Payroll Manager

Pacific Maritime Group is a leading provider of maritime, marine construction, dredging, towing, and vessel support services throughout California and beyond. Built on a foundation of hard work, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit, our company has grown from a small tug and marine services operation into a diversified maritime organization serving commercial, government, and military customers. At the heart of our success are our people. We believe that investing in talented employees, fostering a culture of teamwork and safety, and maintaining strong relationships with our customers and industry partners are essential to achieving long-term success. 

The Payroll Manager reports directly to the Company’s Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for the end-to-end payroll function for PMG and its affiliated entities. The position is responsible for accurate and timely payroll for office staff, vessel crews, and field personnel; strict compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour, payroll tax, and reporting requirements; and the Company’s prevailing wage and certified payroll obligations on public works and government contracts. The Payroll Manager hires, trains, and supervises the payroll team, sets company-wide payroll policy, and works closely with Accounting, Human Resources, Operations, and project managers in a fast-paced marine construction and vessel operations environment.

Job Responsibilities

Payroll Operations

• Oversee accurate and timely processing of each payroll cycle for salaried, hourly, and vessel/field crew employees across multiple Company entities and locations, including regular, overtime, bonus, per diem, and other pay components.
• Review and approve timekeeping data; partner with Operations and project managers to resolve time, job-costing, and labor-coding discrepancies before payroll is finalized.
• Process terminations, off-cycle payments, including and final pay in compliance with California timing requirements.
• Administer garnishments, levies, and support orders in compliance with applicable law and court orders. Serve as the primary administrator of the payroll/HRIS system; maintain earnings codes, deduction codes, tax setups, and general ledger mapping.

Prevailing Wage & Certified Payroll

• Maintain and apply the correct prevailing wage determinations (federal Davis-Bacon and California DIR) by project, craft, and classification; track determination updates and implement required wage and fringe increases.
• Prepare and submit certified payroll reports (federal WH-347 and California DIR eCPR) accurately and on time for all public works and government-funded projects.
• Administer fringe benefit credits, training fund contributions, and related documentation required on prevailing wage projects.
• Respond to labor compliance audits, agency inquiries, and prime contractor or customer payroll record requests; maintain audit-ready records for every covered project.
• Coordinate with Contracts, Legal, and project managers at project award to confirm prevailing wage applicability, classifications, and reporting requirements.

Compliance, Tax Filings & Accounting

• Ensure strict compliance with current federal, state, and local regulations, including FLSA and California wage and hour law, payroll tax, and reporting requirements; monitor regulatory changes and implement updates.
• Review for accuracy all payroll tax returns and government reporting, including quarterly and annual federal and state filings, W-2s, and ACA reporting.
• Reconcile benefit deductions, 401(k) contributions, and third-party remittances; support workers’ compensation, 401(k), and financial statement audits with payroll data and reports.
• Maintain payroll records in accordance with federal and state retention requirements and safeguard confidential employee information.

Team Leadership & Policy

• Hire, train, supervise, and develop payroll staff and administrators; set performance expectations and ensure cross-trained backup coverage for all payroll functions.
• Establish, document, and maintain company-wide policies and procedures on garnishments, bonuses, time-tracking, pay practices, and payroll controls.
• Develop and maintain internal controls and segregation of duties for the payroll function.
• Serve as the escalation point for payroll questions from employees, managers, and crews; resolve issues promptly and professionally.
• Partner with Human Resources, Accounting, Operations, and Legal on compensation changes, benefit deductions, policy updates, and workforce reporting.
• Identify and implement process and system improvements that increase payroll accuracy and efficiency.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including 2+ years supervising or managing payroll staff (required).
• Hands-on experience with prevailing wage (Davis-Bacon and/or California DIR) and certified payroll reporting (required).
• Strong working knowledge of federal and California wage and hour law, payroll tax, and government reporting requirements; multi-entity payroll experience preferred.
• Experience with general ledger reconciliations, payroll journal entries, and accruals; solid understanding of payroll accounting.
• Maritime, marine construction, construction, or field-crew payroll experience preferred.
• Proficient with a major payroll/HRIS platform (ADP, Paychex, Paycom, UKG, or similar) and certified payroll software (LCPtracker, eMars, or similar); advanced Excel skills.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) preferred.
• Exceptional accuracy and attention to detail; able to meet firm deadlines every pay cycle.
• Good judgment regarding confidentiality; comfortable interacting directly with executives, crews, auditors, and government agencies.

Nice-to-Have Experience

• Union payroll and fringe benefit reporting under collective bargaining agreements.
• Service Contract Act (SCA) wage and fringe requirements on federal contracts.
• Job costing and labor distribution in a project-based business.
• Payroll or HRIS system implementation or conversion.

Physical Demands

• Exposure to prolonged periods of sitting and keyboard input.
• Adequate hearing & vision ability.
• Occasional travel between Company offices, yards, and job sites.

Benefits

• Sick and vacation package
• Paid Holidays
• Company PAID health benefits (medical, dental, vision and life insurance) 
• 401K with Company Match 
• Additional voluntary benefits like, FSA, Aflac products, additional life insurance, etc.
• Year-end bonus opportunity.

Salary Range: $95,000 - $105,000

“Pacific Maritime Group is an equal opportunity workplace. We don’t just accept but we celebrate and support differences for the benefit of our employees. Pacific Maritime Group is proud to be an affirmative action employer.”