Payroll & Compliance Manager – Newark, NJ – $100k – $110k, d/o/e

This client needs you Payroll and Compliance expertise!

Responsibilities include:

Manage and guarantee the accurate, timely preparation and execution of weekly and bi-weekly payroll cycles, which include a mix of salaried, hourly, and union employees.
Ensure full compliance with New York and New Jersey wage and hour laws, standard withholding regulations, and internal policies.
Review, verify, and reconcile payroll registers, deductions, garnishments, and final disbursements ahead of processing deadlines.

Partner closely with People & Organization (P&O) to execute comprehensive, routine audits of benefit elections, enrollment data, and payroll deductions.
Take the lead in establishing industry best practices for payroll benefits review, ensuring a seamless data flow between P&O’s HR information systems and the payroll processing.
Collaborate with P&O to review compliance on newly introduced fringe benefits, employee perks, and company-wide compensation adjustments, ensuring proper taxability and system configuration.

Supervise the preparation, review, and post all payroll-related journal entries to ensure proper labor allocations and accurate financial reporting.
Review monthly balance sheet reconciliations for all payroll, withholding, and benefit accounts, investigating and resolving any variances.
Review weekly and bi-weekly payroll expenses to ensure exact alignment with the general ledger and operational budgets.
Participate actively in the Fiscal Year Audit, serving as the primary point of contact for external auditors regarding payroll expenses, labor testing, and year-end accruals.

Oversee the generation, accuracy, and timely submission of all weekly, monthly and quarterly union-related reports, fringe benefit statements, and remittance payments.
Ensure the timely processing and funding of retirement plan contributions (e.g., 401k deferrals and employer matches) in strict accordance with plan guidelines and regulatory timelines.
Interpret collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) to ensure proper wage rates, benefit contributions, and specialized union deductions are accurately configured in the payroll system.

Workers’ Compensation Audit: Lead the data gathering, payroll classification reporting, and external coordination for the annual Workers’ Compensation audit.
Retirement Audit: Spearhead the documentation and preparation for the annual retirement plan audit, ensuring employee deductions and company matches perfectly reconcile with system records.
941 Reconciliation: Perform routine analysis of Form 941 filings against payroll registers and the general ledger to verify consistency across quarterly reporting periods.

Drive continuous operational improvements, including payroll system optimizations, automation of manual tasks, assuring workflows are accurately documented and streamlining data flow between systems and internal departments.
Finance Team Collaboration: Partner with the broader Finance team on various ad-hoc projects, including corporate budget forecasting, labor variance analysis, and internal compliance tracking as requested by the AVP of Finance.

Requirements include:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
5+ years of progressive payroll management and payroll accounting experience, with at least 2 years of direct people management experience.
Demonstrated passion for and track record of staying ahead of federal, state (specifically NJ), and local employment law changes, with the ability to swiftly translate new regulations into operational reality.
Strong experience collaborating with HR/P&O teams to manage employee benefit reconciliations and optimize cross-departmental workflows.
Proven experience handling union payrolls, complex union reporting, and specialized benefit allocations is highly preferred.
Advanced hands-on experience with major payroll platforms (e.g., ADP, Ultimate Software, Ceridian) and ERP general ledger systems. Expert-level Microsoft Excel skills (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, data manipulation).
Certifications: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is a strong plus.

If interested, please forward your resume to: JillR@AplusPersonnel.com

To apply for this job email your details to jillr@apluspersonnel.com