Senior Manager, Global Payroll

corus; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 136,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance options

Dental coverage

Vision insurance 100% paid

Retirement plan

Paid time off (PTO)

Wellness incentives

Work-life balance programs

Job summary

Corus International seeks a Senior Manager, Global Payroll in Washington, DC, to deliver accurate U.S. payroll and oversee global payroll/timekeeping operations. The role reports to Global Controller and supports system integrations with ADP Payroll, Sage Intacct, and new ERP platforms.

You will drive internal controls, participate in digital transformation, and partner with Finance, HR, IT, and international teams to ensure timely payroll processing in a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field; 7+ years of payroll experience.
• Experience managing U.S. payroll using ADP Workforce Now.
• Experience supporting year-end audits and payroll audit schedules.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll regulations, tax requirements, and compliance.
• Advanced proficiency in ADP Workforce Now.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, reconciliations, data analysis).

Responsibilities

• Process semi-monthly payroll for ~150 U.S.-based employees in ADP Workforce Now.
• Ensure accurate calculation of earnings, deductions, taxes, and employer contributions.
• Lead timesheet onboarding and manage U.S. payroll controls.
• Oversee global payroll and timekeeping with cross-border coordination.
• Maintain audit readiness and support annual financial statement audits.
• Develop dashboards and collaborate on process improvements.

Skills

US payroll expertise

Payroll process improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Audit readiness

Attention to detail

Excel data analysis

Project management

Strong communication

Timekeeping oversight

Education

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

CPP designation (preferred)

Tools

ADP Workforce Now

Sage Intacct (targeted transition)

Workday (HCM)

Job description

22Position Title: Senior Manager, Global Payroll

Position Type: Regular Full-Time

Department: Finance & Administration

Location: Washington, DC - Hybrid

Salary Range: $85,000 - $110,000 - $136,000

Corus International provides a competitive, growth-oriented, yet fiscally responsible compensation program. When determining an offer for employment, multiple factors are considered including relevant years of experience, education, skills, internal equity, and budget. Our overall approach is to target the minimum to midpoint for starting salaries, based on these factors.

Additionally, Corus provides a comprehensive and competitive employee benefit package to protect our valued and dedicated staff and their families. Our benefits include three medical plan options with comprehensive prescription drug coverage, low-cost dental coverage with 100% paid vision insurance. Corus also provides a generous retirement plan and PTO to include vacation, sick, holiday, parental, jury, international travel, and bereavement leave; employer-sponsored basic life/AD&D insurance; employee wellness incentives, and employee work/life balance and assistance programs.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Global Payroll reports to the Global Controller and is a key member of the General Accounting team, responsible for delivering accurate, compliant, and audit-ready U.S. payroll, while providing oversight of global payroll and timekeeping processes and technical supervision to the Global Payroll & Allocations Manager based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The role ensures strong internal controls, supports audits, and drives process improvements and system integrations to enhance efficiency, scalability, and data integrity.

The Senior Manager plays a critical role in contributing to the organization's digital transformation, including integration between ADP Payroll, timekeeping systems, and the new Finance & Accounting ERP system. The role also supports broader organizational related to compensation, personnel cost allocation, and process automation.

This position will be based at Headquarters in Washington, DC and will operate in a hybrid work model, with in-office days each week on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Responsibilities

U.S. Payroll Administration

• Process semi-monthly payroll for approximately 150 U.S.-based employees in ADP Workforce Now.
• Ensure accurate calculation of earnings, deductions, benefits, taxes, and employer contributions.
• Review and validate payroll registers, audit reports, and exception reports prior to submission.
• Ensure timely tax remittance and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Manage year-end payroll processes, including W-2s, reconciliations, and filings.
• Prepare monthly payroll journal entries and US labor cost allocation.
• Reconcile all payroll-related general ledger accounts.
• Lead the timesheet onboarding for US based staff.

Global Payroll Oversight

• Direct the country office payroll to ensure that operations performed through Multiplier are completed timely.
• Review and approve payroll journal entries, as needed.
• Review and approve balance sheet reconciliations prepared by the Global Payroll & Allocations Manager.
• Provide technical guidance and ongoing support to the Global Payroll & Allocations Manager.
• Coordinate with the Manager, General Accounting to ensure timely funding of Multiplier cash draws.
• Manage EOR payroll disbursements and maintain strong relationships with the service providers.
• Backstop the global payroll allocation process.

