Payroll Manager
Payroll Manager
About Eastern Washington University:
Eastern Washington University, a regional, comprehensive public university with an enrollment of over 10,000 students, is one of six state-funded four-year institutions of higher education in Washington, each governed by its own board of trustees. As the regions polytechnic, we are recognized for our distinctive approach to hands-on learning that leads to in-demand careers. EWUs 300-acre main campus is located in Cheney, a community of 12,000 residents 16 miles southwest of Washingtons second largest city, Spokane. Eastern also offers programs in downtown Spokane at the innovative, energy-efficient Catalyst building, the SIERR building which is a hub for research, development and advancement of health sciences, and at Riverpoint, a campus shared with Washington State University. In addition, EWU programs can be found at select locations throughout the state, aligned with the needs of the community. Eastern contributes to the vitality of the region and the state through its wide array of bachelors and masters degrees in over 100 fields of study, as well as applied doctorates in physical therapy and educational leadership, offering accessible pathways to career success and personal development to students of all socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Eastern Washington University has been recognized for its commitment to helping undergraduate students learn, grow and succeed by Colleges of Distinction, a nationally trusted resource guide for college-bound students. The honor recognizes Eastern as a 24-25 College of Distinction (CoD). Tribal Land Acknowledgement
At Eastern Washington University, we are proud to recognize the land of the Spokane Tribe and other tribes that shared the land for fishing and trading. The Spokane Tribe, Coeur dAlene Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Kalispel Tribe, and the Nez Perce Tribe are integral to the cultural heritage and traditional ethnological knowledge of the land.
Native American heritage is woven into the fabric of our institution, enriching our community through tribal culture, historical teachings, and tribal language, and is embraced daily by students, staff, faculty, and the Eastern Washington community.
At EWU, we are committed to reflecting on and acknowledging the historical injustices of genocide and the forced removal of tribal peoples and all our relatives. EWU recognizes and honors tribal sovereignty and government to government relationships with tribes.
From here forward, EWU will remain committed to supporting, honoring, and recognizing the Native American community and the dynamic contributions that are shared with our university.
Job Summary:
We are currently seeking skilled and team-oriented applicants for the following position: Payroll Manager.
Reporting to the associate controller, this administrative exempt position serves a key role in fulfilling the universitys responsibility for timely payment and accurate reporting of compensation for university employees. The Payroll Manager is responsible for managing the ERP system to process semi-monthly payroll and related benefits for university faculty, staff, administrators, and student employees totaling approximately $100+ million annually.
EWU is committed to supporting and promoting a workforce that is welcoming to all and encourages applicants of all backgrounds to apply for this position.
The salary for this position is $82,225 (minimum) up to $112,204 being offered. Where the hired candidate will begin within this range is dependent on education, experience, and skills. In addition to salary, the university offers a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance and disability insurance and retirement. In addition, EWU offers generous vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays per year and fringe benefits, such as tuition waiver for employees and eligible family members, discounted EWU sports tickets, full access to our campus workout facilities at a minimum fee and free transportation through STA buses. For additional information regarding insurance benefits please see our Benefits page: https://inside.ewu.edu/hr/benefits-briefing/benefits/insurance/
Eastern Washington University provides an inclusive, equitable, and transformative learning experience, driving the pursuit of knowledge with affordable academic excellence.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelors degree in accounting, finance, business administration or closely related field
- At least Five (5) years of full-time experience with payroll processing for a large corporation of government entity.
- Two years of advanced payroll-related federal tax reporting experience for a large corporate or governmental entity.
- Three years of experience supervising professional and fiscal support staff
- Demonstrated experience with integrated, enterprise level payroll software systems
- Demonstrated ability to apply a responsive and flexible approach that is supportive of the needs including universal access of our students, faculty, staff and the public
Preferred Qualifications:
- CPA, Payroll Certification or Masters in Business Administration or equivalent
- Specific experience working in the payroll operations of a college or university environment
- Extensive hands-on system administration experience with Ellucian Banner HR/Payroll module or similar ERP system
- Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills
- Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple projects within established deadlines
- Experience monitoring, reviewing, and interpreting state or federal bill language
Other Skills and Abilities:
- Ability to identify problems, develop solutions and implement change
- Ability to use discretion, tact and good judgment when working with highly sensitive and confidential information
Note: The above job description is a general outline of the duties and responsibilities typically associated with this position. Specific tasks and responsibilities may vary based on the needs of the department and institution.
