Payroll Manager resume example & templates

A realistic Payroll Manager resume shown in every design. Start from the example or use the design with your own resume.

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Payroll Manager resume example

Summary

Payroll Manager with 11 years of experience, including 5 leading payroll for multi-entity companies with US and Canadian employees. Manages a 4-person team paying 6,500 employees $420M a year with 99.9% accuracy. Brings strong controls, system implementation experience and tight partnership with tax, accounting and HR.

Experience

Payroll Manager, Northern Pines Hospitality (Minneapolis, MN)

Feb 2021 – Present

  • Lead a 4-person team paying 6,500 employees across 3 entities in the US and Canada, $420M annually
  • Led the ADP to Workday Payroll conversion with 3 parallel runs and zero missed pay dates
  • Designed SOX payroll controls, closing all 2023 audit findings and passing 2024 and 2025 testing clean
  • Implemented tip-credit and service-charge processing for 2,400 hourly staff in 7 states

Payroll Supervisor, Lakeland Foods (St. Paul, MN)

Mar 2017 – Jan 2021

  • Supervised 2 specialists processing union and salaried payrolls for 2,200 employees
  • Cut payroll tax notices from 40 a year to 6 through jurisdiction set-up audits

Payroll Specialist, Twin Cities Medical Supply (Bloomington, MN)

Jan 2015 – Feb 2017

  • Processed biweekly payroll for 600 employees in Ceridian Dayforce

Education

  • B.S. in Accounting, Minnesota State University, Mankato (Aug 2010 – Dec 2014)

Skills

  • Payroll Leadership: multi-entity payroll, team management, payroll implementation, year-end close
  • Compliance: SOX controls, multi-state and Canadian payroll tax, FLSA, tip credit rules
  • Systems: Workday Payroll, ADP, Ceridian Dayforce, Oracle GL, Excel

How to write a Payroll Manager resume

A strong Payroll Manager resume shows the people programs and processes you ran, and how they improved hiring, retention or efficiency. Show the organization you ran (team size, budget, revenue) and the business results you are accountable for.

Sections, in order

  1. Summary
  2. Experience
  3. Skills
  4. Education

Length: Two pages are common for leadership roles; keep the first page strong enough to stand alone.

Summary: Lead with your leadership scope and the business outcomes you are known for.

Skills to feature

Example bullet points

Tips from recruiters

Recommended templates

Payroll Manager resume FAQ

What should a Payroll Manager resume include?

A Payroll Manager resume should show the people programs and processes you ran, and how they improved hiring, retention or efficiency. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Skills and Education. Show the organization you ran (team size, budget, revenue) and the business results you are accountable for.

What is the best resume template for a Payroll Manager?

Classic, Modern and Executive work well for Payroll Manager roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.

How long should a Payroll Manager resume be?

Two pages are common for leadership roles; keep the first page strong enough to stand alone.

Which skills should a Payroll Manager put on a resume?

Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Payroll Manager roles are Talent acquisition, Employee relations, HRIS (Workday, BambooHR), Compensation and benefits, Performance management and Onboarding.

How do I write strong Payroll Manager resume bullet points?

Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as time to hire, offer acceptance rate and retention. For example: "Rebuilt the engineering hiring loop, cutting time to hire from 52 to 31 days across 80 hires."

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