Assistant Payroll Supervisor/Manager/Director

We are looking for an experienced payroll assistant manager to oversee payroll operations for a company in Chesapeake, Virginia. This role is responsible for guiding a payroll team, maintaining accurate and compliant payroll processes, and ensuring employees are paid correctly and on schedule. The position also supports process improvements, financial reconciliations, reporting, and oversight of deductions and retirement-related payroll activity.

Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and evaluate payroll team members while supporting hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management activities.

• Direct end-to-end payroll processing, resolve escalated issues, and implement corrective actions to maintain timely and accurate pay distribution.

• Examine payroll registers, deduction reports, and audit materials to verify completeness, identify discrepancies, and ensure reliable payroll outcomes.

• Prepare and authorize payroll-related journal entries, invoices, and supporting financial records in coordination with accounting requirements.

• Monitor payroll practices for compliance with federal, state, and local regulations as well as internal policies and reporting standards.

• Coordinate wage payments, tax filings, and required remittances for withholdings such as income taxes, Social Security, Medicare, retirement contributions, and other deductions.

• Manage the reconciliation, tracking, and reporting of retirement contributions and both mandatory and voluntary payroll deductions.

• Develop and update payroll procedures, communicate process changes, and deliver training that helps staff apply policies consistently.

• Support payroll system testing, troubleshooting, and rollout of enhanced functionality, including staff instruction on updated tools and workflows.

• Compile audit documentation, review reconciliations, and analyze payroll spending to strengthen controls, improve efficiency, and reduce unnecessary costs.

• Equivalent to an associate’s degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related field, or a combination of education and experience that demonstrates comparable knowledge.
• At least five years of permanent experience in payroll or a related function, including progressive responsibility.
• Demonstrated background supervising payroll staff and managing high-volume payroll operations with strong accuracy standards.
• Experience processing full-cycle payroll, including reconciliations, reporting, tax withholdings, and deduction management.
• Working knowledge of payroll compliance requirements across applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Proficiency with payroll and HR systems, including experience with ADP Workforce Now or similar platforms.
• Ability to support payroll operations for a large employee population, ideally within an in-house environment serving more than 1,000 employees.
• Payroll credentials such as Certified Payroll Practitioner or Fundamental Payroll Certification are preferred.