Senior Payroll Manager

Senior Manager, Payroll and HRIS

Lead Payroll Operations End to End (2000 plus employees pay managed)

• Own the full payroll cycle across four provinces (Quebec, Ontario, BC and Alberta), ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery for all employee groups in a Lawyer Partnership business environment.
• Coordinate payroll with UKG for our operations in London. Provide support to our payroll operations in Johannesburg.
• Coordinate with regional HR teams on timecards, data changes, and escalations – not as a ticket desk, but as a strategic partner who understands their operations andanticipates their needs.

• Having a good understanding of the employment standards in the different provinces and being up to date on changes

• Manage year-end processes, statutory remittances, ROEs, and regulatory filings across alljurisdictions.
• Ensure compliance with federal, provincial, and Quebec-specific employment standards, tax legislation, and firm policies.

Own and Shape the HRIS (UKG)

• Serve as the functional owner of UKG for Fasken. Owningisn’t controlling – it’s coordinating, connecting, and making sure the system serves the firm’s talent strategy, not the other way around.
• Drive system optimization, configuration, and integration with other platforms.Identify gaps between how the system works today and how it should work to support the employee experience we’re building.
• Partner with IT and external vendors (including UKG and implementation partners) on system enhancements, upgrades, and issue resolution.

• Stay up to date with HRIS releases (UKG releases) and Inform stakeholders of that affects the Firm and communicate it to the business and impact groups.

• Maintain data integrity, security protocols, and access management across the platform.

Think Integration, Automation, and Future

• Continuously evaluate processes for automation and efficiency. Challenge how things are done today. Push for better.
• Build and refine processes that connect payroll and HRIS data to finance, analytics, and workforce planning. Clean, structured, well-governed data is the foundation for everything we do next, including AI and advanced analytics.
• Partner directly with People Analytics to ensure data architecture decisions made today enable the insights the firm will need tomorrow.
• Stay current on payroll technology trends, legislative changes, and emerging practices. Bring ideas to the table, not just compliance.

Lead and Build a High-Performing Team

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of payroll professionals.
• Create an environment where the team thrives, own their work, raise issues early, and continuously improve.
• Manage priorities, workload, and competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with HR, Finance, IT, and regional teams. Build relationships, not just workflows.

Deliver Exceptional Client Service

• Serve as a trusted advisor to internal clients – partners, lawyers, staff, and regional HR teams. The standard is responsiveness, clarity, and a genuine commitment to solving problems.
• Provide strategic guidance on payroll-related matters to senior leadership, including tax implications, and policy interpretation.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of payroll processes and regulatory monitoring, in compliance with Fasken’s quality and compliance standards.

• Manage escalations with professionalism and maintain discretion and confidentiality.

What You Bring

Required

• Bilingual in English and French (spoken and written).
• 7+ years of progressive experience in payroll management, including multi-provincial Canadian payroll with Quebec expertise.
• Hands-on experience with UKG (UKG Pro, UKGWFM, and UKG Payroll). You don’t just use the system. You understand it.

Worked with ADP is an asset

Advanced proficiency in MS Office applications, Excel

• Demonstrated experience leadingand developing payroll teams.
• Deep knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation, statutory requirements, and compliance frameworks across multiple provinces.
• PCP or PLP certification through the National Payroll Institute (or actively pursuing).

Preferred

• Experience in a law firm or professional services environment.
• Experience with HRIS administration, system configuration, and data governance.
• Exposure to people analytics, data integration projects, or finance system connectivity.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and external implementation partners.

Who You Are

• A problem-solver with a business mindset.
• Someone who thinks about the future while delivering in the present.
• A communicator who adapts.
• A team player that connects payroll, HRIS, analytics, finance, and HR regional operations.

INCAP

Portfolio are acting on behalf of our client in recruiting for this position. To the best of our knowledge, this vacancy is for a new or existing role within their organization.