Human Resources Payroll

Role Summary

The Payroll Senior Executive/Assistant Manager is a critical role responsible for the governance, execution, and continuous improvement of the end-to-end payroll function for all retail employees. This role ensures timely, complex calculation accuracy, establishes robust internal controls, leads compliance efforts against all statutory regulations, and manages the integration of payroll data with the company's financial systems.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Payroll Governance & Execution

• Process Leadership: Lead and oversee the entire monthly payroll cycle, ensuring disbursement to all retail employees is accurate, timely, and executed with high transactional integrity.

• Data Control (Phase 1 Focus): Govern the data validation process, establishing rigorous internal controls and audit checkpoints for all payroll inputs, including timecards (regular and overtime), employee status changes (promotions, terminations), and deduction elections.

• Complex Calculation & Verification (Phase 2 & 3 Focus): Direct and verify the precise calculation of gross pay, ensuring correct application of statutory Wage & Hour Laws (FLSA/Local Equivalents), particularly complex overtime and bonus rules. Oversee the accurate calculation and reconciliation of all mandatory and voluntary deductions to finalize Net Pay.

• Financial Integration (Phase 4 Focus): Manage the payment reconciliation process and ensure seamless, accurate, and timely integration and posting of all payroll data into the company's General Ledger (GL) system for cost allocation and reporting.

Compliance Framework & Audit Readiness

• Regulatory Ownership: Own the compliance framework for all compensation activities, ensuring the payroll system and all related policies are constantly aligned with national and local Tax Authority Regulations and labor laws.

• Tax Remittance & Reporting (Phase 5 Focus): Direct and validate the accurate and timely remittance of all withheld Federal, State, and Local taxes, as well as statutory contributions. Take ownership of the preparation and distribution of all mandatory year-end tax statements (e.g., W-2, T4).

• Audit Leadership: Act as the primary internal contact for all payroll-related audits (internal, external, or government-led), providing comprehensive documentation and demonstrating internal control effectiveness.

• Grievance Resolution: Resolve highly complex or escalated employee queries and discrepancies related to pay, benefits, and tax withholding, ensuring root cause analysis and implementing corrective process changes.

HRIS Management & Process Improvement

• System Integrity: Serve as the subject matter expert for the Payroll module within the HRIS, ensuring data integrity, system optimization, and security of all personal identifying information (PII) as per Data Privacy protocols.

• Policy Implementation: Translate complex legal and statutory changes into actionable updates within the payroll system and HR policies.

• Stakeholder Liaison: Coordinate with Finance, Operations, and external payroll/benefit vendors to streamline data flow and ensure cross-functional accountability.

Qualifications Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or a related quantitative field.

• Minimum of 5-7 years of progressive, hands-on experience managing and calculating high-volume, full-cycle payroll.

Skills & Competencies

• Advanced Payroll & Accounting Proficiency: Exceptional ability to manage complex gross-to-net payroll processes and reconcile payroll outputs to the General Ledger.

• Regulatory Expertise: Expert-level knowledge of employment tax, wage & hour legislation, and benefit regulations (e.g., ERISA).

• Leadership & Process Improvement: Proven track record of establishing internal controls, documenting procedures, and leading process optimization projects.

• System Mastery: Advanced proficiency with enterprise-level payroll/HRIS software (e.g., SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, ADP Workforce Now) and advanced Excel modeling skills.

• Communication & Diplomacy: Superior ability to handle sensitive information, manage confidential matters, and liaise professionally with internal leadership and external regulatory bodies.