Lead, Payroll Accountant

This position is hybrid (onsite Tuesdays & Thursdays) if located in the Washington, DC area or remote for non-local candidates. It reports to the Director of US Accounting & Operations and is only available for candidates with the right to work in the US. 

Leadership and Management 

• Oversee payroll and payroll tax processing for the organization. 

• Work with HR on expat taxation and hypothetical tax calculations. 

• Work with the HR teams to apply payroll policies and Workday system for the US and global employees.   

Strategy & Knowledge Development & Implementation 

• Identifies areas of opportunity to improve WD, ADP and any other payroll systems processes, functionality, and workflow, and maximizes technological capabilities to reduce manual processes and improve data management and efficiency.   

• Lead the testing of new and updated Workday functionalities and support system upgrades. 

Policies and Procedures 

• Work with the US Director-Accounting and Operations to update IJM payroll policies and financial statements to conform with all new GAAP changes. 

• Work with supervisor to review payroll systems and processes and recommend changes that will improve payroll processing efficiency and effectiveness. 

Communication 

• Lead the development and delivery of communications to the organization. 

• Draft payroll communications for the organization. 

• Create payroll training for new staff and managers. 

Training and Development 

• Train new staff members on how to prepare and submit timesheets and other payroll-related forms. 

Documentation, Reporting & Data Management 

• Perform monthly payroll ledger accounts financial analyses and reconciliations. 

• Handle payroll reconciliations and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner. 

• Utilizes tools to develop custom reporting out of the ERP system and acts as a point of contact to all users on retrieving data from the system to meet their needs.  

• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve division and/or department operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively to provide quality customer service. 

• Maintain, identify, and recommend updates to payroll related software, systems, policies and procedures. 

• Responsible for ensuring all financial, tax, and payroll year-end reporting requirements and deadlines are adhered to. (Examples include but are not limited to: W-2, ACA.) 

• Prepares relevant management reports, including weekly, monthly, quarterly, and year-end reports (gross payroll, hours worked, vacation accrual, tax deductions, benefits deductions, etc.). 

General Accounting & Statutory Compliance 

• Participate in monthly close process, account analysis and reconciliation, and journal entries to ensure accurate month end and year end close. 

• Review and approve Employee and Payroll reports for timely and accurate payment settlements. 

• Resolve questions and secure approvals on changes within employee data records. 

• Assist global assurance team and external auditors with providing necessary payroll information and documentation. 

• Lead the preparation of annual 990 payroll reporting schedule.  

• Lead the collaboration with third party vendors to prepare and complete annual 403b 5500 filing. 

Clerical and Administration  

• Maintain payroll and payroll tax files. 

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or equivalent combination of experience and education. 

• At least 5 years related work experience processing payroll, preferably in a lead role. 

• At least 5 years related experience in multi jurisdiction payroll taxes, preferably in a lead role. 

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) highly desirable. 

• At least 3 years related experience and proficiency in Workday payroll processing, including a strong understanding of its configuration and functionalities. 

• Extensive experience in multistate payroll processing using Workday. 

• Demonstrated knowledge of payroll principles, practices, regulations, and procedures. 

• Proven ability to apply Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). 

• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office, specifically Excel.  

• Demonstrated proficiency in payroll tax laws and regulations. 

• Experience with some Accounting modules of Workday. 

• Experience with payroll in a grants accounting context beneficial. 

• Experience in nonprofit organizations beneficial. 

• Professional written and oral communication skills. 

• Self-starter with strong initiative. 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. 

• Eager commitment to IJM's Core Values: Christian, Professional and Bridge-Building. 

• Effective team player who fosters collaborative environment. 

• Flexible, collaborative and eager to support others. 

• Strong communicator, problem solver, and customer service skills. 

• Mature orthodox Christian faith. 

Upload Resume, Cover Letter & Statement of Faith* in one PDF document. 

*What is a statement of faith? 
A statement of faith should describe your Christian faith and how you see it as relevant to your involvement with IJM. The statement can either be incorporated into the cover letter or submitted as a separate document and should include, at a minimum, a description of your spiritual disciplines (prayer, study, etc.) and your current fellowship or place of worship. 

• Comprehensive Medical/Dental/Vision benefits 

• Monthly commuter and parking benefits in the DC metro area 

• Retirement benefit options  

• Paid leave starting at 23 days 

• 12 holidays (plus early release the day prior) 

• Daily, quarterly, and annual community spiritual formation 

• Robust staff care resources 

IJM holds strict safeguarding principles and a zero tolerance to violations of the Safeguarding Policy, Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment Policy, and Code of Ethics. Candidate selection is based on technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring criteria subject to assessing the candidate’s value congruence and thorough background, police clearance, and reference check processes. 

At IJM, we’re committed to building a diverse workforce through fair and equitable employment practices. IJM encourages people of any race, color, age, sex, marital status or political ideology to apply for employment. While we welcome everyone into this work, we truly believe that the work we are doing is God’s work, not our own, and practice spiritual disciplines together daily. That’s why we legally require under SEC. 2000e-1 [Section702] of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that all employees practice a mature orthodox Christian faith, as defined by the Apostles’ Creed. 

IJM requires a background check, police clearance and thorough review of references with an employment offer and/or employment contract.