Senior Payroll Operations Lead (Multi-State)

Black Box; Bowling Green (OH); On-site; USD 85,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Box is seeking an experienced HR Operations professional with deep payroll expertise to lead payroll operations across a complex, multi-state workforce. You will ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing while optimizing HR systems and reporting.

This role partners with Finance and HRBPs on onboarding/offboarding payroll inputs, reconciles payroll data, and drives automation to improve accuracy and the employee experience.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in payroll or HR operations.
• Experience with multi-state payroll in the U.S.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• Strong knowledge of payroll compliance and wage laws.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot, lookups, reconciliation).
• Experience with payroll systems.
• Experience supporting field-based or hourly workforce.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for multi-state employees (corporate, field, and project-based workforce).
• Ensure accurate and timely payroll execution (bi-weekly/monthly cycles).
• Manage payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, bonuses, commissions, and deductions.
• Partner with Finance to reconcile payroll data, general ledger, and reporting.
• Handle payroll audits, discrepancies, and employee escalations.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws.
• Prepare and validate payroll reports, audits, and filings.
• Maintain documentation for audits and regulatory reviews.
• Track and report payroll metrics and trends using Excel and Power BI.
• Oversee employee data changes impacting payroll (job changes, compensation updates).
• Partner with HRBPs and Talent Acquisition on onboarding/offboarding payroll inputs.
• Ensure data integrity between HRIS and payroll systems.
• Support benefits deductions, leave tracking, and timekeeping systems.
• Identify and implement payroll process improvements and automation opportunities.
• Streamline workflows between HR, Finance, and Payroll.
• Improve accuracy, reduce manual effort, and enhance employee experience.
• Act as the primary point of contact for payroll-related queries and escalations.
• Partner with internal stakeholders across HR, Finance, and Operations.
• Provide guidance on payroll policies, procedures, and best practices.

Skills

Payroll processing

Multi-state payroll

Excel

Power BI

Tableau

Payroll systems

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Field-based workforce

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Finance/Accounting

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Black Box is seeking an experienced HR Operations professional with deep payroll expertise to lead payroll operations across a complex, multi-state workforce. You will ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing while optimizing HR systems and reporting.

This role partners with Finance and HRBPs on onboarding/offboarding payroll inputs, reconciles payroll data, and drives automation to improve accuracy and the employee experience.