Senior Payroll Manager

Senior Payroll Manager

Westwood Professional Services, Inc.

Westwood Professional Services, Inc. is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Senior Manager of Payroll to join our team at our headquarters in Plano, TX. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in payroll management, tax setup, and compliance, with a specific expertise in using Paylocity. This role is crucial in ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing for our organization.

* Oversee and manage the full payroll function to ensure accurate and timely processing of all employees' pay in compliance with federal, state, and local tax and payday laws.
* Develop, implement, and maintain payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls to ensure accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.
* Administer and optimize Paylocity, including configuration, system maintenance, data integrity, reporting capabilities, and coordination of automated tax filings and payroll-related interfaces
* Collaborate cross-functionally with HR, Finance, Accounting, IT, and Benefits to ensure seamless payroll operations, data consistency, budgeting, forecasting, and benefit plan administration.
* Lead, mentor, and develop the payroll team, overseeing workload planning, quality assurance, performance management, and customer service standards.
* Monitor and enhance payroll operations, identifying opportunities for system improvements, workflow efficiencies, automation, and best-practice adoption.
* Ensures compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including tax updates, wage and hour requirements, personnel changes, overtime and bonus calculations, deductions, and documentation standards and
* Verifies that all employee timesheets are submitted and retained appropriately.
* Maintain strict confidentiality and ensure proper controls to safeguard private and sensitive employee information.
* Research and resolve payroll issues, respond to employee inquiries, and communicate payroll changes, updates, and process improvements effectively to stakeholders.
* Lead payroll audit activities, including internal reviews, Wage & Hour audits, and external audits; provide required documentation and resolve discrepancies.
* Manage payroll tax compliance, ensuring timely and accurate tax payments, filings, and reconciliations in partnership with Paylocity and external agencies.
* Manages year-end closing process, including W-2 statements and year-end reporting.
* Provide payroll data and analytics from Paylocity for operational reporting, financial modeling, audit support, and leadership insights.
* Serve as the primary payroll liaison with Paylocity and technical teams, addressing system issues, testing enhancements, and ensuring ongoing system reliability.
* Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, benchmarking best practices, and participating in professional societies.

* Experience using Paylocity required
* Build scalable processes and SOPs, ensuring compliance and efficiency
* Partner closely with HR, Finance, and IT to drive integration and innovation
* Develop dashboards, analytics, and reports to inform strategic decision-making
* Ability to organize, multi-task, prioritize, work under time constraints to meet critical deadlines, supervise, and train staff
* High attention to detail with problem-solving and decision-making skills
* Ability to manage difficult payroll situations with team members, provide exceptional customer service, deal sensitively with confidential information, and work with a high degree of professionalism and with a strong work ethic
* Ability to make well-reasoned and timely decisions based on careful, objective review and informed analysis of available considerations and factors.

* Minimum of 5 years of experience in payroll management, with a strong background in tax compliance.
* Proven experience with Paylocity is required.
* Excellent understanding of payroll processes and regulations.
* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
* Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills.
* Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
* Demonstrated knowledge of managing a team of payroll staff.

At Westwood, our purpose is to create a better world for people through our work. We transform the energy grid, design resilient infrastructure, and develop communities that will flourish today and for future generations. With over 50 years of experience and a legacy of innovation, we stand at the forefront of our industry, dedicated to understanding the unique needs of the markets we serve.

Our approach revolves around people. We are committed to building a culture that attracts, retains, and develops high performers. Our team values relationships, innovation, dedication, initiative, and growth. We believe fostering a collaborative "One Team" mentality yields superior outcomes
in everything we do.

We customize our technical capabilities and geographic reach to meet our clients where they are and help them realize their vision. We are partners in our clients' success, driving to provide solutions that make a lasting difference. Safety, sustainability, and operational excellence are not just facets of our work; they are intrinsic to our identity, guiding every decision we make.

We are deeply invested in the communities we serve. Through our projects and giving-back initiatives, we enrich the lives of those we serve, engage others within our industry, and create a lasting impact on communities around the world. To us, success transcends the completion of projects; it is reflected in the lives we have positively impacted by our work.

Join us in creating a better world.

In 2024, Zweig Group ranked Westwood nationally at #13 and #40, respectively, on its Hot Firms and Best Firms to Work for lists. Zweig also awarded Westwood one national 1st place award for Marketing Excellence. Westwood was recently recognized as #83 in the ENR Top 500 Firms in 2024. The firm consistently ranks on the industry's top 25 lists and receives recognition for its involvement in award-winning projects nationwide.

Westwood provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We believe that diverse backgrounds strengthen our business. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.