Timecard Governance

• Direct and manage the timesheet submission process across all entities.
• Ensure timely and complete submission of timecards across all country offices.
• Partner with country and program leadership to drive compliance with timekeeping policies.
• Develop reporting dashboards and track compliance metrics related to timecard completion and labor allocations.

Audit Readiness, Compliance, & Financial Reporting Support

• Maintain payroll operations in a continuous state of audit readiness.
• Develop and maintain clear documentation of payroll processes, controls, and system workflows.
• Prepare audit schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation for the annual financial statement audit.
• Serve as primary point of contact for payroll-related audit inquiries.
• Support year-end accruals, including PTO, bonuses, payroll taxes, and benefits.
• Ensure accuracy of payroll-related balance sheet accounts and support monthly and year-end reconciliations.
• Assist with Single Audit or other compliance audits as needed.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable U.S. wage and hour laws, tax regulations, benefit plan requirements related to payroll, and nonprofit-specific regulations.
• Maintain strong internal controls over payroll processes, including segregation of duties and approval workflows.
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively adjust payroll processes as required.
• Partner with Finance to ensure payroll transactions are properly coded and aligned with cost allocation requirements.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of payroll operations.
• Support the transition of timesheets from ADP Workforce Now to Sage Intacct, including data validation, parallel testing, and control design.
• Support the design, implementation, and testing of FlexSpring.
• Lead or support integration between Payroll, Workday (HCM), and the new Finance & Accounting system.
• Maintain payroll policies and procedure documentation.

Strategic & Cross-Functional Support

• Support initiatives related to compensation analysis, and personnel cost forecasting.
• Contribute to expanding global payroll governance and administrative oversight as U.S. processes are optimized.
• Participate in organizational efficiency and transformation initiatives related to personnel costs.

Supervisory:

• Provides technical supervision to the Global Payroll & Allocations Manager based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field and a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible payroll experience; or the equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Experience must include U.S. payroll management using ADP Workforce Now.
• Experience supporting year-end financial statement audits and preparing payroll audit schedules.
• Experience improving payroll process automation and system integrations.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations and tax requirements.
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting, including accruals, liabilities, reconciliations, and year-end reporting.
• Knowledge of audit documentation standards and internal control frameworks.
• Advanced proficiency in ADP Workforce Now.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, reconciliations, data analysis).
• Ability to analyze payroll data, identify discrepancies, and resolve complex issues.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to maintain payroll operations in an audit-ready state at all times.
• Ability to manage deadlines in a high-compliance, deadline-driven environment.
• Demonstrated ability to improve operational efficiency and scale processes.
• Strong project management skills, particularly in system implementation environments.
• High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism in handling confidential information.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work cross-functionally with HR, Finance, IT, and international teams.
• Ability to respond effectively to auditors and external stakeholders.
• Ability to train and guide managers and staff on payroll and timekeeping requirements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting payroll system implementations or transitions (e.g., Workday Payroll) strongly preferred.
• Experience integrating payroll systems with ERP/Finance systems preferred.
• Experience in a nonprofit organization is preferred.
• Experience supporting multi-entity or multi-state payroll environments strongly preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation preferred.
• Familiarity with nonprofit cost allocation principles and compliance frameworks is a plus.

Physical and Mental Requirements

• The physical requirements that may be needed to execute responsibilities may include bending, standing, and walking, etc.
• The mental requirements that are essential to satisfactorily executing the responsibilities outlined in this job description include, but are not limited to: learning new tasks, comprehending, and retaining information, completing tasks independently, effectively communicating verbally and in writing, demonstrating proficiency in using computer software to perform assigned tasks.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities for the position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice. All positions are required to perform any additional tasks assigned by the supervisor. Global positions that are bound by contracts will not be changed without notice and approval.

Working Conditions, Travel and Environment

• Corus has a hybrid work policy, allowing work to be done remotely; two days per week (Tuesday and Wednesday) in the office is required. The employee must be available to work outside normal office hours or weekends as required.
• This position must be able to travel as required for standard domestic business purposes.
• If applicable, must have authorization to work in the country of assignment.

As a member of the Corus Family, each employee is expected to

• Foster a work environment where everyone feels valued and included.
• Support employees' evaluation and promotion processes based on skills and performance.
• Promote a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all members of Corus family, stakeholders in general, and particularly for the communities we serve.
• Follow Corus Code of Conduct helping to prevent any type of abuse including workplace harassment, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in persons.
• Adhere to the Organizational Core Values.

Corus International is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.