Payroll Manager

Payroll Manager - Leading Enterprise Payroll Excellence for a Complex, High-Performing Workforce

Are you a payroll professional who values precision, leadership, and public service? The City of Chesapeake is seeking an experienced Payroll Manager to lead and elevate its payroll and timekeeping operations. This position ensures accurate, timely payment for all employees while driving operational excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement.

The Payroll Manager serves as a key partner across departments, leading a high-performing team, strengthening internal controls, and advancing system and process enhancements that support a best-in-class payroll function.

At the City of Chesapeake, Finance operates with an "open for business" mindset, serving as a trusted internal partner committed to delivering outstanding customer service, reducing friction, and empowering departments to succeed while maintaining strong accountability and stewardship. In this role, you will help shape and advance that vision-ensuring payroll and timekeeping processes are not only accurate and compliant, but also efficient, user-friendly, and responsive to the needs of a diverse workforce.

Why Chesapeake?

Chesapeake is a dynamic and growing community where innovation, collaboration, and service excellence are valued. The City is committed to investing in its people, modernizing systems, and continuously improving how we serve both our employees and our residents. As Payroll Manager, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact-supporting the employees who keep the City running while helping to build a forward-thinking, service-oriented organization.

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As the City's Payroll Manager, you will own the full payroll cycle and oversight the timekeeping team while leading innovation, strengthening controls, and driving continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing payroll team while fostering a collaborative, accountable culture
• Oversee accurate and timely payroll for all employees, including taxes, garnishments, and benefit deductions
• Reconcile payroll, analyze results, and post to the General Ledger; monitor related reconciliation accounts
• Develop, implement, and enforce payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls
• Oversee the citywide timekeeping system, including monitoring employee hours, leave accruals, and attendance records, and ensures adherence to applicable federal, state, and local labor laws as well as City policies and collective bargaining agreements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and regulatory requirements, including payroll tax filings (e.g., 941s, W-2s) and management of tax tables and deductions
• Serve as primary liaison with tax authorities; ensure timely and accurate processing of garnishments, liens, and legal orders
• Lead payroll and timekeeping system strategy and optimization (e.g., UKG Workforce Dimensions, Munis/Tyler)
• Ensure accurate data flow across payroll, timekeeping, scheduling, and accounting systems; partner with HR and IT to enhance operations and support system upgrades and interfaces.
• Analyze impacts of compensation, benefits, and attendance policies; develop solutions for evolving IRS and regulatory requirements
• Serve as a strategic partner-advising leadership, supporting cross-functional initiatives, and communicating insights through reports, presentations, and FOIA responses

Why This Role Matters

Every paycheck tells a story-and you ensure it's the right one. Your work directly supports the financial well-being of City employees while maintaining trust, compliance, and operational excellence.

Ready to take ownership of a vital function and lead with impact? Apply today and help us deliver excellence-one payroll at a time.

The City of Chesapeake offers an exceptional range of benefits. Please browse our Benefits Brochure, for a full list of benefits and employee perks.

Required Qualifications

VOCATIONAL/EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

Requires any combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in accounting or a closely related field.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT:

In addition to satisfying the vocational/education standards, this class requires a minimum of four years of related, full-time equivalent experience.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Employees may be expected to work hours in excess of their normally scheduled hours in response to short-term department needs and/or City-wide emergencies.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience managing in-house payroll processing for large employee base 4,000+ is beneficial.

CPP, CPA, or CGFM preferred.