People Advisory Services - Global Payroll - US Payroll - Tax Services Manager

Will you shape the future or will the future shape you? 

The opportunity

Ernst & Young LLP's National Tax and EY EDGE practices are made up of teams of professionals providing specific tax technical services to US and global clients. EDGE stands for Exceptional Delivery and Growth Engine because this team operates in a technical environment with deep process and service delivery experience that distinguishes the EY organization in the marketplace. 

Our Global Payroll Operate practice focuses on helping our clients effectively manage their global payroll needs proactively and responsibly in 150+ countries. Our quality service and technical network enable you to help clients reduce inefficiencies, mitigate risk and drive process improvement within their payroll functions. We believe that by managing clients' payroll obligations, we can make a critical difference, and you'll be at the heart of this mission.

Our market-leading approach combines extensive local payroll service experience with a standard global payroll compliance and implementation methodology. With engagements involving a few countries or many, you will have the opportunity to provide clients an integrated, consistent, quality service that unlocks the potential of the payroll function across the entire process. 

Your key responsibilities

As a Tax Services Manager, US Payroll Operate, you will lead end‑to‑end US payroll service delivery with a strong focus on client satisfaction and operational excellence. In this role, you will oversee implementation of new clients, payroll processing activities, manage resources, and ensure performance against client‑defined KPIs. You will support the project management of system enhancements, new service rollouts, and client‑driven initiatives. Additionally, you will contribute to continuous innovation by helping develop next‑generation payroll solutions and improving project delivery tools. Key capabilities include effective delivery of payroll services resulting into exceeding SLAs, strong client and vendor management, strong internal stakeholder management, resource planning, and the development and maintenance of process documentation.

• Managing large US payroll projects or recurring payroll delivery processed on industry leading payroll software ensuring timeliness and accuracy, which will require ownership, project management, decisions and resolution, including the escalation of client, central support teams and internal country issues
• Create process and team to deliver quick and effective implementations for new clients
• Work with other EY services lines in providing a combined back office offering and ensuring client receives seamless “one-EY” experience
• Provide/drive innovation and continuous improvement for our global payroll solutions or tools
• Developing relationship with clients and become their trusted advisor
• Manage EY internal stakeholders, client and vendor communications and relationships
• Train, mentor and develop the team to provide them with required US payroll or technical knowledge to grow within the team
• Support business development and process improvements that helps growth of the US Payroll operations
• Identifying opportunities to improve our project delivery tools and templates
• Building on technical competence by keeping up to date on global trends, developments and regulations and applying them to moderately complex situations and undertaking non-routine, complex project-type work as requested by clients
• Defining future process after Go live and stabilization
• Raise red flags on any delays during implementations
• Prepare SOPs and workflow document for client payroll processing

• Work with other managers towards learned lessons and opportunities for improvements for future implementation
• Support Senior Manager in managing business development conversations, practice management and engagement economics

Skills and attributes for success

• US Payroll process knowledge (including implementation and recurring payroll operations)
• Working knowledge of leading software like SAP, ADP global view, Paychex, Paylocity, MasterTax etc.
• Implementation experience of large projects with several stakeholders
• HR, treasury and/or accounting experience
• Create solutions and processes from scratch
• Juggling projects and priorities as per agreed deadlines and escalations
• Testing management skills
• Data conversion reconciliation experience
• Strong analytical skills, problem-solving ability and attention to detail

• Project management skills

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Bachelor's degree and relevant post-graduate qualification, preferably with an emphasis in Sciences, MIS, Finance or Accounting
• 5-7 years of US payroll implementation; end to end payroll processing and payroll delivery management
• 10+ years of US payroll processing and compliance experience
• CPA and/or CPP is must; approved technical certification
• US Payroll implementation and project management experience
• Strong numbers acumen, including analytical abilities and proficient skills in Excel, MS Access, SQL Queries, or other leading data analytics tools in the market
• Experience in payroll integration with leading global HCM platform such as Workday, SAP HR, SuccessFactors or Oracle
• Excellent organizational skills with a proactive approach to problem solving and attention to detail
• Strong analytical, project management, and organizational skills, with a detail-oriented approach
• Willingness to travel as needed, and working in a balanced hybrid environment 
• Join us in our team-led and leader-enabled hybrid model. Our expectation is for most people in external, client serving roles to work together in person 60% of the time over the course of an engagement, project, or year.

Ideally, you'll also have

• SAP technical and configuration knowledge
• Contract negotiation and vendor negotiation experience
• Presentation and leading a demo capabilities
• Benefit/HR integration project experience
• Working knowledge of GL reconciliation
• Working knowledge of Treasury functions

• Payroll consulting experience as a senior functional consultant, testing lead and /or project manager for medium to large payroll projects 
• Prior experience with client facing service industry
• Ready to work flexible schedule as per client requirements 

What we look for

We're interested in professionals with the drive to take on new responsibilities and projects. You'll need the confidence to speak up with your own creative thoughts on a wide range of areas. You'll also have the opportunity to achieve your potential by being given professional development opportunities and experiences with clients across geographies. If you're keen to play a pivotal role within a highly focused global payroll operate implementation team, this role is for you.

Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.