Payroll Manager

ABOUT PACIFIC SOUTHWEST CONTAINER

Pacific Southwest Container offers an excellent opportunity to join a dynamic, successful packaging company unlike any other in North America. Serving a diverse customer base, Team PSC has earned a reputation as a market leader in innovation, service, design, printing, and converting a wide variety of packaging products.

Founded in 1973, PSC is an ISO-certified designer and producer of corrugated containers, folding cartons, single-face lamination, protective packaging, and point-of-purchase displays.

POSITION SUMMARY

PSC is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to own all aspects of payroll and timekeeping for our multi-site operations. This role ensures accurate, compliant, on-time pay for salaried and hourly Team Members, including production, maintenance, warehouse, and distribution employees working rotating shifts and around-the-clock schedules.

The Payroll Manager serves as PSC’s subject-matter expert for Paycor Payroll and Time & Attendance. The ideal candidate combines hands-on Paycor expertise with a deep understanding of manufacturing pay practices and California and multi-state wage-and-hour law, owns 401(k) plan administration and audits, and serves as the point person for payroll-related audits. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, growing environment and wants to help scale the payroll function to support the business and its Team Members.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Payroll Processing & Operations

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing in Paycor for all PSC sites and pay groups, including hourly, salaried, and off-cycle payrolls.
• Ensure accurate calculation of manufacturing pay elements, including shift differentials, daily and weekly overtime, double time, meal and rest period premiums, attendance and production incentives, and the regular rate of pay for overtime purposes.
• Administer garnishments, child support orders, tax levies, benefit deductions, and other voluntary and involuntary deductions.
• Review payroll registers and variance reports before every payroll to catch errors before funds are released.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Team Member, supervisor, and plant management payroll questions, resolving issues promptly and professionally.

Paycor Time & Attendance Administration

• Manage the Paycor time and attendance to Paycor payroll processing so that approved hours flow into payroll accurately each pay period.
• Coordinate with HR to resolve timecard exceptions such as missed punches and missed or late meal periods.
• Audit time and attendance data and meal period practices to ensure compliance with California and other applicable state wage-and-hour requirements.

Paycor System Administration & Reporting

Work with HRIS Manager to maintain Paycor setup for earnings and deduction codes, tax setup, departments and cost centers, organization levels by site, and user roles and security.

Build and maintain Paycor reports and data exports for payroll, labor cost, headcount, and overtime analysis by site, department, and shift.

Compliance, Tax & Reporting

Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll laws, with particular expertise in California wage-and-hour requirements, including wage statement requirements, overtime, meal and rest periods, paid sick leave, and final pay.

Manage multi-state payroll tax withholding, state registrations, and unemployment insurance accounts as PSC adds locations and employees in new states.

Oversee timely and accurate filing of quarterly and annual payroll tax returns and reports, including Forms 941 and 940, W-2s, state quarterly wage reports, and new hire reporting, in partnership with Paycor tax services.

Support required compliance reporting, such as California Pay Data Reporting, workers’ compensation payroll audits, and Department of Labor or state agency inquiries.

Stay current on new and changing payroll legislation and minimum wage updates across all states where PSC operates, and implement changes proactively.

Accounting & Reconciliation

Prepare and review payroll journal entries, accruals, and general ledger mapping so labor costs post correctly by site, department, and cost center.

Reconcile payroll, tax, benefit, and 401(k) liability accounts each payroll, and support month-end and year-end close.

401(k) & Benefits Administration

• Own 401(k) plan payroll administration, including deferral and loan setup, employer match calculations, eligibility tracking, and timely remittance of contributions.
• Coordinate with the plan recordkeeper and third-party administrator on annual nondiscrimination testing, Form 5500 support, and the annual 401(k) plan audit.
• Reconcile benefit deductions with carrier invoices and partner with HR on benefits enrollment changes.

Controls, Audits & Leadership

• Design, document, and maintain strong payroll internal controls, including segregation of duties, approval workflows, and pre- and post-payroll audits.
• Serve as the point person for financial statement, 401(k), workers’ compensation, and state agency audits, providing documentation to auditors and CPA firms.
• Lead, train, and develop payroll staff and help scale the payroll function to support PSC’s continued growth, including integrating new or acquired sites into Paycor.
• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred, combined with 10–15 years of progressive payroll and accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a payroll leadership role.
• Paycor Expertise (Required): Hands-on administrator-level experience with Paycor Perform payroll and Paycor Time time and attendance, including pay rule configuration, timecard management, integrations, and reporting.
• Manufacturing Payroll: Experience running payroll for salaried and hourly, shift-based workforces in a manufacturing, production, or distribution environment.
• Multi-Site & Multi-State: Proven experience managing payroll across multiple facilities and states, including state tax registrations and multi-state withholding.
• California Wage & Hour: Strong working knowledge of California wage-and-hour law and its practical application to payroll and timekeeping.
• Payroll Accounting: Strong experience with month-end and year-end close, payroll reconciliations, and general ledger entries.
• 401(k) Administration: Experience with 401(k) plan payroll administration and plan audits.
• Certification: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) from PayrollOrg preferred.
• Technical Skills: Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, and data reconciliation) and comfort working with large data sets.

COMPETENCIES

• Deep knowledge of the full payroll life cycle, from time capture through payroll, tax, and general ledger posting.
• Proven ability to implement and maintain best-in-class payroll controls and to improve processes and procedures.
• Highest level of integrity and confidentiality with sensitive employee and compensation data.
• Excellent communication and people skills, with the ability to work effectively with Team Members, plant supervisors, and senior leadership.
• Exceptional organization and attention to detail, with the ability to meet fixed payroll deadlines.
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, and a proactive, solutions-oriented approach.
• Proven ability to lead a company’s payroll function through periods of rapid growth.