North America Payroll & Data Analytics Manager

North America Payroll & Data Analytics Manager

PQ is a leading global provider of silicates, silicas and derivative products. PQ’s products are used in a wide variety of industrial processes and many customer products, from decorative paints to green cement, from clean drinking water to green tires and from toothpaste to biofuels and beer.

Working collaboratively with PQ’s HR team, leaders and employees, this role is solely responsible for to-end payroll administration for all North America employees across the US and Canada, ensuring accurate, timely payroll for union, non-exempt and exempt populations across multiple states and provinces.

In addition to payroll execution and compliance, this position serves as a key owner of select HR technology platforms and workforce data reporting, supporting HR processes such as performance management, compensation planning, workforce planning, and employee lifecycle transactions. The role partners closely with HR leadership, Finance, and IT to ensure HR systems are optimized, integrated, secure, and aligned with business needs.

This position requires strong technical capability, attention to detail, and a continuous improvement mindset. The successful candidate will demonstrate a persistent, solution-based approach, proactively identifying opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, enhance system functionality, and deliver meaningful workforce insights through analytics and reporting.

Ideal candidates align with PQ’s Core Values of Integrity, Sustainability, People, Customer Focus and Safety. Successful employees embrace and model these values in their behaviors and actions.

• Manage all aspects of payroll for union and non-union employees in the U.S. and Canada, including data entry for new hires, terminations, and updates.
• Process payroll transactions including salaries, bonuses, commissions, shift differentials, retroactive pay, benefits deductions, garnishments, taxes, and other earnings/deductions.
• Maintain payroll master data including new hires, terminations, job changes, wage increases, and employee status updates.
• Partner with Benefits Manager on payroll-related benefits processing, including disability pay coordination, benefit deductions, and vendor file reconciliation.
• Prepare and process final paychecks, terminations, and off-cycle payrolls in compliance with applicable state and provincial regulations.
• Serve as the payroll subject matter expert, responsible for maintaining and continuously improving payroll procedures, controls and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and provincial wage and hour laws, payroll regulations, and company policies.
• Administer payroll-related requirements within union contracts, including shift premiums, overtime rules, and contract-driven wage increases.
• Maintain strong internal payroll controls, ensuring proper approvals, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Stay current on payroll legislation and regulatory changes, recommending process and system updates as needed.
• Serve as the primary HR functional owner for North America payroll and timekeeping systems (ADP Workforce Now and ADP Time & Attendance).
• Provide support and functional administration for additional HR technology platforms supporting performance management, compensation planning, workforce planning, and employee data management.
• Support system configuration, security roles, workflow approvals, and data governance to ensure accurate employee data and controlled access.
• Lead system testing and validation for enhancements, new features, annual updates, and process improvements, ensuring minimal disruption to payroll and HR cycles.
• Develop training materials and deliver training to HR team members, plant administrators, and managers on payroll, timekeeping, and related HR systems.
• Maintain vendor relationships and serve as key contact for HR technology providers, supporting issue resolution and continuous optimization.

• Develop and maintain workforce dashboards and recurring…