About This Role
Managing Canadian payroll and tax operations for multiple business entities and approximately 800 employees is the core of this leadership role. It combines operational oversight, regulatory compliance, tax governance, and continuous process improvement in a complex, multi-province environment. The role suits an experienced payroll leader who can strengthen internal controls, standardize procedures, and ensure payroll accuracy, confidentiality, and business continuity.
Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end Canadian payroll operations for eight operating companies, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing and maintaining strong data integrity
- Establish and maintain internal controls, governance standards, and procedures aligned with federal and provincial payroll regulations
- Monitor changes in Canadian payroll legislation and coordinate implementation, communication, and training with management and HR partners
- Oversee Canadian tax operations, including amendments, tax notices, agency relationships, tax rate changes, annual filings, direct tax submissions, and workers
- Manage payroll tax services delivered by external providers, monitoring performance, service quality, operational gaps, and potential risks
- Lead payroll-related projects, including system implementations, integrations, audits, acquisitions, compliance initiatives, and process improvements
- Manage and develop payroll administration resources through clear priorities, accountability, cross-training, mentoring, and knowledge sharing
- Create and maintain standard operating procedures, policies, checklists, and tracking logs to support consistency, accountability, and business continuity
- Identify opportunities to streamline payroll and tax processes, optimize systems, and strengthen issue resolution
- Partner with HR teams on payroll reporting, paid time off configurations, earning and deduction codes, general ledger files, compliance matters, and specialized inquiries
Requirements
- At least 5
- Demonstrated experience managing diverse employee populations, including exempt and non-exempt employees, expatriates, executives, and specialized incentive compensation programs
- In-depth knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation, tax requirements, and regulatory compliance
- Required certification from the National Payroll Institute (NPI), such as the Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) or Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) designation
- Advanced knowledge of ADP Workforce Now and strong Excel skills for financial reporting, data analysis, and reconciliations
- Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with external partners and stakeholders at all organizational levels
