Payroll Coordinator

Who We Are

Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year-round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of events designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers.

The Stratford Festival is committed to ongoing work to support equity, inclusion, anti-racism and anti-oppression in all areas of our work. These areas include play selection, casting, marketing and public relations efforts, education programs, production, design, recruitment of staff and volunteers, and the composition of the Board of Directors.

Why You Should Apply

- Creative work environment
- Paid operational shutdown in December, with flexibility of days being used at alternative times during the year
- Group Insurance Benefits
- Employer matched RRSP
- Employee Assistance Program to encourage work-life balance and strong mental health
- Complimentary & discounted ticket offers and events
- Employee discounts on merchandise and event space
- Being a part of the magic of live theatre

The Payroll Coordinator is responsible for preparing and distributing payrolls for unionized and non-unionized employees and maintaining accurate payroll records in accordance with internal policies and legislative requirements. Reporting to the Payroll Manager, this role assists with payroll data administration across departments, supports year-end processes, liaises with Finance and external vendors. The Payroll Coordinator ensures payroll accuracy and provides responsive support to employees and managers across the organization.

Responsibilities

- Prepare, enter, and administer payroll for union departments
- Liaise weekly with the Finance department on the General Ledger payroll charges and verify and approve monthly remittance reports and reconciliation.
- Act as the primary payroll contact for assigned payroll departments, addressing payroll-related questions from employees and managers in a timely and professional manner.
- Assist and act as back up for non-unionized payrolls. Assist with Full-Time and Contractor payrolls as required. This includes data entry, reconciling and administration of those payrolls.
- Calculate and process statutory holiday pay in accordance with ESA, collective agreements, and internal payroll policies.
- Verify and audit employee entitlements and maintain comprehensive electronic payroll records—including Dayforce employee profiles, onboarding new hires, direct deposit details, earnings and deductions, and employment contracts—to ensure data integrity and compliance with privacy standards.
- Complete required government documentation including Records of Employment (ROEs).
- Verify weekly sick bank balances for Stage Crew employees in collaboration with Finance to ensure accuracy and proper recordkeeping.
- Create, process, and distribute custom payroll and HR reports to support other HR functions: H&S, Labour Relations, as well as other departments.
- Process payroll for the Festival’s film productions using PowerPay, including coordination with external production partners and stakeholders to ensure accuracy, timeliness and compliance with collective agreements and payroll standards.
- Responsible for year-end activities including balancing, adjustments and processing year-end tax forms.
- Ensure compliance with relevant payroll legislation including CRA, ESA, and Stratford Festival policies and collective agreements, to ensure accurate payroll processing and reporting.
- Calculate and update Union pay grids annually; distribute internally and externally
- Provide support to the Payroll Manager with ad hoc payroll tasks, including reconciliations, investigations, and Dayforce administration such as updating general ledger distributions, earning codes, and entitlements.
- Liaise with Service Canada to investigate and respond to requests.
- Ensure annual payroll record retention by preparing, organizing, and transferring both physical and/or electronic payroll files to the Festival’s archives, in compliance with internal protocols and statutory retention schedules
- Adhere to the Stratford Festival Health & Safety Commitment and Procedures, and ensure that safe work practices and policies are supported and enforced within reporting structure.
- Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

- Post-secondary diploma program, typically a two year program, or equivalent, (i.e. Community college, Technical Institute or Trade School, etc.) in Payroll, Accounting, Finance or a related field
- 2 to 4 years of related experience
- PCP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) certification preferred or in progress; CPA designation considered an asset.
- Strong understanding of payroll legislation and practices, including CRA and ESA requirements.
- Experience with Ceridian Dayforce or equivalent payroll systems.
- Experience processing payroll in a unionized environment, considered an asset
- High level of accuracy, discretion, and attention to detail.
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.
- Ability to prioritize and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Attention to Detail: meticulously review work and ensure accuracy and precision in all tasks.
- Organization skills: create structure and optimally use resources to achieve results and ensure productivity
- Teamwork: readily work with others towards a shared goal, actively support teammates and recognize everyone’s contributions
- Communication: actively listen and effectively transmit and receive information

This full time, position is located in Stratford, Ontario and will begin as soon as possible. This position requires the candidate to work onsite. Regular work hours for this position are Monday to Friday, but may require the candidate to work holiday and weekend hours as scheduled to ensure payroll is processed according to company policies and collective agreements.

Shared Values

- Inclusion: contribute to an environment where everyone is welcome, valued and respected; consistently demonstrate an open-mindedness and intellectual curiosity that promote and celebrate the diversity of perspectives.
- Innovation: put experience and knowledge into creative problem-solving and the continuous improvement of the organization.
- Rigor: show integrity in behaviour, attention to detail in work and commitment to excellence and professional evolution
- Caring: be empathetic, understanding and attentive to others
- Connection: establish and maintain trusting relationships that are respectful and constructive

Who Should Apply

We welcome applicants of every identity, and encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Deaf, disabled and 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and beyond. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternative format documents, ASL Interpreter or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our recruitment team know.

No candidate will meet every desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we’d love to learn more about you

If you would like to contribute your own remarkable talents to North America’s largest not-for-profit theatre, we’d like to hear from you.

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