PQ is a leading global provider of silicates, silicas and derivative products. PQ’s products are used in a wide variety of industrial processes and many customer products, from decorative paints to green cement, from clean drinking water to green tires and from toothpaste to biofuels and beer.

North America Payroll Lead

At PQ, payroll is a critical function that impacts both employees and the business. We are seeking a Payroll Lead who will own the end-to-end payroll process ensuring an accurate, on time, and compliant delivery each cycle, with reliable support to employees and the organization as a whole.

Role Summary

This is a hands-on individual contributor role responsible for processing payroll across the U.S. and Canada. The Payroll Lead will take ownership of execution, stabilize the current process and sustain a consistent, controlled payroll operation that the business can rely on.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Execution & Ownership

• Process multi-frequency payroll for U.S. and Canada employees.
• Manage payroll inputs including hires, terminations, pay changes, bonuses, and deductions.
• Review and validate time and attendance data and drive timely resolution of missing or inaccurate entries.
• Run off-cycles and bonus payrolls as required.
• Manage post-payroll activities including benefits and retirement contributions, garnishments, tax filings, and vendor reconciliations.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries and resolve discrepancies.

Compliance & Controls

• Stay current on federal, state, and local payroll regulations, ensuring changes are evaluated and applied to payroll processes as needed.
• Interpret and apply union contract provisions, including premiums, overtime rules, and wage changes, ensuring alignment with payroll and supporting contract updates and negotiations as needed.
• Maintain audit-ready payroll processes and documentation (SOP’s.)
• Partner with internal and external stakeholders to resolve inquiries and potential issues.

Systems & Process Management

• Serve as the functional owner of payroll systems (ADP Workforce Now.)

• Support time and attendance processes and integrations, identifying opportunities to improve timekeeping processes.

• Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and accuracy.
• Partner with HR and Finance to support all the lifecycle events that impact payroll.
• Clearly communicate payroll schedules, changes, and impact to stakeholders.

• Qualifications

• 5–8 years of hands-on payroll experience with direct ownership of payroll processing
• Experience processing payroll in both multi-state U.S. and Canadian environments with a strong understanding of compliance, taxes, and reporting.
• Experience with union payroll environments
• Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now or similar payroll systems
• Proficiency in Excel for payroll analysis, data validation, and reconciliation (comfortable in using pivot tables, VLOOKUP’s, and other formulas)
• High attention to detail

• Nice to Have

• Experience with KPI’s, Payroll Dashboards, and advanced analytics
• Experience supporting HR systems beyond payroll
• Experience participating in payroll implementations, system upgrades, or process transformations.

EHS Responsibilities

• Communicates, promotes and personally demonstrates Safety/Health (including PQP Principles) as #1 priority
• Participation in risk assessment audits as applicable
• Understand PQ Principles (PQP) and how they are implemented in the site organization, rules and procedures
• Completes HSE training requirements identified for the job in a timely manner

PQ is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics. Click on the link to read Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal (eeoc.gov). For more information, please review the link Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal | U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (eeoc.gov).