Payroll Manager

About the Opportunity

A well-established heavy civil construction company in New York City is seeking a Payroll Manager to lead a high-volume, union payroll function in a fully onsite environment. This role is ideal for a hands-on payroll leader with deep construction industry experience, strong knowledge of union and certified payroll, and prior experience managing staff.

The Payroll Manager will oversee weekly payroll processing for approximately 800 employees and growing, while supervising a team of 3 payroll professionals. The organization is currently transitioning from Sage to CMiC, so experience with CMiC is strongly preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end weekly payroll processing for a large, growing employee population
• Oversee payroll operations within a heavy construction environment
• Ensure accurate processing of union payroll, including multiple union agreements and related reporting
• Administer and review certified payroll reporting in compliance with project and regulatory requirements
• Handle year-end payroll activities including W-2s and related reconciliations
• Supervise, train, and prioritize work for a team of 3 payroll staff
• Improve structure, accountability, and workflow across the payroll team
• Partner with internal stakeholders to support payroll compliance and reporting requirements
• Assist with and support the transition from Sage to CMiC
• Maintain payroll records, controls, and documentation in a highly detailed environment
• Help manage manual payroll processes while identifying opportunities for greater efficiency and accuracy

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience in the construction industry
• Prior experience in a Payroll Manager or payroll supervisory capacity
• Strong experience with union payroll
• Strong knowledge of certified payroll
• Experience processing payroll in a high-volume environment
• Experience managing or mentoring payroll staff
• Knowledge of year-end payroll processes including W-2s
• Ability to work fully onsite, 5 days per week

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CMiC software
• Experience supporting a payroll system conversion, ideally from Sage to CMiC
• Background in heavy civil or commercial construction
• Experience working with multiple unions, including trades such as Local 15, 14, 1010, and 361

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Hands-on and detail-oriented
• Comfortable operating in an environment where some processes are still manual
• Strong compliance mindset
• Effective people manager who can bring structure and leadership to an established team
• Proactive and organized, with the ability to manage deadlines in a fast-paced setting

Additional Details

• Hours are approximately 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
• No overtime expected
• Fully in-office role in Long Island City