Payroll Manager

What Impact You'll Have

We are seeking an experienced, proactive, and leadership-minded Payroll Manager to oversee day-to-day payroll operations and manage our processing team in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment. Serving as the primary point of contact for the team and the bridge to department leadership, this role requires a hands-on manager who doesn't just delegate, but actively monitors operational deadlines, ensures compliance, and possesses the technical capability to step into production seamlessly whenever needed. The ideal candidate is an intuitive problem-solver who anticipates bottlenecks, enforces structural accountability, and maintains a high sense of operational urgency without requiring constant direction.  This position is primarily remote; however, candidates must reside within the DMV area to support in-person events, team meetings, and business needs, as required, at or near our McLean, VA headquarters.

What success looks like in this role

• The payroll team operates like a well-oiled machine, consistently hitting milestones ahead of final processing windows.
• System and workbook variances are caught, researched, and resolved at the manager level, requiring zero escalation or rework from senior leadership.
• The department maintains absolute processing continuity because the Manager can seamlessly back up any desk or entity on the team without a gap in execution.
• Issues are managed proactively through high-level preparation, oversight, and a collaborative, defensive-line mindset.

What You'll be Owning

• Serve as the main point of contact and tactical leader for the payroll processing team, providing daily guidance, clearing operational bottlenecks, and fostering accountability.
• Actively monitor the structured payroll calendar, ensuring the team meets all preliminary data, review, and final submission deadlines with zero slippage.
• Maintain complete, hands-on mastery of our payroll and timekeeping systems to independently step in and execute processing runs, manual calculations, or adjustments at a moment's notice.
• Anticipate team and system processing issues before they impact deadlines; step into the trenches to troubleshoot complex variances (e.g., 401k, tax, or labor posting discrepancies) without waiting to be asked.
• Oversee the team’s preliminary workbook balances, timesheet administration metrics, and payroll inputs to guarantee a 10/10 level of accuracy before submission.
• Partner effectively with HR, Finance, and HRIS teams to manage multi-state compliance and support upcoming system integration and data validation cycles.
• Ensure team training materials, system job aids, and standard operating procedures are continuously updated so the team can execute workflows independently and consistently.

What You Must Have

• US Citizenship is required.
• 7+ years of progressive payroll experience, with at least 2–3 years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity.
• Strong background in a multi-entity, multi-state environment; & multi-cycle experience in government contracting (GovCon) is required.
• Recent, hands-on processing proficiency in ADP Workforce Now is required.
• GovCon Timekeeping systems (ie. Unanet) is required.
• Proven track record of managing a team through high-volume, strict deadline environments with minimal oversight.
• Exceptional organizational skills and a sharp eye for operational detail, data balancing, and internal controls.
• Demonstrated capability to retain complex training, adapt quickly to evolving organizational workflows, and drive team performance through changes.

What Would be Nice to Have

• A leader who stays locked into the processing cycle with the team until final transmission and confirmation are complete.
• A self-starter who researches system mechanics and resolves team roadblocks autonomously rather than escalating standard issues up.
• Comfortable holding the team accountable to performance metrics and enforcing corporate deadlines across the broader organization.
• Possesses an intuitive "jump-in" mindset, stepping up to assist with volume or technical hurdles before they turn into a crisis.
• Unanet Timekeeping System is highly preferred.