Demo

Payroll Manager

David S. Cutler CPA PC
Tucson, AZ Full Time
POSTED ON 11/4/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 3/2/2027

ABOUT US

We are a CPA firm serving closely held businesses and their owners — tax, accounting, payroll and financial statements under one roof. Our clients rely on us for the

things that cannot go wrong: payroll that runs on time, retirement contributions that land where they should, and filings that are right the first time.

THE ROLE

We are looking for someone to take ownership of payroll and retirement plan execution for a portfolio of client businesses. You will not be designing tax strategy or

retirement plans — that is set by our tax team. You will be the person who makes sure it actually happens: that payroll runs correctly and on schedule, that plan

contributions are calculated, funded and deposited on time, that every filing and deadline is met, and that clients get a clear, correct answer when they call.

This is a hands-on supervisory role. You will oversee the staff assigned to your portfolio, work directly with clients, and coordinate third-party administrators,

recordkeepers and actuaries — and you will process payroll yourself whenever the portfolio needs it. It suits someone who takes satisfaction in nothing slipping, and

who would rather fix it than hand it back.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

  • Oversee — and when needed, personally run — payroll processing for a portfolio of clients, on schedule and correctly configured
  • Make sure 401(k), profit sharing, SEP, SIMPLE and defined benefit contributions are calculated, communicated, funded and deposited on time
  • Track the gap between each payroll date and the date plan funding arrives, and escalate anything late
  • Run the annual compliance cycle with third-party administrators: census, nondiscrimination testing, Form 5500 and corrections
  • Coordinate enrolled actuaries on defined benefit and cash balance plans, and make sure funding deadlines are met
  • Make sure everything that belongs on a W-2 is on the payroll before the final run of the year
  • Own federal and multi-state payroll tax filings, registrations and notices for your portfolio
  • Be the client's first point of contact on payroll and retirement plan questions, and answer them directly
  • Run a structured quarterly review with each client and escalate anything that changes their position
  • Supervise and develop the staff assigned to your portfolio

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

  • 4–6 years in US tax, or on the tax side of payroll, serving closely held businesses and their owners
  • Hands-on experience operating qualified retirement plans — contributions, funding, testing and filings you carried out yourself
  • Strong payroll knowledge: multi-state withholding and unemployment, federal and state filings, and a payroll platform end to end (ADP preferred)
  • Working fluency with S corporations and partnerships — enough to understand a tax position and explain it to a client
  • The judgment to answer a client directly, and to recognise when a question is really a decision that needs the tax team
  • Supervisory experience, and the willingness to give feedback as well as review work
  • A hands-on approach: comfortable supervising, and equally comfortable processing the payroll yourself when that is what the week requires
  • Someone deadlines do not get past

NICE TO HAVE

  • CPA or EA, active and in good standing — valued, not required
  • Defined benefit or cash balance plan experience, working alongside an actuary
  • Experience in a multi-client public accounting firm
  • Spanish, for the portion of our client base that prefers it

WHY YOU MIGHT WANT THIS ROLE

The function is being rebuilt, not maintained. Processes have been documented, technology is being brought in, and this position is central to both. You will have the authority to fix what is not working rather than inherit it, and direct access to firm leadership.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $75,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year

Benefits:

  • 401(k)
  • 401(k) matching
  • Dental insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Retirement plan
  • Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $75,000 - $95,000

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