Payroll Tax and Compliance Lead

Sazerac; Louisville (KY); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Sazerac is seeking a Payroll Tax and Compliance Lead to strengthen payroll governance, tax compliance, and controls across a complex, multi-jurisdictional environment. You will own payroll compliance monitoring and coordinate with HR, Finance, Legal, and external providers.

This role is ideal for an experienced payroll professional who enjoys solving complex compliance challenges, improving processes, and building controls for accurate, efficient payroll operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, HR, or a related field.
• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience in a multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Experience with Canadian payroll compliance and global payroll across multiple countries.
• Strong knowledge of US federal, state, and local payroll taxation and compliance; Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll tax administration and compliance across US, federal/state/local jurisdictions, Canada, and global payroll operations.
• Establish and monitor payroll controls, reconciliations, funding validation, payroll-to-GL controls, and audit processes.
• Monitor regulatory changes and translate new requirements into payroll system, process, policy, and control updates while maintaining audit-ready documentation.
• Investigate tax notices, payroll discrepancies, audit findings, and recurring exceptions using root-cause analysis.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, government agencies, external advisors, and payroll vendors to standardize, automate, and improve payroll processes.

Skills

Payroll tax & compliance

Multi-jurisdictional payroll

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance/related field

CPP certification (preferred)

Tools

Dayforce

Job description

Sazerac Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family-owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award-winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

We’re proud of our award-winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award-winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Job Description/Responsibilities

Join our Payroll team in a key role focused on strengthening payroll governance, tax compliance, and controls across a complex, multi-jurisdictional environment. As the Payroll Tax and Compliance Lead, you will serve as the primary owner of payroll compliance monitoring, tax administration, and control effectiveness while partnering across HR, Finance, Legal, and external providers. This role is ideal for an experienced payroll professional who enjoys solving complex compliance challenges, improving processes, and building controls that support accurate and efficient payroll operations.

What You’ll Do

• Lead payroll tax administration and compliance across U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdictions, Canadian federal and provincial requirements, and applicable global payroll operations.
• Establish and monitor payroll controls, reconciliations, funding validation, payroll-to-GL controls, and audit processes to identify risk and prevent errors and financial leakage.
• Monitor regulatory changes and translate new requirements into payroll system, process, policy, and control updates while maintaining audit-ready documentation.
• Investigate tax notices, payroll discrepancies, audit findings, and recurring exceptions, using root-cause analysis to implement sustainable solutions.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, government agencies, external advisors, and payroll vendors while identifying opportunities to standardize, automate, and improve payroll processes.

Qualifications/Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Human Resources, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience with demonstrated expertise in payroll tax, compliance, controls, reconciliations, and audits within a complex, multi-jurisdictional environment.
• Demonstrated experience with Canadian payroll compliance and supporting global payroll compliance across multiple countries.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll taxation and compliance, with strong analytical, problem-solving, and Microsoft Excel skills.

Preferred

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or other relevant payroll certification.
• Experience with enterprise payroll technology; Dayforce experience strongly preferred.
• Experience managing payroll tax and/or global payroll vendors and resolving complex compliance matters with government agencies and external providers.

#LI-TH1

#Hybrid

Culture and Benefits

Sazerac offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, paid time off, and more. These benefits may vary depending on location and work type. Learn more about how we support our employees here.

The annual salary range for this role is $96,142.80 - $144,214.20. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations.

Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.