Sr Manager, Payroll Compliance, Operations - Global Industrial

Motion; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k) plan

Tuition reimbursement

Vacation and holiday pay

Sick leave

Job summary

Motion is seeking a Senior Manager of Payroll Compliance/Operations to lead payroll for a complex, multi-state and international organization. You will oversee a team of about 10 professionals, ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing while partnering with HR, Finance, and Internal Audit.

The role requires deep expertise in full-cycle payroll, payroll accounting, and SOX controls, with strong leadership, reporting, and process improvement capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field with 10+ years of payroll leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of multi-state and international payroll operations.
• Proven ability to lead payroll compliance and internal controls in a SOX environment.
• Experience with Workday Payroll and Workday HCM is required.

Responsibilities

• Direct and optimize full-cycle payroll for multiple states and international operations.
• Ensure payroll accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance (federal, state, local).
• Lead and develop a payroll team of 10+ professionals; set performance standards.
• Coordinate with HR, Finance, Internal Audit and leadership on controls and reporting.

Skills

Full-cycle payroll

Payroll compliance

Payroll accounting

SOX controls

Audit support

Excel

Education

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

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Workday Payroll

Workday HCM

Job description

Summary

The Senior Manager of Payroll Compliance/Operations leads payroll operations for a complex, international and multi-state organization. Reporting directly to the Director of Payroll, this role is responsible for ensuring the accurate and compliant processing of payroll while providing leadership to a team of approximately 10 payroll professionals.

The ideal candidate is a subject matter expert in full-cycle payroll administration, payroll compliance, payroll accounting, and internal controls. This leader will partner closely with Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Internal Audit, and senior business leaders to ensure payroll operations support organizational goals, financial reporting requirements, and SOX compliance standards. This position offers the opportunity to influence payroll strategy, lead process improvements, develop talent, and drive operational excellence across the payroll function.

Job Duties

• Leads all aspects of full-cycle, international and multi-state payroll processing for exempt and non-exempt employees.
• Ensures payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Oversees payroll-related activities including earnings, deductions, taxation, garnishments, benefits, direct deposits, and year-end processing.
• Manages payroll calendars, processing schedules, quality controls, and service level expectations.
• Reviews payroll audits, exception reports, reconciliations, and data validation processes to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Leads, coaches, and develops a team of payroll professionals.
• Establishes performance expectations and drive accountability across the department.
• Conducts performance reviews, succession planning, and career development activities.
• Supports onboarding and training initiatives for new payroll team members.
• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement, customer service, collaboration, and compliance.
• Partners closely with Finance and Accounting teams to ensure payroll transactions are accurately reflected in the general ledger.
• Oversees payroll accruals, journal entries, and month-end close activities.
• Ensures payroll data supports accurate financial reporting and forecasting.
• Analyzes payroll trends and provides meaningful reporting and recommendations to leadership.
• Maintains and strengthens payroll controls within a SOX-compliant environment.
• Ensures adherence to payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, tax requirements, and company policies.
• Develops, monitors, and improves payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls.
• Partners with Internal Audit and Compliance teams to evaluate and mitigate payroll-related risks.
• Maintains documentation and evidence supporting payroll control activities.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external payroll audits.
• Coordinates audit requests while ensuring timely delivery of supporting documentation.
• Manages complex payroll issues and escalations, providing resolution and guidance to employees, leaders, and stakeholders.
• Identifies root causes and implements corrective actions to prevent recurring issues.
• Serves as the Payroll functional lead for Workday Absence, Payroll, and Time and Scheduling while partnering with HRIS, IT, Finance, and business stakeholders to optimize payroll processes and system performance.
• Oversees payroll-related Workday configuration, testing, validation, and release management activities.
• Leads payroll participation in Workday enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and new functionality deployments.
• Ensures data integrity between Workday Payroll, Human Capital Management (HCM), Benefits, Time Tracking, Finance, and third-party systems.
• Develops and maintains payroll reporting, dashboards, and analytics within Workday to support operational and leadership needs.
• Identifies opportunities to leverage Workday functionality to improve efficiency, strengthen controls, and enhance employee experience.

Education & Experience

• Typically requires a bachelor's in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; Master’s degree preferred. Ten (10) or more years of progressive payroll experience, including significant experience managing multi-state payroll operations. Five (5) or more years of leadership experience managing payroll teams.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Experience with Workday Payroll and Workday HCM.
• Extensive knowledge of full-cycle payroll processing and administration.
• Strong understanding of payroll tax regulations, wage and hour laws, and payroll compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting payroll accounting functions, including journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and month-end close processes.
• Demonstrated experience working within a SOX-controlled environment.
• Experience supporting internal and external audit activities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience utilizing payroll reporting tools.

Physical Demands

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY: 2-5 Direct Reports

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY: Yes

Company Information

• Motion offers an excellent benefits package which includes options for healthcare coverage,401(k), tuition reimbursement, vacation, sick, and holiday pay

GPC conducts its business without regard to sex, race, creed, color, religion, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, age, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, military status, status as a veteran, or any other protected characteristic. GPC's policy is to recruit, hire, train, promote, assign, transfer and terminate employees based on their own ability, achievement, experience and conduct and other legitimate business reasons.