Payroll Manager (North America)

Accountable for the Payroll function across North America (US & Canada), the Payroll Manager, oversees all payroll operations and team for the region and works closely with cross-functional departments to ensure accurate and timely payment processing.

With new global HRIS and Payroll systems on the horizon, this job will play an integral role as our Payroll Regional Lead, a key partner in the success of the project.

Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Payroll Processing

• Perform end-to-end biweekly, monthly, and ad hoc payroll activities for US and Canada across hourly, salaried, and Partner populations.
• Process one-time payments, which can include bonuses, distributions, expense reimbursements, severance, and paid time off.
• Manage the preparation for and generation of annual tax forms, which can include W-2s, T4s, T2200s, and RL1 alongside payroll vendors.
• Keep accurate and organized payroll records, files, and documentation.
• Manage hours/earnings, deduction, and memo codes including calculations, limits and accumulators.
• Understand timecard calculations impacting payroll and the underlying labor standards.
• Resolve timecard exceptions and obtain required approvals for payroll processing.
• Generation of accurate Records of Employment (ROE) and timely submission to Service Canada.
• Responsible for interpreting withholding orders and processing accurate deductions for garnishments, levies, child support, and more.
• Payroll register review, validation, and certification.
• Understand and maintain General Ledger (GL) mapping setup within system, ensuring accurate payroll output files for Finance.
• Consideration of state and local tax reciprocities.
• Oversee and maintain healthy relationships with payroll vendors, tax authorities, and other providers.
  
  

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Advise payroll team in handling payroll inquiries and serve as an escalation point for complex issues.
• Ensure exceptional customer service is delivered to all levels of the Firm.
• Lead, mentor, guide, direct, and develop payroll team members.
• Ensure payroll processing coverage/back-up in consideration of team absences, holidays, and processing schedules.
• Monitor tax filings and remittances (quarterly and annually) submitted through payroll vendor.
• Partner with HRIS teams on setup and maintenance activities for payroll systems.
  
  

Operational Excellence and Innovation

• Monitors and maintains compliance with laws and regulations across all regional jurisdictions, including Federal, State/Provincial, and Local.
• Manage payroll policies and processes ensuring consistency and strict compliance.
• Schedule and perform reconciliations of payroll data to ensure high integrity and consistency across systems.
• Contribute to annual audits – financial, 401k, benefits and more.
• Fulfill reporting needs of regional payroll data.
• Identify improvement opportunities, implement solutions, and develop standard operating procedures.
• Serve as the regional Payroll Lead for global projects, including system implementation.
• Own, drive, implement, and adopt payroll initiatives that support the needs of the Firm.
• Propensity for smarter and more efficient ways of working while emphasizing, following, and advocating for best practices.
• Closely collaborate and partner with all Firm stakeholders, including HR, Reward & Benefits, Finance, and Accounting/Tax teams.
  
  

Qualifications

• 5 years of progressive payroll experience, including multi-state US payroll. Canadian payroll experience strongly preferred.
• 2 years of supervisory experience required.
• Payroll certification welcomed.
• Advanced proficiency with HR and Payroll systems required, and prior experience using ADP Workforce Now and/or Workday is highly preferred.
• Proficient with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office products.
• Exceptional understanding of payroll principles and relevant laws and regulations.
• Experience with multi-jurisdictional payrolls and taxes in both the US and Canada.
• Familiar with phased system implementation process including requirements gathering, design, workflows, testing, and post implementation activities.
• Demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills.
• Innovative team-player adept at collaboration.
• Very strong analytical, problem-solving, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and change management skills.
• Ability to handle and maintain highly confidential information with integrity and discretion.
  
  

The Firm

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Our Commitment

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity. Learn more about our interview process.

A Note on Privacy

Please take a moment to read our privacy notice.. This describes what personal information Clyde & Co (we) may hold about you, what it’s used for, how it’s obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject.

If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.

This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.