Job Duties:
- Plan, organize, and provide general supervision and direction to the Assistant Payroll Manager. Provide support to unit supervisors and managers on payroll reporting. Provide timely communications, accurate reporting and strong internal controls.
- Work with Information Technology analysts to problem-solve any system issues in a timely manner so that payroll is not delayed.
- Draft payroll master schedules and processing cycles, oversee semi-monthly payroll processing.
- Analyze, communicate and implement procedural changes dictated by state agency guidance for payroll, healthcare, and retirement systems.
- Responsible for timely reporting and transmittal of payroll-related vendor payments including federal income tax, FICA, Medicare, unemployment, healthcare and life insurance premiums, retirement and investment contributions.
- Responsible for accurate and timely data interfacing between the payroll and finance modules with the ERP.
- Direct and manage all reconciliations including payroll-related vendor accounts payable and general ledger activity.
- Ensure fiscal year end compensated absences and payroll liabilities are accurately calculated and posted to the general ledger.
- Interview and recommend selection of applicants, conduct performance evaluations and take corrective action if needed. Identify professional development opportunities for payroll staff.
Percent of Time: 45
- Primary responsibility is for ensuring university compliance with federal and state taxes. Using federal tax guides, state reporting requirements and tax codes: research, interpret and provide recommendations on taxes related to employment, non-resident aliens and other payments to foreign individuals. Research state and local guidelines for out-of-state employees including income tax withholding, unemployment report and etc.
- Coordinate with Human Resources to identify non-resident employees and properly withhold and report state taxes, unemployment and/or workers compensation. Research foreign tax treaties as needed.
- Keep current with the industry and developing initiatives. Read professional literature, view webinars, and participate in listserv questions and discussions. Regularly attend tax and/or payroll conferences as the budget allows.
- Responsible for planning and supervising preparation of IRS Forms 941, 945, W-2, and 1099R. Acts as primary reviewer for tax reporting and all other products generated by the payroll office. Identifies and clearly communicates decision points and reviews reconciliations and performs analytical review before filing tax reports.
- Identify and design reports from the payroll system to assist with analysis and data integrity review. Creates ad hoc queries and reports for daily operations, monthly review or in response to external requests.
- Responds to external auditor inquiries and reports regarding payroll transactions and reporting, recommend corrective action if needed, monitor effectiveness going forward.
Percent of Time: 20
- Develop and conduct training programs for the campus community related to payroll processes and procedures. Also, train payroll staff for new regulations, reporting and etc.
- Identify and review for sources and reasons of delays affecting payroll processing streamline document flow, etc.
- Prepare annual budget request and administer the operating budget for Payroll. Act as budget authority to approve expenses, Coordinate budget projections with supervisor.
- Perform special projects and other related duties as required.
Percent of Time: 20
- Assist with the ongoing functional design and configuration of ERP systems for payroll and any external systems feeding into the payroll module. Act as functional lead for Payroll during system implementations.
- Schedule fiscal year end table conversions and maintain system validation tables.
- Responsible for evaluating and implementing system upgrades, patches and conducting testing plans.
- Assist with the design, implementation and periodic evaluation of internal controls over processes and subsidiary systems interfacing with the payroll module. Consult on integration issues that impact payroll.
- Provide lead role in communicating with business units in problem solving and implementation of changes to systems. Collaborate with counterparts in other organizations for best practices. Ensure that processes are documented and adequate supporting documentation exists for all transactions. Coordinate with Human Resources staff where procedures inter-relate with payroll processing.
- Maintain payroll records in accordance with university records retention policy.
Percent of Time: 15
Conditions of Employment:
This position, during the course of university employment will be involved in the receipt of, or accountability for, university funds or other items of value, as well as the unsupervised access with the developmentally disabled, vulnerable adults or children under the age of 16. The offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion and passing of a background check prior to beginning employment.
Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa currently. Sponsorship is not available for this position at this time.
After starting employment, employees will complete the required training via Canvas. The Office of Employee Belonging, Development, and Leadership will reach out to you concerning Workplace Belonging training.
Note: Interviews might be conducted via Zoom (camera must be enabled). If so, candidates must be able to demonstrate competence using Zoom and other technologies.
Salary Information:
Posting Date: 03/13/2026
Open Until Further Notice: No
Closing Date: 3/27/2026
Screening to Begin: Immediately
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Submit your application materials through our online applications portal provided below. If you are unable to submit through the applicant portal, please contact Human Resources Services at (509) 359-2381.
To apply, visit https://jobs.hr.ewu.edu/postings/14537
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