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The Nuclear Company · 2 days ago

Payroll Manager

Columbia, SC

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

$118K/yr - $140K/yr

5+ years exp

The Nuclear Company is the fastest growing startup in the nuclear and energy space committed to delivering safe and reliable electricity. The Payroll Manager will own the end-to-end payroll function ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing while leading the transition to a new payroll platform.

Clean EnergyElectrical DistributionNuclear

Responsibilities

Payroll Operations Leadership: Oversee and execute the full payroll cycle (e.g., hourly, salaried, bonus, and overtime) for all employees, ensuring accurate and timely payments in accordance with company policies, employment agreements, and applicable laws. Maintain payroll calendars, cutoffs, and checklists to support predictable and reliable close routines

Compliance, Controls, and Tax Management: Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, payroll tax regulations, and garnishment requirements. Establish, document, and maintain internal controls over payroll and related processes, including approvals, reconciliations, and segregation of duties, in alignment with SOX/COSO expectations as the company matures

Systems Implementation and Process Improvement: Lead the payroll workstream for the transition to the new payroll platform, including requirements definition, configuration support, testing, data validation, and go-live readiness. Continuously assess and improve payroll processes, integrations with ERP/HRIS and timekeeping systems, and documentation to drive efficiency, accuracy, and auditability

Time & Attendance, T&E, and Expense Management: Own the operational processes for time and attendance capture, expense report review, and T&E policy enforcement. Partner with Finance and HR to roll out a new T&E software solution (e.g., Concur, Expensify, Ramp, or similar), ensuring alignment with company policies and proper coding to departments, projects, and cost centers

Payroll Accounting, Reporting, and Reconciliation: Collaborate with the Accounting team to prepare and review payroll-related journal entries, account reconciliations, and variance analyses (wages, taxes, benefits, bonuses, and accruals). Provide routine and ad hoc payroll reports and analytics to Finance, HR, and leadership, including headcount, labor costs, overtime trends, and other key metrics

Vendor and Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for external payroll, tax filing, and T&E vendors. Partner closely with HR/People Operations, Finance, and business leaders to resolve issues, support audits, and respond to employee inquiries with a high level of service and professionalism

Qualification

Payroll processingPayroll compliancePayroll systems implementationPayroll accountingT&E platform implementationMulti-state payrollMicrosoft ExcelVendor managementStakeholder managementProblem-solving

Required

5+ years of progressive, hands-on payroll experience, including multi-state payroll processing; at least 2 years in a role with primary ownership of payroll operations or payroll leadership

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Human Resources, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Strong understanding of U.S. payroll practices, wage and hour regulations, payroll tax requirements, and related compliance obligations (federal, state, and local)

Demonstrated experience with payroll accounting, reconciliations, and coordination with the general ledger

Proficiency with modern payroll systems and HRIS platforms; experience with at least one mid-market platform (e.g., Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, etc.)

Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, reconciliations, and data analysis)

Proven track record of owning the payroll process end-to-end, meeting tight deadlines, managing sensitive data with discretion, and resolving complex payroll issues with minimal supervision