Senior Payroll Leader — Multi-State & UKG Pro Expert

LJA Engineering; Katy (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous Time Off

Comprehensive Benefits

Family Support

Education Support

Referral Bonuses

Community Impact

Professional Development

Career Growth

Fun Culture

Job summary

LJA, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Payroll Manager to provide strategic leadership and oversight of multi-state payroll operations. You will optimize UKG Pro, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner with HR, Benefits, Accounting, and operations leadership.

You will guide a payroll team through change, implement scalable processes, and manage systems like BST, Spectrum, Vision, and QuickBooks to support accurate financial reporting.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership and supervisory responsibilities in a complex, multi-state environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of multi-state payroll operations, ensuring payroll is processed accurately, timely, securely, and in compliance with applicable requirements through UKG Pro.
• Monitor and interpret federal, state, and local payroll regulations and labor law changes, and proactively implement necessary process and system updates.
• Oversee the administration, reconciliation, and remittance of 401(k) payroll deductions in accordance with plan requirements and regulatory guidelines.
• Review payroll documentation, general ledger coding, funding requests, and journal entries for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with internal accounting standards.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the payroll team through coaching, training, goal setting, performance management, and employee engagement initiatives.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability, and service standards that promote accuracy, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the payroll subject matter expert and key partner to Human Resources, Benefits, Accounting, and operational leaders on payroll matters and compliance considerations.
• Drive operational excellence by evaluating payroll processes, identifying enhancements, and implementing scalable solutions that improve productivity, accuracy, controls, and service delivery.
• Lead UKG Pro enhancements, automation, and optimization initiatives to maximize technology investments and reduce manual processes.
• Manage payroll-related systems and integrations, including UKG Pro, BST, Spectrum, Vision, and QuickBooks, to support data accuracy and effective business processes.
• Lead complex payroll projects, system implementations, testing, and cross-functional process improvements.
• Direct period-end payroll activities, including journal entries, account reconciliations, schedules, analyses, and reporting, to support timely and accurate financial reporting.
• Maintain payroll documentation and strengthen internal controls to support consistency, security, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance.
• Support internal and external audits, including 401(k), ESOP, FAR, financial, and compliance audits, by providing accurate records, analyses, and documentation.
• Lead payroll integration activities associated with mergers and acquisitions, including payroll setup, data validation, system conversion, testing, employee transition, and post-integration stabilization.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to assess payroll risks, requirements, timelines, and dependencies related to acquisitions and organizational changes.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic payroll

Multistate payroll

UKG Pro expertise

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, accounting, finance, or a related field

CPP certification

Tools

UKG Pro

BST

Spectrum

Vision

QuickBooks

Job description

LJA, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Payroll Manager to provide strategic leadership and oversight of multi-state payroll operations. You will optimize UKG Pro, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner with HR, Benefits, Accounting, and operations leadership.

You will guide a payroll team through change, implement scalable processes, and manage systems like BST, Spectrum, Vision, and QuickBooks to support accurate financial reporting.