Payroll Lead

Payroll Lead - Role Definition and Performance Metrics

Position Summary

The Payroll Lead is the individual contributor responsible for accurate, timely, and compliant weekly payroll for approximately 1,200 employees across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. This role owns the payroll cycle from input review through reconciliation, serves as the go-to payroll subject-matter expert, and partners closely with Human Resources, Finance, branch leadership, and payroll vendors. The position has no direct reports but carries enterprise-wide accountability and requires sound judgment, strong controls, and strict confidentiality.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Payroll Processing

• Process weekly payroll for approximately 1,200 employees accurately and on time.

• Review and validate time records, PTO, overtime, bonuses, and other earnings before processing.

• Enter and verify new hires, terminations, transfers, pay changes, and direct-deposit updates.

• Work with branch leaders to resolve missing or inaccurate time before payroll deadlines.

• Complete pre- and post-payroll audits and confirm successful funding and payment.

• Process off-cycle payments, final pay, corrections, and voids as needed.

Deductions, Reconciliation & Accounting Support

• Administer benefit, 401(k), garnishment, child support, levy, housing, and uniform deductions.

• Reconcile payroll registers, taxes, and deductions each cycle and resolve variances.

• Reconcile payroll-related vendor invoices and provide coding to Accounts Payable.

• Provide payroll reports and journal-entry support to Finance and Accounting.

• Support internal, external, benefit, and workers’ compensation audits.

Tax & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with federal and NC, SC, and FL payroll tax and wage-and-hour requirements.

• Coordinate quarterly and year-end processing, including W-2s, W-2cs, 1095s, and SUTA/FUTA reporting.

• Work with payroll vendors and agencies to resolve tax notices and filing discrepancies.

• Support payroll processing for H-2B workers, including arrivals and departures.

• Stay current on payroll regulations and escalate compliance risks promptly.

Employee Support & Partnership

• Serve as the primary contact for employee payroll questions and resolve issues promptly.

• Partner with HR and Benefits to ensure payroll-impacting changes are accurate and timely.

• Communicate payroll deadlines and process changes clearly to branches and leaders.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate payroll data across HR, payroll, and timekeeping systems.

• Protect confidential employee, compensation, and banking information.

• Document payroll procedures, checklists, and backup plans to ensure continuity.

• Identify root causes of recurring errors and implement practical fixes.

• Serve as payroll subject-matter expert for system upgrades and implementations.

• 3–5 years of hands-on payroll processing experience; experience with 500+ employees required, 1,000+ preferred.

• Working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax, garnishments, deductions, and wage-and-hour rules.

• Experience with payroll, HRIS, and timekeeping systems (UKG, ADP, Microsoft GP, BossLM, or similar).

• Strong Excel skills, including lookups, pivot tables, and reconciliations.

• High attention to detail, strong organization, and ability to meet fixed deadlines.

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in accounting, HR, business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.

• CPP or FPC certification preferred, or willingness to obtain.

Success Metrics & KPIs

• On-time payroll delivery (target: 100% of cycles).

• Payroll accuracy rate and number of off-cycle corrections.

• Payroll reconciliations completed by deadline each cycle.

• Employee payroll inquiry resolution time.

• Timely, accurate quarterly and year-end filings with no penalties.