Lead Payroll Specialist
Zum
Accounting & Finance
Redwood City, CA, USA
Posted on Mar 7, 2025
About Zum:
Zum is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.
What You We've Got Going On:
As Zūm's Lead Payroll Specialist, you will play a key role in managing payroll operations, ensuring compliance, and optimizing processes to support our growing workforce. You will also act as a mentor to the existing Payroll team demonstrating best practices and be excited by the opportunity to coach and mentor members of the team. Reporting directly to the Director of Payroll, you will oversee payroll processing, audits, compliance, and reporting while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
What You'll Do:
Payroll:
• Coordinate weekly pay cycles at the division level for union CBA and Non-CBA exempt and non-exempt employees, across multiple sates and unions
• Partner with the corporate payroll group to manage and maintain accurate employee records, including new hire setup, direct deposit forms, tax forms, travel pay, subsistence, allowance, status change forms, employee terminations, or other pay adjustments
Accurate Time Capture:
• Work with managers and supervisors to ensure that weekly time is submitted and recorded accurately
• Monitor employee vacation and PTO eligibility, accruals, timecard usage, and generate regular balance tracking reports
Union Payroll Administration:
• Coordinate with managers, and local HR and operation teams to ensure compliance with CBAs. Duties may include coordination of new dispatches, terminations, project transfers, labor rate updates, miscellaneous tax issues and notices
• Ensure timely and accurate administration of new/updated union labor and fringe rates. Coordinate the distribution of such labor rate information to corporate finance, project accounting, operations, and estimating
Audits, Compliance, & Reporting:
• Become the in-house expert for division payroll policies, processes, procedures, and systems
• Support corporate finance and division accounting in providing necessary data for internal auditors, government agency audits, union wage and benefit compliance audits, and other payroll-related audits or verifications
Subject Matter Expertise & Customer Service:
• Become the in-house expert for division payroll policies, processes, procedures, and systems
• Lead the division payroll team in the accurate and timely processing of weekly payroll and continuously look for ways to enhance the overall efficiency and accuracy of the process
• Develop and maintain written policies and procedures to support the training and development of the division payroll team
What You Bring To Zūm:
• 8-10+ years of payroll experience, with direct exposure to administering union payrolls
• Degree in Business, Accounting, or Finance. CPA or MBA a plus
• Familiarity with larger ERP/Accounting/Payroll software or a comparable Payroll/Enterprise system
• Knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws and regulations including prevailing wage
• Must have experience interpreting CBAs relating to payroll and fringe administration
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a must-have
• Experience in managing multi-state payroll and regular off-cycle check processing
• Compliance regulations related to payroll
• Ideally, two years in a position of supervisory or lead responsibilities
The targeted base salary range for this role is listed in the compensation section below. Actual salary may be above or below this range based on factors such as location, skills, and relevant experience. In addition, this position may include additional compensation in the form of equity or commissions. If you are a full-time salaried or hourly worker, we offer the following benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Holidays, Wellness, Vacation, and more. The targeted pay range for this role in US CA is: $130,00 to $150,000
Zum Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.