Workday Payroll Manager – Payroll Operations, Accounting & Compliance-California

About this role

Payroll Manager (Workday Payroll) – Hybrid | San Jose, CA


About The Opportunity
We are seeking an experienced
Payroll Manager
to oversee end-to-end payroll operations for a large, multi-state workforce. This role is ideal for a payroll professional with deep
Workday Payroll
expertise who enjoys owning the payroll process from start to finish while ensuring compliance, accuracy, and operational excellence.


The successful candidate will partner closely with Finance, HR, Legal, Tax, Benefits, and HRIS teams to manage payroll operations, payroll accounting, tax compliance, and process improvements. This position requires a hands-on payroll expert who can quickly become the primary payroll owner with minimal supervision.


Work Arrangement

• Hybrid (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday onsite)
• Wednesday and Friday remote through September
• Transitioning to fully remote thereafter

Key Responsibilities


Payroll Operations

• Process end-to-end multi-state payroll for more than 1,500 employees using Workday Payroll.
• Manage payroll activities from payroll preparation through final processing.
• Process employee equity transactions and related payroll tax withholding.
• Troubleshoot payroll issues and resolve payroll discrepancies.
• Partner with HRIS and IT on Workday enhancements, testing, and system updates.
• Serve as the primary payroll subject matter expert.

Payroll Accounting

• Prepare payroll journal entries.
• Perform payroll reconciliations and general ledger reconciliations.
• Review payroll accruals and payroll liabilities.
• Support month-end and year-end financial close activities.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure payroll expenses are accurately recorded.

Payroll Tax & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations.
• Process payroll remittances and tax filings.
• Manage W-2 and W-2c processing.
• Maintain payroll SOX controls and audit documentation.
• Respond to pa...