Payroll Tax Lead

Job Title: Lead Payroll Processor

Location: System Business Office

Department Name: Payroll

Req #: 0000269256

Status: Salaried

Shift: Day

Pay Range: $84,000.00 - $105,100.00 per year

Pay Transparency:

The above reflects the anticipated annual salary range for this position if hired to work in New Jersey.

The compensation offered to the candidate selected for the position will depend on several factors, including the candidate's educational background, skills and professional experience.

This position plays a critical role in ensuring the accurate taxation of employee wages and the timely and accurate deposit and reporting of federal, state, and local payroll taxes. The Lead Payroll Tax Specialist is expected to independently research and resolve complex payroll tax matters, manage tax notices and abatements, identify root causes of discrepancies, and ensure appropriate corrective and preventive actions are implemented.

In addition to technical responsibilities, this position serves as lead, trainer, and mentor within the Payroll organization. The successful candidate must possess strong analytical and communication skills and demonstrate the ability and willingness to teach others, document processes, and strengthen the payroll tax knowledge of the broader team.

This position requires a high degree of accountability, initiative, accuracy, and ownership.

A typical day as a Tax Lead looks like: 

Payroll Tax Compliance & Administration

• Serve as a subject-matter expert for federal, state, and local payroll taxation and provide technical guidance to Payroll leadership and staff
• Ensure payroll taxes are appropriately calculated, withheld, deposited, reconciled, and reported in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements
• Monitor changes in payroll tax laws and regulations and evaluate their impact on payroll processes, system configurations, and employees
• Support multi-state and multi-jurisdiction payroll taxation, including state income tax, local taxes, unemployment insurance, disability programs, and other jurisdiction-specific requirements
• Review and validate quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, including Forms 941, W-2, W-3, state unemployment returns, state and local withholding returns, and other required filings
• Coordinate and support payroll tax amendments and corrections when necessary
• Assist with year-end payroll tax activities, including W-2 balancing, reconciliation, corrections, and preparation for year-end reporting

Payroll Tax Setup & Configuration

• Establish, review, validate, and maintain payroll tax configurations within the payroll system
• Manage payroll tax setup associated with new legal entities, companies, work locations, jurisdictions, acquisitions, reorganizations, and other organizational changes
• Coordinate federal, state, and local tax registrations and ensure required account numbers, tax rates, filing frequencies, and jurisdictional information are properly established
• Validate employee tax setups and investigate taxation issues related to work location, residence, reciprocity, transfers, multiple work locations, and other complex employment arrangements
• Partner with HRIS/IT and Payroll Operations to test payroll tax configuration changes and system updates prior to implementation
• Maintain documentation supporting payroll tax configurations and changes

Tax Reconciliation & Analysis

• Perform and/or review detailed payroll tax reconciliations to ensure taxable wages, withholding, employer liabilities, deposits, filings, and general ledger activity are accurate and complete
• Analyze large volumes of payroll and tax data to identify discrepancies, trends, unusual activity, and potential compliance risks
• Research discrepancies determining root cause rather than simply correcting individual transactions
• Develop recommendations and corrective actions to prevent recurring payroll tax issues
• Establish and maintain appropriate payroll tax controls, audit procedures, and reconciliation standards
• Prepare analytical reports and communicate findings, risks, and recommendations to Payroll leadership

Tax Notices, Penalties & Abatements

• Manage federal, state, and local payroll tax notices from receipt through final resolution
• Research tax notices, assessments, penalties, interest, discrepancies, and filing issues
• Prepare and submit payroll tax penalty and interest abatement requests, including supporting documentation and correspondence
• Communicate directly with taxing authorities and third-party payroll tax providers when necessary to resolve outstanding matters
• Maintain a centralized tracking process for tax notices, documenting ownership, status, financial exposure, actions taken, and final resolution
• Escalate significant tax risks, penalties, unresolved notices, or compliance concerns to Payroll leadership in a timely manner
• Identify systemic issues contributing to notices or penalties and recommend controls to prevent recurrence

Vendor & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Serve as a key liaison with third-party payroll tax service providers
• Review vendor activity and ensure tax deposits, filings, amendments, notices, and other services are completed accurately and timely
• Partner with Pmatters
• Support internal and external payroll tax audits and provide requested documentation, reconciliations, and explanations
• Assist with special projects, acquisitions, integrations, system implementations, and organizational changes affecting payroll taxation

