Payroll Manager

We are looking for an experienced payroll leader to oversee accurate, compliant payroll operations for a large multi-location workforce in Escanaba, Michigan. This role is responsible for managing the full payroll process from preparation through final review while ensuring pay practices align with federal, state, and local requirements. The ideal candidate brings strong Paycor knowledge, sound judgment with variable compensation structures, and the ability to support payroll accuracy through detailed reconciliation and process oversight.

Responsibilities:

• Direct end-to-end payroll administration for a high-volume employee population, ensuring timely and accurate processing from input review through final approval.
• Manage payroll activity across multiple states by applying current wage and hour rules, tax withholding requirements, garnishments, deductions, and final pay obligations.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for Paycor, resolving system issues related to setup, workflows, reporting, tax configuration, and deduction processing.
• Lead payroll provider implementations or conversions by coordinating data mapping, validating historical records, supporting parallel testing, and preparing for go-live readiness.
• Review timekeeping data, approvals, schedules, and pay-impacting inputs to identify discrepancies and improve payroll accuracy before each processing cycle.
• Administer complex earnings elements such as commissions, incentives, bonuses, overtime, multiple pay rates, retroactive updates, and payroll corrections.
• Reconcile payroll registers, benefit deductions, retirement contributions, tax filings, bank funding, and general ledger outputs prior to payroll finalization.
• Partner with benefits, finance, and operational teams to resolve deduction issues, vendor discrepancies, missed contributions, and employee payroll questions.
• Oversee quarter-end and year-end payroll activities, including balancing, adjustment review, taxable earnings updates, W-2 accuracy, and response to tax notices.
• 5+ years of hands-on payroll experience with direct accountability for the full payroll cycle.
• At least 3 years of practical Paycor experience, including troubleshooting system configuration, reporting, and payroll processing issues.
• Working knowledge of multi-state payroll compliance, including tax rules, unemployment requirements, reciprocity, garnishments, and wage-related regulations.
• Experience supporting payroll for a large hourly workforce across multiple locations; retail experience is preferred, though similar distributed environments are also valued.
• Strong understanding of time and attendance processes and how upstream workforce data affects payroll outcomes.
• Proven ability to handle variable compensation models, including commissions, bonuses, overtime, rate changes, and retroactive adjustments.
• Experience with payroll reconciliation, benefit and retirement deductions, and coordination with accounting-related payroll outputs.
• Familiarity with quarter-end and year-end payroll activities such as balancing, W-2 review, fringe benefit adjustments, and tax notice resolution.