Payroll Tax Manager

First for a reason:

At First Student, we are a family of 60,000+ employees who take pride in safely transporting more than 5 million students and passengers to and from their destinations each day! Our family of brands include Transco, Total Transportation, Maggies Paratransit, and GVC II. Our employees are at the forefront of safety and innovation; they create and implement the most advanced training and technology the transportation industry has to offer.

First things First: Who are we? 

First Student is North America’s leading school transportation provider, completing 5 million student journeys daily—more than all U.S. airlines combined. With our highly trained drivers and top safety record, we provide reliable services, including full-service transportation, special-needs transport, and fleet maintenance for over 1,100 school districts.

Position: Payroll Tax Manager

The Payroll Tax Manager is responsible for ensuring payroll tax accuracy and maintaining compliance with federal/state/local tax regulations. The manager will lead and develop 1 to 2 Payroll Tax Specialists and be the primary tax subject matter expert/resource for the payroll tax team and organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Oversight of tax compliance requirements, regulations and confidentiality provisions for the payroll tax team
• Assure all Federal, State and Local payroll tax liabilities and associated regulatory tax filings are completed 100% accurate and on time.
• Oversight of each quarterly tax close, as well as, the annual W-2/W-2c process
• Overall maintenance and development of procedures and policies related to the payroll tax department with understanding of their correlation to other cross-department impacts
• Oversight and collaborative relationship management with 3rd party payroll tax system provider to ensure long-term stability of solution as it relates to our business
• Establish a standardized payroll approval process for payroll calculations and reconciliations, including earnings, bonuses, and commissions, while driving ongoing efficiencies.
• Develop policies and procedures to ensure payroll compliance across multiple states.
• Maintain HR and payroll data integrity through queries, data analysis, and audits.
• Manage special requests from executives and HR, including complex bonus and stock distributions.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, preparing necessary reports (EEOC, Bureau of Labor Statistics, etc.) while staying updated on relevant laws.
• Partner with Legal to address employee compliance and serve as the payroll contact for legal cases.
• Review and recommend improvements for payroll, benefits, and tax procedures.
• Prepare regular management reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, and year-end) on payroll metrics.
• Resolve discrepancies in payroll accounting and reporting promptly.
• Provide customer service via phone and email to address payroll issues.
• Coach and develop payroll team members, ensuring cross-training within the department.
• Ensure compliance with SOX and internal controls.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Related Discipline plus 6+ years’ experience in the Payroll Tax field or the equivalent of 10+ years’ experience in Payroll Tax field. (Required)
• 6+ year's experience with payroll taxes in at least 30+ states (Required)
• 5+ years’ experience in payroll tax leadership (Required)
• 5+ years' Workday software experience (Required)
• 5+ years’ working with third party payroll tax compliance tools such as SmartCompliance (Preferred)
• Certification such as FPC or CPP (Preferred)

Join us and lead the charge in maintaining safe and reliable school transportation!

First for a Reason  

 Benefits 

We offer competitive compensation and benefits (which vary based on role, location, and business), including physical and mental health initiatives, medical/dental/vision, 401(k), and paid holiday/vacation. 

Professional Advancement 

Start here. Go far. We believe in promoting from within which means tremendous opportunities for you, thanks to our strong presence across North America.

Extensive Training 

Build skills and knowledge in such areas as safety and security, injury prevention, technology and equipment, and job efficiency. 

Diversity & Inclusion 

Because we’re stronger together, we aspire to have a culture where all people are First. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and diverse working environment for everyone every day. 

Community Service & Impact 

Go where opportunity meets community. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. As the face of First Student in your community, you’ll have a positive impact on others. 

Apply today and get your career on the road with First Student!  

In the state of Washington, all technician and driving positions, including but not limited to van drivers and any other position requiring employees to drive a company-owned vehicle, are considered safety-sensitive and are therefore subject to drug and alcohol testing, including cannabis.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. First is also committed to providing a drug-free workplace. First will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, and any other fair chance law. Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Record Screening Standards Ordinance Poster is at this link or upon request https://www.phila.gov/media/20210423160847/Fair-Chance-Hiring-law-poster.pdf.