Contract Payroll Manager

Who you are

• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience, including at least 3 years in a payroll management or lead role
• Deep, hands-on experience running payroll in Workday, including configuration, troubleshooting, and reporting
• Proven track record owning multi-state payroll for a company of 500+ employees
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax law, wage and hour regulations, and FLSA requirements
• Experience partnering cross-functionally with People, Finance, and Legal teams on payroll matters
• Experience supporting SOX controls, internal audits, or external payroll audits
• Demonstrated ability to manage payroll independently with minimal onboarding ramp time
• Advanced Excel/spreadsheet skills and strong attention to detail with high-volume, time-sensitive data
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain payroll matters clearly to employees and leadership
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive compensation and personal data
• Prior experience in a fast-growing, venture-backed, manufacturing, defense, or hardware technology company
• Experience with Workday reporting tools (e.g., custom reports, calculated fields) beyond standard configuration
• Experience with equity compensation payroll treatment (RSUs, stock options) and multi-entity or multi-country payroll
• Experience implementing or migrating payroll systems onto Workday
• Reports to: Director of Accounting Operations

What the job involves

• Saronic Technologies is seeking an experienced Contract Payroll Manager to lead payroll operations during a period of rapid company growth
• This role owns end-to-end payroll processing in Workday, ensures compliance with multi-state and federal payroll regulations, and partners closely with People, Finance, and Legal to keep payroll accurate, timely, and audit-ready
• This is a fixed-term contract engagement suited to a hands-on payroll leader who can step in immediately and run payroll independently
• Own and manage end-to-end multi-state payroll processing in Workday for all employee types, including biweekly or semi-monthly cycles, off-cycle payments, and final pay
• Configure, maintain, and troubleshoot Workday payroll modules, including earnings/deduction codes, tax setups, retro pay, and integrations with time tracking and benefits systems
• Ensure accurate calculation and timely remittance of federal, state, and local payroll taxes, and manage tax filings across all applicable jurisdictions
• Lead payroll compliance efforts, including wage and hour law, FLSA classification, garnishments, and multi-state registration requirements
• Partner with People, Finance, Total Rewards, and Legal teams on payroll-related matters, including new hires, terminations, leaves of absence, equity/bonus payouts, and benefits deductions
• Manage and reconcile payroll general ledger entries, working closely with Accounting to support month-end close and payroll accruals
• Prepare and review payroll reports, audits, and analytics for internal stakeholders and external auditors
• Serve as the primary point of escalation for payroll discrepancies, employee inquiries, and system issues
• Drive process improvements and Workday payroll optimizations to increase efficiency and reduce manual work
• Maintain SOX-compliant payroll controls and documentation, supporting internal and external audit requests
• Stay current on federal, state, and local payroll law changes and ensure timely implementation of required updates

The application process

• Start: As soon as possible