Payroll Manager

Payroll Manager

Finance

JOB SUMMARY: The Payroll Manager is a highly reliable professional responsible for the end-to-end processing, compliance, and accuracy of the College's payroll functions. Working closely alongside the Assistant Payroll Manager, this position executes all tasks required to complete bi-weekly, monthly, and summer payrolls, maintain robust tax compliance, track personnel budgets and maintain the payroll system. The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented professional with good analytical skills that excels in the timely execution of payroll while maintaining strict confidentiality, working under pressure and managing scheduled payroll deadlines.

Employment Type: Full-time (1.0 FTE), Exempt (Salaried), Benefits-Eligible

Salary Range: $80,000 - $100,000 annually

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Hands-On Payroll Processing

• Execute end-to-end payroll processing for bi-weekly (staff/students), monthly (faculty/admin), and specialized summer payrolls.
• Perform data entry for all new hires, entering job codes, wages, taxes, and direct deposits.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employees, faculty, and departments, answering all payroll-related questions with clarity and professionalism.
• Supervise and backup assistant payroll manager in processing high-volume student employment lifecycle, entering over 1,500 student jobs annually, tracking Federal Work-Study limits, and applying specialized summer allocations.
• Calculate and enter complex compensation adjustments, including faculty status changes, overloads, grant pay, stipends, chair fund payments, and annual college-wide salary increases.
• Calculate and process final payouts for terminating employees, clear leave plan balances, and prorate benefit costs.
• Calculate and disburse external agency payments per pay period, including garnishments, tax levies, child support, and charitable gifts.
• Work closely with HR on PTO and Sick Leave tracking, retirement benefits tracking, and open enrollment updates.
• Prepare and post monthly G/L entries for payroll accruals, interdepartmental charges, and adjustments.
• Complete monthly bank reconciliations for the dedicated Payroll bank account
• Work directly with the Grants team to allocate payroll correctly to grant-funded or restricted accounts.

Tax Compliance, Budget & Audit Support

• Prepare and file all 941 Quarterly/Year-End and Minnesota state tax returns.
• Process calendar year-end tax requirements, including generating, auditing, and distributing W-2s and 1095-C (ACA compliance) forms.
• Prepare critical payroll data for institutional reporting requirements, including Form 990 wage information, compliance audits, and Workers' Compensation audits.
• Allocate and update compensation budgets by position
• Provide reporting for managers/supervisors to monitor actual results against these budgets.
• Run the monthly FTE report for delivery to FP&A, and prepare all necessary audit schedules (e.g., vacation/wage accruals, FTE lists, and audit samples).

Prerequisites

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field
• 6+ years of progressive, independent hands-on experience processing payroll, including 3+ years managing the process
• Experience preparing and filing quarterly and annual payroll tax returns (941s, W-2s)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for managing large datasets and budget lines
• Exceptional attention to detail, analytical review skills and accuracy across high-volume data entry and compliance reporting

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience working in a Higher Education setting
• Familiarity with federal student aid compliance, including Federal Work-Study limits and Perkins Loan administration

Application Procedure: Please continue the process below or on our website, www.gustavus.edu/humanresources/employment to complete the online application and submit your resume. A cover letter is optional.

Gustavus offers competitive and comprehensive benefits which include:

• Medical insurance (which includes access to Nice Healthcare) as well as dental, vision, and life insurance
• Workplace accommodations for physical or mental health concerns
• Onsite health services
• Free parking, exercise classes, and use of library and athletic facilities
• Paid parental leave
• Employer contribution to retirement savings plan (after one year of employment)
• Tuition scholarships for dependents
• Tuition benefit plan for employees and spouse
• 13 paid Holidays + generous PTO plan