Job Description:
Reports To: Director, Payroll & Benefits
We are seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to lead the day-to-day operations of a centralized payroll function, supporting over 5,000 employees across multiple provinces, dealerships, and ancillary business entities throughout Canada.
Reporting to the Director of Payroll & Benefits, you will provide direct leadership to a team of 12 Payroll Specialists and play a critical role in ensuring that payroll is delivered accurately, compliantly, and efficiently across the organization.
This is a hands-on leadership role focused on operational execution, team leadership, process improvement, and payroll excellence. While the Director is responsible for strategic direction, governance, and long-term planning, the Payroll Manager is responsible for leading the day-to-day payroll operation and ensuring exceptional service delivery across the business.
Lead end-to-end payroll operations for a Canadian workforce of more than 5,000 employees across multiple provinces and business entities.
Oversee payroll processing for salaried, hourly, commissioned, incentive, bonus, and executive compensation programs.
Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to a team of 12 Payroll Specialists.
Allocate workload, establish service standards, and monitor team productivity and accuracy.
Ensure compliance with federal and provincial legislation, employment standards, payroll taxes, CPP, EI, workers' compensation requirements, garnishments, and statutory remittances.
Support year-end payroll activities, including T4 preparation, taxable benefit reporting, reconciliations, and regulatory filings.
Act as the primary escalation point for complex payroll matters and employee inquiries.
Coordinate internal and external payroll audits and compliance reviews.
Partner with HRIS and internal stakeholders to maintain payroll-related integrations, workflows, and data integrity.
Identify and implement opportunities to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, scalability, and the employee experience.
Maintain payroll documentation, process maps, testing protocols, and control procedures.
Produce payroll reporting and analytics to support Finance, HR, and operational leaders.
Monitor payroll controls, reconciliations, and data quality to ensure processing accuracy and regulatory compliance.
Support payroll-related projects, acquisitions, business integrations, and system enhancements.
Collaborate with HR, Finance, IT, Operations, and external partners to support payroll initiatives and organizational growth.
Assist with change management, communication, and training related to payroll processes and systems.
Directly manage, coach, mentor, and develop a team of 12 Payroll Specialists.
Establish performance expectations and support ongoing development and succession planning.
Ensure appropriate staffing, workload distribution, cross-training, and business continuity planning.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer service excellence.
Lead team meetings, training initiatives, and knowledge-sharing activities to maintain payroll expertise and legislative compliance.
PCP (Payroll Compliance Professional) designation.
Postsecondary education in Business, Finance, Human Resources, Accounting, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
7-10 years of progressive Canadian payroll experience within a large, complex organization.
Minimum 5 years of leadership experience managing payroll or shared-services teams in a high-volume, multi-entity environment.
Strong knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation, taxation, year-end processing, compliance requirements, and payroll controls.
Experience with UKG Pro is considered an asset.
Advanced Excel skills, including reporting, analytics, reconciliation, and data analysis.
Experience driving process improvement, automation, and operational efficiency initiatives.
Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
The ideal candidate is a hands-on payroll leader with deep Canadian payroll expertise and a proven ability to lead high-volume payroll operations through strong execution, attention to detail, and team development. Working under the Director, Payroll & Benefits, this individual translates departmental strategy into operational excellence, ensuring accurate, compliant, and efficient payroll delivery across a national network of dealerships and ancillary businesses.
