Senior Payroll Strategy & Compliance Leader

Mariner Finance; Maryland; On-site; USD 106,000 - 134,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Mariner Finance seeks an experienced payroll leader to oversee multi-state biweekly payroll, drive accuracy and regulatory compliance, and optimize payroll systems. The role partners with senior leadership to set priorities and ensure efficient, compliant payroll operations across the organization.

The ideal candidate will bring 8+ years of payroll experience, leadership capabilities, strong tax knowledge, and a track record of process improvement in a high-volume environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in HR, Finance, or Accounting or 4 additional years of experience can substitute for a degree.
• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience, including multi-state processing in high-volume environments.
• Experience administering payroll for large workforces with high accuracy and compliance.
• 2+ years of people leadership experience, including coaching and accountability.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll laws, tax regulations, and compliance.
• Ability to translate organizational objectives into payroll priorities and initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end payroll function for multi-state biweekly payroll processing.
• Partner with senior leadership to establish payroll priorities and operating plans.
• Develop and coach the payroll team to ensure accountability and continuous improvement.
• Own payroll cycle execution, validation, balancing, reconciliation, and approvals.
• Oversee payroll systems, integrations, testing, upgrades, and issue resolution for continuity and scalability.
• Maintain internal controls and documentation to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Lead payroll audits and year-end activities (W-2, ACA filings, reconciliations).

Skills

Payroll leadership

Multi-state payroll

Regulatory compliance

Executive communication

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Finance/Accounting

Tools

Dayforce

UKG

HRIS

Job description

Mariner Finance seeks an experienced payroll leader to oversee multi-state biweekly payroll, drive accuracy and regulatory compliance, and optimize payroll systems. The role partners with senior leadership to set priorities and ensure efficient, compliant payroll operations across the organization.

The ideal candidate will bring 8+ years of payroll experience, leadership capabilities, strong tax knowledge, and a track record of process improvement in a high-volume environment.