Job Title: Payroll Manager – Canada Shared Services
Company: Kyu Collective Canada (Supporting Kepler, Sid Lee, and network agencies)
Location: Hybrid from our office in downtown Toronto (3 days per week in person, Tuesday through Thursday)
Salary: $85,000 - $100,000 CAD
Language Requirement: Bilingualism (French and English) required
About Kyu Collective Canada
Kyu Collective is a global alliance of best-in-class creative, media, design, and strategy companies - including Kepler, Sid Lee, IDEO, and others - bound by a shared belief that creativity can drive meaningful business and societal impact.
We are launching a brand-new Kyu Shared Services entity in Canada, designed to empower our member agencies across the country. By consolidating core operational capabilities into a unified, high-performing hub, we provide our creative business units with the agile support they need to scale. Joining our Canadian Shared Services team places you on the ground floor of building an enterprise platform backed by world-renowned organizations.
The Role
We’re looking for a Payroll Manager to join our fast-growing team. As a Payroll Manager, you will work with our HR and Finance teams to act as the Canadian payroll subject matter expert and culture champion while providing support across multiple finance and payroll functions. You will process end to end accurate, compliant and timely payroll for multiple Canadian entities, maintain payroll records, manage statutory remittances and maintain multi entity, multi province tax compliance. In this role you may also provide backup payroll coverage for payroll processing in additional countries, included but not limited to the US and UK. You will need to have an innovative mindset, excellent problem-solving abilities, strong communication and organizational skills and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality to keep our employees’ information secure.
Key Responsibilities:
- Execute separate full cycle payrolls for multiple corporate entities on multiple payroll
frequencies and payroll systems.
- Handle all off cycle payments and troubleshoot direct deposit rejections timely across all
entities.
- Partner with the HR teams to navigate, update and reconcile employee data across multiple
software platforms simultaneously.
- Act as the subject matter expert for employee inquiries involving payroll and taxes.
- Partner with finance teams at each entity to code and allocate payroll expenses across
different cost centers, departments and legal entities.
- Ensure our database (Guru) is maintained with the most up to date payroll information
- Maintain payroll shared drives, pay date finance folders and reports.
- Ensure accurate deductions and remittances by the payroll companies for Canada Pension
- Plan, Employment Insurance, and federal/provincial income taxes.
- Generate and format employee data reports, both ad hoc and routine, in support of business
needs
- Issue Records of Employment, file government remittances and complete/review all year
end T4 and T4A summaries via the payroll providers and the CRA portal.
- Support independent CRA, Revenu Quebec and provincial Workers Compensation filings for
each entity.
- Review employee expenses, timesheets, and PTO data and benefit deductions for each
payroll cycle.
- Send employee and manager communications and reminders for key payroll deadlines
across all entities.
- Conduct routine payroll data audits for all entities.
- Manage wage garnishments, calculate and track statutory holiday and vacation.
- Support month end, quarter end and year end reconciliations for all entities.
- Act as a liaison with third-party vendors and country specific agencies.
- Support any future HRIS/Centralized Payroll/third party implementations as needed.
- Support additional global payrolls as needed.
What You'll bring:
- 5+ years of experience managing complex, multi entity corporate payroll environments
- Advanced, hands on proficiency with one or more major payroll systems (Paycom, ADP,
Rippling, Workday, etc)
- Exceptional time management and organizational skills to balance multiple payroll schedules and filing deadlines.
- Exceptional ability to prioritize multiple, time sensitive deliverables with strong attention to
detail
- Deep understanding of Canadian payroll taxes; Canadian employment standards, CRA
Regulations, Revenu Quebec and provincial tax laws.
- Foundational knowledge of payroll accounting
- Exceptional ability to translate complex payroll regulations into clear guidance for leadership
and employees.
What we’d love to see:
- National Payroll Institute designation as a Payroll Compliance Practitioner or Certified Payroll
Manager
- Expert Level Microsoft Excel Skills (Vlookups, pivot tables)
- Prior experience processing US or UK payroll
- Direct experience supporting complex payroll software migrations and HRIS integrations
- Proven success standardizing workflows and documenting processes
Perks & Benefits
Because we integrate closely with our network partners like Sid Lee, our Shared Services team gets to enjoy a vibrant, industry-leading benefits package designed to support your life, health, and work-life balance:
Flexibility & Time Off
- Hybrid Work & Work From Wherever: Enjoy a flexible hybrid schedule (3 days in-person Tuesday–Thursday out of our Toronto office, and 2 days remote). Plus, you can work outside the country for a maximum of 30 days per year! (Just make sure you talk to your manager before renting a condo in Cayo Cocorico or Santa Banana).
- Core Hours: We ask you to be available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. The rest of your 35-hour workweek can be completed whenever you like, around these hours.
- Extra Long Weekends: With our long Canadian winters, we make sure you have little breaks to recharge. Each eligible employee gets extra days off attached to select holidays to create 4-day weekends.
- Summer Fridays: Between June 1st and August 31st, if you've completed your 35-hour workweek by Friday at noon, you get the chance to take 3 Friday afternoons off. “TGIF” takes on its full meaning!
- Personal Days: we offer six paid personal days per year. You can use them for any personal reason, such as illness, moving, religious holiday, mental health, etc.
- Vacation & Holiday Closure: For your first year, your vacation is calculated on a prorated basis. In addition to your regular vacation, our offices are closed between Christmas and New Year's Day.
- Wellness Time: We recognize your efforts and encourage work-life balance. That's why we have a policy that allows you to take time off after busy periods where you've exceeded your normal working hours (certain conditions apply).
- Shortened Days for Parents: To give new parents a chance to breathe, we offer a reduced schedule from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the month following their return from parental leave.
Health, Wealth & Growth
- Insurance & RRSP: To contribute to your health and well-being, we offer group insurance, partially paid for by the company. A little help for your #selfcare. We also encourage your savings by matching your annual RRSP contribution up to 2% of your salary to a maximum of $2,000 per year. It's like free money for your future (certain conditions apply).
- Cell Phone Allowance: Depending on the nature of your employment, you will receive a cell phone usage allowance ranging from $25 to $75 per month - no invoices or expense accounts needed.
- IT Perks: You can get a $50 reimbursement for the purchase of a laptop bag (one time only) and a $100 phone reimbursement for upgrading to a new phone, once every 24 months.
- Continuous Education: We encourage your curiosity and learning. Once your probation period is completed, we will reimburse you a portion of your tuition fees under certain conditions (courses must be at the college or university level).
- Referral Program: For each referral you give us who is hired and successfully completes their probation, you will receive a referral bonus!
- Integration: As soon as you arrive, you will participate in several training sessions on the various disciplines of the agency and our work tools.
- Corporate Agreements: Stop couponing! You benefit from several discounts throughout the year with our various corporate partners.
(Kyu Collective Canada is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.)
