Manager, US Payroll Operations

Job Overview

The Payroll Operations Manager is responsible for leading end-to-end payroll operations while ensuring full compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. This role oversees payroll processing, internal controls, risk management, and regulatory reporting, while also driving strategic initiatives to improve efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and employee experience. This leader ensures payroll is processed accurately and timely across all employee populations, maintaining strict adherence to wage and hour laws, tax regulations, SOX/internal control frameworks, and company policies.

This leader also works in close partnership with IT, HR, and organizational leaders to support payroll systems focused on process improvement and optimization. Responsibilities may include building business requirements, developing and refining processes, conducting systems analysis, managing change control, and overseeing communications.

This Payroll Operations Manager supports the Director, Global Payroll developing and implementing payroll strategy aligned with business growth. strategic direction, recommending and implementing best practices. 

The Payroll Operations Manager is both a compliance steward and a strategic partner, ensuring payroll operations are controlled, scalable, data-driven, and aligned with enterprise objectives

A Day In The Life

• Provide leadership for end-to-end payroll operations, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll execution across all entities.
• Manage relationships and performance with payroll service providers and system partners.
• Oversee Payroll Operations audit and compliance processes through audits, providing change management, quarterly control certifications, remediation of deficiencies, and tracking of action plans; actively participate in walk-throughs and controls testing.
• Provide Payroll Subject Matter Expertise and support for cycle processing activities such FLSA, State-Specific Rules/Regulations, Garnishments, Tax, Variance testing, Stock Vesting/SARS, Relocation, Reconciling and Auditing.
• Ensure Payroll Operations performance metrics and service level agreements (SLAs) are achieved and improved. Analyze and respond to service requests, identify trends and recommend process improvements; implement to improve service, compliance, and efficiency.
• Lead, coach, and develop payroll professionals, building enterprise capability and bench strength ensuring high standards of service delivery.
• Serve as a strategic partner to HR Operations, Finance, IT, Benefits, and Compensation on payroll‑related initiatives and transformations; Test time and payroll system functionality, document results, communicate findings, and develop procedures to ensure system updates are implemented with minimal business disruption.
• Lead Year End/Year Begin Payroll Actions, including uploads, WT & Component Set Up, Updates, Fixes, and Patches
• Ensure Payroll Processes are Prepared and Maintained  
• Provide excellent customer service and support to employees, functional areas of the Hubbell organization and external customers, providing timely and complete response and follow-up to questions and information requests.

What will help you thrive in this role?

Qualifications, Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, Information Systems or other related discipline.

• 10+ years of comprehensive payroll experience, including hands-on payroll operations and processing in complex environments
• 5+ years GlobalView, SAP and/or Dayforce Processing and support experience, including reporting, auditing and processing; must understand interdependence between HCM, Time & Attendance, and Payroll Systems. 
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation strongly preferred.
• Direct hands-on experience with SOX compliance and strong internal controls management
• SAP/SuccessFactors HR (Employee Central) & SAP Finance applications (preferred).
• Deep Understanding of Federal, multi-state and local tax regulations to ensure full compliance.
• End-to-end Payroll M&A Experience (Due Diligence, Scoping, and Integration, etc.) a plus
• Advanced proficiency in Excel.

Additional Skills:

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Superior analytical and organizational skills with a focus on synthesizing information, using sound judgment, formulating conclusions and articulating data in a way that is meaningful and valuable to stakeholders and customers. 
• Strong Documentation Discipline
• High level of integrity and discretion with confidential employee information.
• Proven ability to analyze complex issues, identify trends, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Ability to work effectively in a highly collaborative, fast‑paced, and deadline‑driven environment that is customer service oriented.
• Exceptional time management skills and ability to prioritize and multitask; must be able to balance competing priorities.
• Ability to ensure appropriate and efficient case resolution.
• Experience standardizing and documenting processes.

Travel:

• Travel may be required, 5% to 10%