We are looking for an accomplished Payroll Manager to oversee a high-volume, highly regulated payroll operation supporting a diverse hourly workforce in Waukesha, Wisconsin. This Long-term Contract position is ideal for a leader who brings deep experience with union payroll, prevailing wage requirements, and multi-state compliance in skilled trades or construction environments. The role will guide payroll strategy and day-to-day execution, strengthen processes for growth, and partner across teams to build a scalable and reliable payroll function.
Responsibilities:
• Direct weekly payroll operations for hourly employees across multiple business entities, ensuring every payroll cycle is completed accurately, on schedule, and in compliance with applicable regulations.
• Lead and develop a payroll team, setting priorities, improving accountability, and creating efficient workflows that support a complex union and non-union workforce.
• Oversee payroll administration tied to numerous collective bargaining agreements, including proper handling of union deductions, fringe benefit calculations, and required reporting.
• Manage multi-state payroll compliance, including prevailing wage obligations and labor-related reporting requirements associated with construction and skilled trades employees.
• Review and strengthen payroll procedures, controls, and documentation to improve accuracy, reduce risk, and support long-term operational scalability.
• Serve as the primary owner of the payroll technology environment, helping optimize system performance, resolve process gaps, and support future enhancements or implementations.
• Partner with HR, finance, operations, and compliance stakeholders to address payroll issues, interpret labor requirements, and align payroll practices with business needs.
• Support organizational growth initiatives by contributing payroll expertise to acquisitions, onboarding of new entities, and expansion into additional geographic markets.• Proven experience managing full-cycle payroll in a high-volume environment, including payroll populations exceeding 500 employees.
• Strong background in union payroll administration, including work with multiple labor agreements, fringe benefits, and union-related compliance obligations.
• Hands-on experience processing payroll across multiple states, with a solid understanding of state-specific wage and tax requirements.
• Knowledge of prevailing wage rules and labor compliance practices commonly found in construction, civil, industrial, or other skilled trades settings.
• Prior leadership experience overseeing payroll staff and driving process improvements within a complex operational environment.
• Familiarity with payroll systems such as CMiC, Workday, or comparable platforms used to support large-scale payroll operations.
• Ability to work effectively with field-based and operations-focused teams in a practical, fast-paced, and less formal workplace culture.