Senior Payroll Manager

Ascendo Resources; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading staffing firm seeks an experienced Senior Payroll Manager to oversee payroll operations across North America. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance, optimizing payroll processes, and leading a team of professionals. The ideal candidate will have a background in large organizations, an accounting or related degree, and strong leadership skills. This position offers a unique opportunity to drive innovation within payroll functions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of payroll experience in large, complex organizations.
• 5+ years in a leadership role preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation heavily preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll operations across multiple entities.
• Oversee payroll team and compliance activities.
• Drive payroll innovation through technology and automation.

Skills

Payroll operations management

Compliance expertise

Leadership and team development

Process improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field

Tools

Workday Payroll

ADP

SAP

Oracle

Job description

Overview

Our client, a Fortune 500 manufacturing corporation, is seeking an experienced Senior Payroll Manager to lead the strategy, integrity, and delivery of payroll operations across North America. This individual will oversee the full payroll function, ensuring compliance, efficiency, and scalability, while driving innovation through technology, automation, and process improvement.

As a key member of the corporate finance and HR leadership teams, this position will shape payroll strategy, partner cross-functionally, and mentor a team of payroll professionals in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the administration, accuracy, and compliance of North American payroll operations, ensuring timely and precise processing across multiple entities.
• Oversee the payroll team responsible for managing all payroll cycles, reporting, reconciliations, and compliance activities.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for payroll regulations and taxation across U.S. and Canada.
• Develop and maintain payroll policies, processes, and internal controls to ensure compliance with all regulatory and SOX requirements.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and Legal to align payroll activities with organizational objectives and ensure data integrity across systems.
• Drive payroll innovation by optimizing Workday Payroll (or comparable ERP systems) and implementing automation technologies (AI/RPA) to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Evaluate the impact of new payroll regulations and lead compliance updates.
• Provide direction and mentorship to payroll team members, fostering continuous learning, accountability, and professional growth.
• Prepare and review payroll-related journal entries, reconciliations, variance analyses, and accruals during monthly and quarterly closes.
• Lead change management efforts tied to system upgrades, mergers/acquisitions, or reorganizations.
• Establish and report on key performance metrics to assess process effectiveness, accuracy, and service quality.
• Act as a primary liaison during internal and external audits related to payroll.
• Communicate payroll risks, insights, and recommendations to senior leadership, supporting data-driven decision-making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience in large, complex, multi-entity organizations, including 5+ years in a leadership role preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation heavily preferred.
• Experience managing payroll operations across multiple countries (U.S. and Canada preferred).
• Hands-on expertise with Workday Payroll; ADP, SAP, or Oracle experience also considered.
• Proven experience leading payroll through ERP implementations, integrations, or major transformations.
• Demonstrated success building and developing high-performing teams.
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to drive process improvement and automation initiatives in a high-volume environment.

Ascendo is a certified minority owned staffing firm, and we welcome and celebrate diversity.

Ascendo is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, military service or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.