specific examples of coaching, mentoring, or training junior staff through nuanced resolution scenarios.
• Expert knowledge of tax payment and filing regulations across all US jurisdictions, including extensive experience with local municipal tax systems (e.g., PA, OH) and state-level programs (e.g., PFML, SDI).
• Advanced writing skills used to create, review, and approve Standard Operating Procedures and technical documents for a tax processor audience without requiring revision.
• Demonstrated extreme ownership of team Service Level Agreements by consistently identifying "red flags" and resolving workflow barriers before they impact the business.
• A consistent "validation-first" mindset, habitually bringing fully vetted potential solutions and technical alternatives to leadership rather than just identifying problems.
• 5+ years of experience independently handling highly sensitive customer and internal peer escalations with minimal leadership guidance.
• 4+ years of experience in contact center, customer service, or back-office operations enabling the seamless navigation of high-volume, service-related business needs.
• Comfortable with leveraging and testing AI (artificial intelligence) tools in order to complete daily tasks and drive continuous improvement across team workflows.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is highly preferred, or expected within 18 months of placement (Enrolled Agent designation is a strong differentiator).
• High proficiency in driving Lean management practices, including the consistent execution of Daily Huddles, Gemba Walks, and the use of Daily Management boards to resolve operational bottlenecks.
• History of exceeding standard metrics while maintaining a personal quality accuracy rate of 95% or higher.

Compensation

Intuit provides a competitive compensation package with a strong pay for performance rewards approach. The expected base pay range for this position is

• California (Bay Area): $46.00 - $62.00
• Southern California: $46.00 - $62.00
• Colorado: $38.00 - $51.00
• District of Columbia: $38.00 - $51.00
• Hawaii: $39.50 - $53.50
• Illinois: $38.00 - $51.00
• Maine: $34.50 - $46.50
• Maryland: $38.00 - $51.00
• Massachusetts: $39.50 - $53.50
• Minnesota: $34.50 - $46.50
• New Jersey: $39.50 - $53.50
• New York: $46.00 - $62.00
• Ohio: $34.50 - $46.50
• Vermont: $38.00 - $51.00
• Virginia: $38.00 - $51.00
• Washington: $39.50 - $53.50

This position will be eligible for a cash bonus, equity rewards and benefits, in accordance with our applicable plans and programs (see more about our compensation and benefits at Intuit®: Careers | Benefits). Pay offered is based on factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and work location. To drive ongoing fair pay for employees, Intuit conducts regular comparisons across categories of ethnicity and gender.