Senior Payroll Specialist - Stand Alone

We are seeking a Stand Alone Senior Payroll Specialist who enjoys turning complexity into clarity. This role is ideal for someone who has stepped into legacy payroll environments and successfully modernized processes, improved reporting, and introduced smarter, more efficient ways of working.

You will own end-to-end Canadian payroll for a multi-site organization with diverse employee groups and play a key role in shaping the future of payroll operations, systems, and reporting.

What You’ll Be Accountable For

• Lead full-cycle Canadian payroll across multiple provinces, pay groups, and employee types,

• Take ownership of a largely manual payroll environment and drive automation and simplification,

• Serve as the ADP subject matter expert and trusted partner to internal stakeholders,

• Improve payroll and labour cost reporting, connecting data to business decisions,

• Navigate unionized and non-union environments and apply collective agreements accurately,

• Build structure around payroll processes while maintaining a strong employee experience,

• Contribute to the evaluation and rollout of a future-state payroll platform.

What Success Looks Like

• You quickly stabilize and take ownership of payroll operations,

• You identify inefficiencies and propose practical, value-driven improvements,

• You build a roadmap that balances short-term wins with long-term transformation,

• You position payroll as a strategic, value-adding function.

What We’re Looking For

• 10+ years of payroll experience with demonstrated transformation or optimization work,

• Deep, hands-on experience with ADP (system implementations or transitions are a strong asset),

• Manufacturing or complex operational environment experience preferred,

• Strong Excel and data analysis skills (pivot tables, reporting, insights),

• Business-minded, solution-oriented, and comfortable influencing change,

• Payroll certification (PCP, CPM) is an asset but not required.

Why This Role

This is a rare opportunity to step into a payroll function that is ready for change. You’ll have the mandate, support, and autonomy to modernize payroll, introduce efficiencies, and leave a lasting mark on how payroll supports the business.

Trevor Frances Recruitment is an equal opportunity recruitment firm. We are committed to fostering inclusive and accessible hiring practices and encourage applications from all qualified candidates. Accommodations are available upon request throughout the recruitment and selection process to ensure a fair and equitable experience for everyone.