Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Oversight

• Lead and develop a high-performing payroll team; establish KPIs, service standards, and internal controls.
• Serve as the company's subject matter expert on payroll compliance, particularly California wage and hour law.
• Partner with executive leadership to align payroll strategy with company growth initiatives.
• Design scalable payroll processes to support mergers, acquisitions, and geographic expansion.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, tax regulations, and reporting requirements.
• Lead internal and external payroll audits; manage audit response strategy.
• Oversee multi-state payroll tax compliance, including filings, reconciliations, and W-2 issuance.
• Monitor regulatory changes and proactively implement system/process updates.
• Ensure proper classification of employees (exempt/non-exempt) and compliance with prevailing wage requirements when applicable.

Systems & Process Optimization

• Own payroll system governance (ADP or applicable platform), including configuration, upgrades, integrations, and reporting enhancements.
• Lead payroll-related systems projects, automation initiatives, and process redesign efforts.
• Partner with IT to ensure data security, system integrity, and business continuity planning.
• Develop advanced reporting and analytics to support financial forecasting and workforce planning.

Financial & Operational Accountability

• Partner with Finance and Accounting to support payroll-related journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, and general ledger interface.
• Ensure accurate costing, labor allocation, and reporting across projects and business units.
• Maintain strong internal controls around direct deposits, tax payments, garnishments, and benefit deductions.
• Analyze payroll trends, overtime patterns, and labor cost metrics to support executive decision-making.

Employee Experience & Service Excellence

• Ensure timely and accurate payroll processing for all employees.
• Establish service-level standards for employee inquiries and issue resolution.
• Oversee Time & Attendance governance and policy adherence.

Qualifications:

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required or equivalent work experience.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) strongly preferred.
• Advanced training in multi-state payroll compliance preferred.

Experience

• 5-7+ years of progressive payroll experience.
• 1-3 years of leadership experience managing payroll teams.
• Extensive multi-state payroll experience, with deep expertise in California compliance.
• Experience in construction, telecommunications, infrastructure, or other project-based industries preferred.
• Experience with system implementations or payroll transitions highly desirable.

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency in ADP (Workforce Manager or similar enterprise platform).
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax compliance, garnishments, benefits administration, and labor law.
• Experience with ERP integrations and general ledger reconciliations.
• Advanced Excel skills and data analytics capabilities.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Detail-oriented with a systems and controls mindset.
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to lead change and drive continuous improvement.
• High integrity and commitment to confidentiality.

Why Join Motive?

• Competitive compensation ($130K-$155K DOE)
• Opportunity to modernize and scale payroll infrastructure
• Growing company with national footprint
• Comprehensive benefits package with the employee health insurance paid at 100% and paid gym memberships.