Payroll Manager (ADP Workforce Now experience required)

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Payroll Manager
Location: Washington, DC
Schedule: In-Office (Flexible Hours)

Position Overview
The Payroll Manager is responsible for overseeing and executing all payroll operations to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time. This role manages end-to-end payroll processing, maintains compliance with federal and multi-state regulations, and serves as the primary point of contact for payroll-related inquiries.
This position will play a key role in maintaining payroll accuracy, improving processes, and partnering with HR and Finance to support a workforce of approximately 2,000 employees across multiple states.

This will be a contract with the potential to transition into a permanent role; pay rate during the temporary interim will range from $40-60 per hour, commensurate with experience.

Key Responsibilities:
Payroll Processing & Administration

• Manage full-cycle payroll processing for ~2,000 employees (salaried and hourly) across 6 states
• Oversee payroll through ADP Workforce Now, ensuring accuracy and timeliness
• Maintain employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, and compensation changes
• Ensure proper calculation of wages, overtime, bonuses, and deduction

Compliance & Controls

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations
• Maintain payroll tax filings, reporting, and year-end processes (W-2s, etc.)
• Support audits and ensure proper documentation and internal controls

Systems & Process Improvement

• Manage and optimize payroll systems and workflows (ADP Workforce Now)
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of payroll processes
• Partner with HRIS and Finance teams on system integrations and updates

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with HR on employee data, onboarding, and benefits deductions
• Partner with Accounting on payroll journal entries, reconciliations, and reporting
• Serve as the main point of contact for employee payroll questions and issue resolution

Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare payroll reports for leadership, including labor costs and trends
• Support financial reporting and budgeting processes with payroll data

Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience, including high-volume, multi-state payroll
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now required
• Strong knowledge of payroll laws, tax regulations, and compliance requirements
• Experience processing payroll for both hourly and salaried employees
• Proficiency in Excel (lookups, pivots, etc.)
• High attention to detail and strong problem-solving skills
• Experience in hospitality or multi-unit environments is a plus (e.g., restaurant systems like Micros)

Preferred Experience

• Experience as a standalone or lead payroll professional
• Exposure to outsourced or semi-outsourced payroll environments
• Familiarity with high-growth or multi-location organizations

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate and timely payroll processing with minimal errors
• Strong compliance and audit readiness
• Streamlined payroll processes and improved efficiency
• Positive employee experience with payroll support