Payroll Tax Manager – North America

Manulife

. Own U.S. payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including filings, remittances, reconciliations, registrations, notices, amendments, and agency account maintenance . Lead quarter-end and

Posted 10/22/2026full-timeBoston • Massachusetts • United StatesSeniorLead💰 $92,475 - $160,290 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates extensive expertise in U.S. payroll tax compliance, including federal, state, and local regulations, with a strong focus on reconciliations, filings, and vendor management. Proven ability to analyze complex tax issues, drive outcomes, and implement effective controls and documentation.

Highest-signal resume keywords

U.S. Payroll Tax ComplianceQuarter-End And Year-End ReconciliationsData Analysis And DocumentationCertified Payroll Professional (CPP)Experience With Workday Or ADP

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Payroll Tax WithholdingTax ReportingTax FilingsW-2/W-2c ProcessesProject ManagementData AnalysisControl ProceduresRisk AnalysisGovernanceAudit Evidence

Soft Skills

Communication SkillsLeadershipProblem-SolvingCollaborationRoot-Cause Analysis

Tools & Technologies

WorkdayADP GlobalViewADP SmartComplianceSAP PayrollAutomation Tools

Certifications & Qualifications

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

Industry Keywords

Financial ServicesHighly Regulated IndustryMergers And AcquisitionsCanadian Payroll TaxMulti-State Payroll

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own U.S. payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including filings, remittances, reconciliations, registrations, notices, amendments, and agency account maintenance
Lead quarter-end and year-end tax activities and ensure taxable wages, deposits, general ledger activity, vendor data, agency records, and employee tax forms are accurate and supported
Research tax requirements, monitor law changes, determine operational impacts, and maintain governance, controls, documentation, and audit evidence
Work with agencies and internal partners to resolve account setup issues, missing filings, payment discrepancies, tax rates, notices, and other compliance concerns
Own payroll tax matters involving payroll and tax filing vendors, including filing results, exceptions, amendments, account setup, notices, open items, and service performance
Hold vendors accountable for investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and documented closure; escalate recurring or high-risk issues
Analyze payroll tax data across payroll, human resources, finance, tax filing, vendor, and agency systems to identify errors, risks, trends, and control gaps
Build reconciliations, exception reports, dashboards, testing evidence, and control procedures
Interpret complex payroll tax requirements, form recommendations, and explain facts, risk, options, and business impact
Coordinate across Payroll, Tax, Legal, Finance, Technology, vendors, and agencies to drive decisions and resolve issues
Provide leadership updates on material risks, decisions, corrective actions, and resolution status
Convert lessons learned into stronger processes, controls, training, and documentation

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Tax, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience
Seven or more years of progressively responsible payroll tax experience in a complex, multi-state, multi-entity environment
Deep knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax withholding, reporting, depositing, filings, registrations, and agency resolution
Experience owning quarter-end and year-end payroll tax reconciliations, filings, W-2/W-2c processes, notices, amendments, and tax vendor management
Ability to independently research complex tax issues, make recommendations, and drive outcomes when no documented process exists
Strong Excel, data analysis, documentation, control, project management, and communication skills
Preferred Certified Payroll Professional designation (CPP)
Preferred experience with Workday, ADP GlobalView or another enterprise payroll platform, ADP SmartCompliance or another tax filing platform, SAP payroll or payroll accounting data
Preferred experience in financial services or another highly regulated industry
Preferred experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, new entities, reorganizations, new jurisdictions, Canadian payroll tax matters, artificial intelligence-assisted research, automation, or reconciliation tools

Benefits

Comp & perks

Incentive programs and incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Mental health benefits
Vision insurance
Short- and long-term disability insurance
Life and AD&D insurance coverage
Adoption/surrogacy benefits
Wellness benefits
Employee/family assistance plans
Retirement savings plans, including pension/401(k) savings plans
Global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions
Financial education and counseling resources
Up to 11 paid holidays annually
3 personal days annually
150 hours of vacation annually
40 hours of sick time annually, or more where required by law
Statutory leaves of absence
Flexible work environment
Learning and career growth support
Well-being and inclusion support