Financial Consulting Manager - Payroll Services at RSM

Consulting Manager Payroll Services

The Consulting Manager Payroll Services leads client engagements that assess, transition, and optimize payroll operations for clients looking to transform their internal payroll operations or to prepare for an outsourcing service delivery model. This role serves as a trusted advisor to organizations to establish compliant, efficient, and scalable payroll service delivery across multi-state and complex environments.

The manager oversees payroll assessments, operating model design, transition, and implementation activitiesbridging consulting strategy with operational execution. This position plays a critical role in delivering measurable value, strengthening client relationships, and advancing the growth of the managed payroll practice.

Key Responsibilities

Managed Payroll Advisory & Assessment

• Lead comprehensive payroll operational assessments spanning governance, compliance, controls, technology, vendor landscape, and service delivery maturity.
• Identify risks, inefficiencies, and cost drivers; develop actionable optimization roadmaps, to include outsource readiness.
• Define future-state payroll operating models, including roles/responsibilities, SLAs, KPIs, and escalation frameworks.
• Present recommendations and business case outcomes to executive stakeholders.

Process Optimization & Service Delivery Excellence

• Standardize payroll processes, controls, and documentation across managed clients.
• Establish operational metrics, quality assurance frameworks, and continuous improvement routines.
• Drive automation, error reduction, cycle-time improvement, and employee experience enhancements.
• Support remediation of complex payroll issues, audits, and compliance inquiries.

Engagement & Program Management

• Manage multiple client engagements across scope, budget, timeline, and resource allocation.
• Lead cross-functional coordination among payroll operations, HR, finance, IT, and third-party vendors.
• Maintain governance cadence including status reporting, risk management, and executive steering updates.
• Ensure adherence to PMO, change management, and managed services transition methodologies.

Practice Development

• Serve as primary relationship lead during assessment, transition, and stabilization phases.
• Build trusted advisor relationships with managed payroll onboarding team.
• Mentor consultants and analysts; review deliverables for quality and consistency.
• Contribute to prospect scoping/proposals, solution design, and thought leadership supporting managed payroll growth.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Accounting, HR, Information Systems, or related field.
• 6+ years of experience in payroll consulting, payroll operations, or payroll managed services.
• Demonstrated experience leading payroll outsourcing transitions or payroll system implementations.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll tax, wage and hour regulations, and compliance controls.
• Proven project and stakeholder management across complex, multi-entity environments.
• Ability to translate operational challenges into scalable solutions.

Preferred

• Experience within a consulting firm or managed services provider.
• Exposure to high-volume, multi-state, or global payroll operations.
• Familiarity with major payroll and HRIS platforms (Workday, ADP, Dayforce, UKG, SAP, Oracle, etc.).
• Professional certifications such as CPP, PMP, or Lean/Six Sigma.
• Experience designing SLAs, KPIs, and governance frameworks for outsourced services.
• Knowledge of Canada or other global payroll tax, wage and hour regulations, and compliance controls.

Core Competencies

• Managed services operating model design
• Payroll compliance and risk mitigation
• Transition and implementation leadership
• Client advisory and executive communication
• Operational excellence and continuous improvement
• Team leadership and talent development
• Commercial awareness and practice growth mindset