Training, Leadership & Knowledge Transfer

• Serve as a technical lead and escalation resource for payroll tax questions and complex issues
• Train, coach, and mentor Payroll team members on payroll taxation, reconciliations, tax setup, notices, abatements, regulatory requirements, and troubleshooting
• Develop and maintain written procedures, job aids, training materials, process documentation, and knowledge resources
• Conduct formal and informal payroll tax training sessions as needed
• Promote cross-training to reduce dependency on individual employees and strengthen organizational knowledge
• Demonstrate patience and the ability to explain complex payroll tax concepts in a manner that others can understand and apply
• Proactively share regulatory changes, lessons learned, and best practices with the Payroll organization
• Provide technical guidance and work direction as appropriate, even when direct supervisory responsibility is not assigned

Metrics, Reporting & Risk Management

• Track and monitor key payroll tax metrics, including:
• Filing accuracy and timeliness
• Reconciliation variances
• Tax notice volume and resolution time
• Penalties and interest incurred
• Compliance adherence
• Analyze trends and identify areas of risk or improvement
• Provide regular reporting to leadership on payroll tax performance, risks, and remediation efforts
• Proactively identify and mitigate tax-related risks impacting the organization

Process Improvement & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve payroll tax processes, enhance efficiency, and reduce manual effort
• Implement standardization and automation initiatives where applicable
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation for tax processes, procedures, and controls
• Support system enhancements, testing, and implementation efforts related to payroll tax functionality
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to strengthen compliance and operational effectiveness

To be a fit for this role you must have:

High School Diploma, Associate or bachelor’s degree preferred Minimum of 5 years payroll tax administration including establishing tax accounts, evaluating tax accounts for closure, corresponding with third party vendors for tax accounts, demonstrated understanding of the tax abatement process, and ability to work independently and a part of a team. Extensive experience supporting enterprise-level payroll tax functionality including compliance, reconciliation, issue resolution, and multi-jurisdictional requirements. Strong organizational and time management skills. Demonstrated experience with MS Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, including v-lookup, pivot tables, and analytics. Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a structured environment. Knowledge of standardizing tax processes for multi-entity organizations. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation or ability to obtain within one year of employment. Experience Preferred: Experience supporting payroll tax functionality in a complex enterprise environment Experience working in a high-volume or shared services environment preferred. Familiarity with payroll systems such as PeopleSoft, UKG, Workday, ADP, or similar platforms preferred. Experience supporting audits or working in a regulated environment preferred.

Benefits and Perks:

At RWJBarnabas Health, our employees are at the heart of everything we do. Driven by our Total Wellbeing promise, our market-competitive offerings include comprehensive benefits and resources to support our employees’ physical, emotional, financial, personal, career, and community wellbeing.  These benefits and resources include, but are not limited to:

Paid Time Off including Vacation, Holidays, and Sick Time
Retirement Plans
Medical and Prescription Drug Insurance
Dental and Vision Insurance
Disability and Life Insurance
Paid Parental Leave
Tuition Reimbursement
Student Loan Planning Support
Flexible Spending Accounts
Wellness Programs
Voluntary Benefits (e.g., Pet Insurance)
Community and Volunteer Opportunities
Discounts Through our Partners such as NJ Devils, NJ PAC, and Verizon
….and more!

RWJBarnabas Health is the premier health care destination providing patient-centered, high-quality academic medicine in a compassionate and equitable manner, while delivering a best-in-class work experience to every member of the team.  We honor and appreciate the privilege of creating and sustaining healthier communities, one person and one community at a time.  As the leading academic health system in New Jersey, we advance innovative strategies in high-quality patient care, education, and research to address both the clinical and social determinants of health. 

RWJBarnabas Health aims to truly make a unique impact in local communities throughout New Jersey. From vastly improving the health of local residents to creating educational and career opportunities, this combination greatly benefits the state. We understand the growing and evolving needs of residents in New Jersey—whether that be enhancing the coordination for treating complex health conditions or improving community health through local programs and education.

Equal Opportunity Employer
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