Sr. Manager Payroll - Decatur, IL

Job Description

Sr. Manager Payroll - Decatur, IL

Position Summary
The Payroll Team Manager oversees the internal retained payroll team working with a third-party payroll provider. While day-to-day payroll processing is completed by the external provider, this role ensures payroll accuracy, compliance, timely issue resolution, and a positive employee experience. The manager leads a team responsible for escalations, payroll policy updates, vendor performance oversight, auditing, and continuous improvement.  This team has daily interaction with inputs and outputs from modern and complex payroll and timekeeping systems, validating labor hours, and ensuring compliance with union agreements, labor laws, and company policies.  
Key Responsibilities
Vendor & Payroll Oversight

• Serve as the primary operational liaison with the third-party payroll provider, ensuring adherence to SLAs, accuracy standards, and compliance requirements.
• Monitor vendor performance metrics, error rates, cycle timelines, and service delivery quality; partner with the vendor to drive root-cause analysis and corrections.
• Coordinate year-end payroll activities, tax filings, off-cycle runs, and regulatory updates with the outsourced provider.
• Validate payroll data from the timekeeping system (e.g. Workforce Software).
• Review and approve payroll reports before final submission.

• Manage complex, high-priority payroll issues escalated by employees, HR, or leadership, ensuring timely resolution and clear communication.
• Liaise with the third-party provider and the in house centralized HR data entry team on timely resolution to integration errors between related systems.
• Oversee research and auditing of anomalies, discrepancies, or payment issues, ensuring appropriate remediation and documentation.
• Develop and maintain escalation protocols and standard operating procedures.

• Audit timecard approvals and ensure compliance with attendance policies.
• Maintain and update payroll policies, procedures, and governance documentation in alignment with legal, regulatory, and internal requirements.
• Partner with Legal, Tax, HR, and Finance to assess regulatory changes and ensure payroll policies remain compliant across all jurisdictions.
• Support internal audits, SOX controls, and risk management activities; ensure data privacy and security standards are upheld.
• Union Contract Compliance: Ensure payroll calculations, deductions, and benefits align with multiple union agreements and collective bargaining requirements.
• Stay updated on legislative changes impacting payroll and timekeeping.

• Foster a high-quality employee payroll experience through accurate information, responsive service, and clear communication.
• Develop employee-facing materials such as FAQs, knowledge articles, and communication templates for payroll changes or issues.
• Analyze employee feedback and payroll trends to recommend improvements to systems, processes, or vendor practices.

• Lead, coach, and develop a retained payroll operations team focused on quality, service, and continuous improvement.
• Allocate workload, establish team goals, and provide performance feedback.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and process ownership.

• Identify gaps, inefficiencies, or recurring issues within outsourced payroll processes and escalate to the vendor or internal partners.
• Participate in payroll system enhancements, upgrades, and cross-functional projects.
• Develop KPIs and reporting dashboards to measure payroll accuracy, timeliness, and employee satisfaction.

Required Qualifications
Experience

• 7–10 years of payroll operations experience, including at least 3–5 years in a leadership or team-management role.
• Experience working within an outsourced or hybrid payroll operating model strongly preferred.
• Hands-on experience with payroll escalations, audit controls, and compliance in multi-state or multi-country environments.

• Strong understanding of payroll fundamentals: wage calculations, deductions, taxes, year-end processing, and compliance.
• Ability to interpret regulatory changes and translate them into policy or process updates.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex payroll issues in a clear, employee-friendly manner.
• Vendor manag