Manager, Payroll

Holt Renfrew offers you an inspiring, fashion-driven environment with opportunities to learn and grow. From our incredible partnerships with iconic luxury brands, to our commitments to corporate social responsibility, you will be inspired every day.

A job at Holt Renfrew offers a competitive total compensation, a generous employee discount, pension, and health & dental benefits, tuition assistance, and continuous learning and development.

Reports to the Divisional VP, Total Rewards, Payroll and HR Operations and oversees the end-to-end payroll process for a workforce of 2000+ hourly and salaried employees at Holt Renfrew.  This includes management, execution, and oversight of payroll in 4 provinces, 6 retail locations, a distribution centre, and corporate office.  Utilizing Workday (HRIS), Zebra (time and attendance) Varicent (commission calculator), and Jira (ticketing system), this role will ensure seamless transactioning of bi-weekly payroll, working closely with Finance, Compliance, and IT as well as external partners.  

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

Payroll Operations 

• Manage payroll-related systems, processes and data to ensure accurate and timely payroll processing for over 2000 employees in multiple tax jurisdictions 

• Hands on processing of payroll on a bi-weekly basis including audits 

• Keep abreast of current and upcoming legislation changes and advise management of any changes that will impact the calculation of pay, benefits, pensions, etc. 

• Partner with Total Rewards team to executive their year-end processes including merit increases and incentive payouts.  

• Oversee and respond to management and employee questions on payroll-related matters within

• Specified timeframes manner utilizing Jira ticketing system, including all escalated tickets. 

• Work closely with HR Business partners to ensure managers are provided with relevant payroll information to answer common questions regarding pay. 

Team Leadership, Resource & Capacity Management 

• Provide guidance, leadership and mentorship to a team of two payroll professionals 

• Oversee resource management for payroll processing, incoming inquiries, projects, administrative work, etc. to ensure appropriate coverage during peak times, processing weeks, finance cycles, weekends, and holidays 

• Lead, motivate, and retain a team of high-performing employees capable of delivering results; implement succession planning, team building and skill development 

• Lead team in performance management process and assessment including development of individual development plans 

• Identify internal and external training opportunities to encourage continuous learning 

• Demonstrate and instill an understanding of customer and business needs and resolve escalated customer and vendor issues 

Relationship Management & Cross-Functional Alignment 

• Maintains a functional relationship and reporting protocol with Finance department regarding accounting for all labor-related expenses, costs and data 

• Work closely with the finance team on monthly and annual reconciliations and analysis of payroll and benefit general ledger accounts 

• Act as a key point of contact for Senior Leadership and HR Business partners to address issues, concerns, or provide information 

• Communicate appropriate context, standards and prescribed limits for direct reports (as they relate to financial and operational guidelines) 

• Manage the relationship with the payroll service provider 

• Develop and enhance cooperative interdepartmental and vendor relationships and communications 

Data Integrity, Controls & Governance 

• Ensure the integrity of the payroll data records and adhere to internal accounting processes and timelines for the labour-related expenses of the company 

• Act as liaison with internal and external auditors, CRA, and WCB for payroll-related matters 

• Assist the finance team in the reconciliation and analysis of payroll and benefit general ledger accounts 

• Prepare, file, and maintain regulatory documents 

HRIS/Payroll Systems Management & Continuous Improvement 

• Act as a subject matter expert on all payroll related systems including Workday, Zebra, Varicent, and Jira. 

• Provide administration expertise, manage changes and upgrades, test and verify system requirements and liaise with IT to ensure technical and business requirements are met. 

• Manage and/or actively participate in the development of payroll systems and processes to increase efficiencies, improve control and better serve our employees. 

• Act as functional expert for payroll-related systems, processes and data and serve as the liaison between the Finance, IT, HR and other internal stakeholders to troubleshoot and resolve issues 

The ideal candidate: 

• Post-secondary degree in a related field  

• 5-7 years of post-university work experience, including 3+ years supervisory of management experience  

• Previous experience with Workday applications is highly preferred 

• Demonstrated leadership and influencing skills with the ability to get things done   

• Excellent interpersonal skills; a team player who is able to act as both a leader and an individual contributor as required 

• Confident and effective communication (written & verbal) and interpersonal skills  

• Is adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity and change   

• Highly service-oriented with exceptional organizational and follow up skills 

• Passionate about fashion and luxury retailing  

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) 

Holt Renfrew is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our future success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees -- their diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences make our business stronger. If you are contacted for a job opportunity and require accommodation, please email and let us know so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.