Manager Payroll Operations I

About the opportunity
The Manager, Payroll Operations I leads a high-volume Wage Garnishment Operations team. The role provides day-to-day leadership for Wage Attachment Specialists and Managed Operations Specialists who process child support orders, tax levies, creditor garnishments, and other legally mandated deductions.
This leader ensures wage garnishment activity is accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable federal, state, provincial, and client requirements. The role is accountable for team performance, operational results, employee development, quality, productivity, client service, and continuous improvement across a globally distributed operation supporting U.S. and Canadian payroll functions.
What you will do

• Lead, coach, and develop Wage Attachment Specialists and Managed Operations Specialists through regular one-on-one meetings, performance conversations, documentation, and career development planning.
• Set clear expectations and foster a culture of accountability, engagement, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Provide leadership and wage garnishment expertise so the team has the tools, training, and support required to succeed.
• Oversee daily operations across global locations to ensure orders are received, reviewed, entered, maintained, and processed accurately, on time, and in compliance with requirements.
• Manage schedules, staffing, workloads, and coverage to meet operational demand and service-level commitments.
• Monitor productivity, accuracy, quality, audit results, turnaround times, aging work, and other operational metrics; identify trends and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain effective quality controls that reduce errors and defects while meeting client requirements, company policies, regulations, and service-level agreements.
• Partner with clients, payroll teams, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional partners to resolve complex issues and provide a seamless client experience.
• Document, escalate, and follow through on operational and client issues with appropriate urgency.
• Lead team meetings that reinforce quality, compliance, operational priorities, company initiatives, and employee participation.
• Collaborate with peer leaders to keep processes aligned, efficient, and scalable across the department.
• Identify process-improvement opportunities and present data-informed recommendations to leadership.
• Lead effectively through ongoing change in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Skills and experience we value

• Three or more years of people leadership experience in high-volume wage garnishment, payroll, benefits, or a related operations environment.
• Direct experience managing or supporting a wage garnishment team is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of wage garnishment processes, order types, compliance requirements, and payroll deductions.
• Knowledge of North American payroll practices; experience with U.S. and Canadian payroll is preferred.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing employees in a performance-driven environment.
• Ability to partner effectively across functions and deliver a seamless experience in a matrixed organization.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly with leaders, internal partners, clients, and team members.
• Strong problem-solving, planning, organizational, and prioritization skills, with the ability to align work to business goals.
• Experience managing staffing, schedules, quality, productivity, service-level performance, and operational risk.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Industry-related certification is an asset.
• Experience in an outsourcing or consulting environment is preferred.
• Adaptability, flexibility, and the ability to manage change with composure.

What will help you stand out

• Experience leading and coaching a high-volume wage garnishment team across end-to-end processing, quality, compliance, and client service.
• Strong working knowledge of child support orders, tax levies, creditor garnishments, and other involuntary deductions.
• Experience managing and coaching Wage Attachment Specialists or Managed Operations Specialists.
• Working knowledge of payroll, benefits, and workforce management functions.
• Experience translating business priorities into clear team actions and managing broad day-to-day operations in a high-volume environment.
• A track record of using metrics to improve quality and delivering measurable process improvements.
• Sound judgment in resolving complex operational or client issues with urgency.
• Ability to learn and use tools that support efficient processes and effective people leadership.
• Multinational payroll experience, particularly in the U.S. and Canada.
• Experience managing, directing, or collaborating with offshore teams that provide daily operational support and subject matter expertise.