Senior Payroll Manager – Multi-State & Compliance

Solairus Aviation, Inc.; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Solairus Aviation, Inc. is seeking a Payroll Manager to oversee end-to-end payroll across all 50 states for hourly, salaried, and per diem employees. You will lead a payroll team, ensure accuracy, and maintain compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.

The role collaborates with HR, finance, and external Paycom/payroll providers to optimize processes, implement HRIS/payroll solutions, and support audits and reporting. A Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of experience are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive payroll experience, preferably in a multi-state payroll environment
• Minimum of 2 years of supervisory, lead, or team management experience in payroll or a closely related function
• Experience managing or supporting payroll across multiple states; 50-state payroll experience strongly preferred
• Experience using Paycom or a similar payroll/HRIS platform
• Strong knowledge of payroll processing, payroll tax requirements, wage and hour rules, garnishments, deductions, PTO accruals, payroll reporting, and payroll recordkeeping
• Experience supporting hourly, salaried, exempt, non-exempt, and per diem employee populations
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, reconciliations, and data review
• Strong math, analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with discretion and professionalism

Responsibilities

• Supervise, train, coach, and support the payroll team members.
• Assign, prioritize, and review payroll team work to ensure payroll deadlines, audit requirements, employee inquiries, and reporting needs are met accurately and on time.
• Provide day-to-day guidance to payroll staff on payroll procedures, system usage, issue resolution, prioritization, quality control, and employee service expectations.
• Serve as the first escalation point for payroll-related questions or issues that cannot be resolved by payroll staff, escalating complex matters to the Director, Total Rewards as appropriate.
• Develop, maintain, and improve payroll calendars, standard operating procedures, checklists, training materials, and internal control documentation.
• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for employees across all 50 states, including hourly, salaried, exempt, non-exempt, and per diem payrolls.
• Ensure employees are paid accurately and on time in accordance with company policies and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Oversee the accurate collection, calculation, entry, review, and reconciliation of payroll data, including regular earnings, overtime, per diem, deductions, garnishments, reimbursements, adjustments, PTO accruals, leave-related pay, and other payroll transactions.
• Maintain and oversee accurate employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, transfers, wage changes, department changes, department/tail allocations, and other employee status updates.
• Manage non-exempt timekeeping processes to ensure accuracy of reported hours, approvals, corrections, and compliance with company policy.
• Review payroll preview reports, payroll registers, exception reports, and related data to identify and resolve discrepancies before payroll is finalized.
• Coordinate final pay, retroactive pay, off-cycle payments, voids, reversals, and payroll corrections as needed.
• Maintain secure and accurate payroll records and ensure compliance with company recordkeeping, confidentiality, and data retention requirements.
• Lead payroll audit preparation and provide documentation for internal, external, tax, workers' compensation, benefits, financial, and compliance audits.
• Interpret and apply payroll policies, wage and hour requirements, garnishment rules, payroll procedures, and company practices; escalate complex compliance matters as appropriate.
• Prepare, review, and distribute payroll reports on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, including gross pay, tax deductions, benefit deductions, hours worked, PTO accruals, leave/pay data, and other payroll-related information.
• Partner with Corporate Accounting and Finance on payroll reconciliations, general ledger coding, department/tail allocations, payroll accruals, payroll reporting, and year-end activities.
• Partner with Human Resources, Benefits, and Leave Management to ensure payroll accurately reflects new hires, terminations, compensation changes, benefit deductions, leaves of absence, PTO usage, and other employee status changes.
• Respond to payroll-related inquiries from employees, managers, and departments in a timely, professional, accurate, and confidential manner.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, reporting, controls, workflows, documentation, employee experience, and system utilization.
• Lead or contribute to payroll, HRIS, benefits, compensation, audit, and process improvement projects as needed.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of employee payroll, compensation, tax, benefits, leave, and personal information.

Skills

Payroll processing

Multi-state payroll

Microsoft Excel

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Accounting/HR/Business/Finance

Tools

Paycom

Job description

Solairus Aviation, Inc. is seeking a Payroll Manager to oversee end-to-end payroll across all 50 states for hourly, salaried, and per diem employees. You will lead a payroll team, ensure accuracy, and maintain compliance with federal, state, and local requirements.

The role collaborates with HR, finance, and external Paycom/payroll providers to optimize processes, implement HRIS/payroll solutions, and support audits and reporting. A Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of experience are required.