Senior Payroll Tax & Governance Manager

Houston, TX (Onsite) | $150K–$173K

The Role

Our client is seeking a hands-on payroll tax leader to own compliance, governance, and payroll system integrity in a complex, multi-state environment.

This is not a processing role—you’ll serve as the internal authority, validating payroll tax outputs, strengthening controls, and holding vendors accountable.

What You’ll Do

• Lead payroll tax compliance (federal, multi-state, local)

• Validate payroll tax calculations and system/vendor outputs

• Own governance, controls, and risk management

• Oversee year-end reporting (W-2, etc.)

• Manage and challenge a third-party payroll provider

• Partner with HRIS on system configuration and integrity

• Act as the escalation point for complex payroll issues

What You Bring

• 10+ years payroll experience with deep tax expertise

• Ability to independently validate payroll tax scenarios

• Experience with enterprise systems 

• Strong background in audit, controls, and compliance

• Proven ability to manage vendors and influence leadership

Why This Role

High-impact position with ownership of payroll tax governance end-to-end in a complex environment.