Payroll Manager; Multi-State

Payroll Manager (Multi-State)

Fort Worth,TX, US

Experience: Manager

Salary: $105,000 - $130,000 per year

The Payroll Manager is responsible for leading and managing end-to-end payroll operations across a fast-paced, multi-site organization, ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, strong internal controls, tax compliance, and adherence to federal, state, and local wage and hour requirements.

Reporting to the CFO, this position leads a small payroll team and partners closely with Accounting, Human Resources, Finance, Operations, and organizational leadership to deliver a consistent employee experience, strengthen payroll processes, and support continued growth.

• Payroll Operations:
  Lead end-to-end payroll processing, ensuring accurate and timely payroll cycles across a multi-state, multi-location workforce.
• Multi-State Payroll & Tax:
  Manage state and local tax registrations, reconciliations, reporting, and compliance with federal, state, and local payroll requirements.
• Team Leadership:
  Lead, coach, and develop payroll team members while establishing clear performance expectations, cross-training, accountability, and consistent service standards.
• Payroll Systems:
  Manage and optimize enterprise payroll and timekeeping systems, including system integrations, configuration, testing, upgrades, reporting, and process improvements.
• Payroll Controls & Governance:
  Own payroll calendars, approvals, reconciliations, segregation of duties, exception reviews, documentation, controls, and standard operating procedures.
• Wage & Hour Compliance:
  Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, final-pay requirements, garnishment rules, record-retention requirements, and organizational policies.
• Complex Payroll Administration:
  Ensure accurate processing of commissions, bonuses, incentive compensation, retroactive adjustments, final pay, garnishments, deductions, taxable fringe benefits, and other special payments.
• Quarter-End & Year-End:
  Oversee W-2 processing, payroll tax reconciliations, amendments, year-end balancing, and coordination with payroll tax vendors.
• Benefits & Deductions:
  Partner with HR and Benefits to ensure accurate payroll treatment of benefit deductions, leave-related pay, retirement contributions, and other employee earnings and deductions.
• Audits & Reporting:
  Support payroll-related audits, maintain accurate payroll records, and prepare internal and external reports and supporting documentation.
• Payroll Analytics:
  Monitor payroll metrics, error trends, service levels, and recurring issues. Identify root causes and implement sustainable improvements that increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
• Growth & Acquisitions:
  Support acquisitions, new locations, and organizational expansion through payroll setup, tax registrations, system configuration, employee conversions, testing, and payroll readiness.
• Cross-Functional Partnership:
  Serve as the primary payroll subject matter expert and escalation point for complex matters, providing guidance to HR, Finance, Accounting, Operations, managers, and employees.
• Vendor Management:
  Manage relationships with payroll, tax, timekeeping, and other third-party vendors, escalating service issues and ensuring timely resolution.
• Continuous Improvement:
  Identify opportunities to strengthen payroll processes, controls, documentation, reporting, and system capabilities in a high-volume environment.
• ADP Workforce Now:
  Utilize ADP Workforce Now for payroll processing, reporting, system optimization, and related payroll functions.

• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including significant responsibility for multi-state payroll operations within a multi-site, multi-unit, or geographically dispersed organization.
• Previous payroll management and team leadership experience required.
• Advanced proficiency with enterprise payroll and timekeeping systems.
• ADP Workforce Now experience required, including payroll processing and reporting; experience with implementations, integrations, testing, upgrades, and optimization strongly preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of multi-state payroll taxation, wage and hour requirements, payroll accounting, reconciliations, garnishments, deductions, and year-end processes.
• Experience managing complex compensation components such as commissions, bonuses, incentive pay, retroactive adjustments, and final pay.
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax laws and regulatory…