Payroll Coordinator

CPCS | Advisors to infrastructure leaders
Better infrastructure solutions. Better lives.

Position details
Title: Payroll Coordinator
Status: Replacement full-time and permanent
Location: Ottawa preferred; other Canadian locations may be considered
Travel: Occasional, as required
Annual salary range: CA$ 60,000 – 68,000

Who we are
At CPCS, we’re collaborative, fun, and deeply dedicated advisors that are shaping the development of infrastructure because the world depends on good infrastructure to function. And good infrastructure can look like this:

• Connecting people to family, work, healthcare, education, and more through safe, and reliable transit.
• Creating access to clean sources of energy in countries where access is not commonplace, opening opportunities for the use of healthcare and education technologies.
• Making better use of existing transport infrastructure through policy or regulatory solutions to reduce congestion.

Our mission is exactly this: Finding the better solution to any given transportation, energy, and infrastructure challenge or opportunity that ultimately affects peoples’ day-to-day lives. Our purpose is clear: Better infrastructure solutions = Better lives. By joining a global employee-owned management consulting firm, you’ll tackle big challenges that shape economies and communities worldwide.

Headquartered in Canada with offices around the world, our 200+ CPCSers have completed over 1,800 projects in 120 countries. On any given day, we could be strategizing ways to reduce road congestion, helping governments modernize their energy sectors, or solving freight transportation challenges. If you thrive on intellectual curiosity, problem-solving, and collaboration, you’ll find your place at CPCS.

To get a feel for what it’s like to join our international team, visit our Careers page, consult our Glassdoor and discover our core beliefs. You can also check our magazine.

The opportunity

You’ll own end-to-end global payroll, ensuring everyone is paid accurately and on time, wherever they work in the world.

From Canadian and U.S. payroll to international jurisdictions, you’ll manage the full cycle of processing, compliance, reconciliation, and reporting, while acting as a trusted advisor on all things payroll. You’ll also lend your expertise to related accounting and accounts payable activities, helping keep our global finance operations running smoothly.

Your responsibilities

Reporting to the Director, Finance, you will:

• Process end-to-end global payroll on a semi-monthly and monthly basis, including calculating wages, deductions, and tax withholdings—and ensure all earnings, deductions, and statutory remittances are accurate and filed on time.
• Process Canadian and international payrolls, working with local payroll providers in foreign jurisdictions in accordance with local regulations and company policies.
• Maintain payroll records and data integrity within payroll systems, and coordinate payroll changes including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, and benefits updates.
• Ensure compliance and registration with federal, provincial, state, and other jurisdictional payroll legislation.
• Prepare and reconcile statutory filings (CRA, IRS, and relevant state agencies) and manage year-end processes, including T4, RL-1, W-2, and related filings.
• Support internal and external audits by providing payroll documentation and analysis, and assist with financial audits as required.
• Administer employee benefits deductions, reconcile benefit invoices with vendors, and ensure accurate processing of employer retirement plan matching contributions (e.g., RRSP/401(k)).
• Perform regular payroll reconciliations, resolve discrepancies, process, record, and reconcile payroll transactions and accruals in the accounting system.
• Maintain accurate financial records, including journal entries, general ledger entries, and account reconciliation.
• Assist with month-end and year-end closing, including payroll accruals and variance analysis.
• Maintain strong internal controls and identify opportunities for process improvements.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries professionally and provide guidance on payroll-related matters, including deductions, taxation, and benefit impacts.
• Act as a trusted advisor, sharing payroll insights across the organization and leading ad hoc cross-functional payroll projects.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to resolve inquiries and support efficient financial operations.
• Provide accounts payable administration support in a multi-company, multi-currency environment, including subcontractor and associate invoicing, employee expense claims, and vendor file reconciliations.

What you bring to the team

• 3 to 5 years of payroll experience, including Canadian, U.S., and other jurisdictions such as the UK, with payroll reporting and statutory remittance requirements.
• Post-secondary education in business administration, accounting, a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience working in a payroll role in a multinational entity with global payroll processing.
• Understanding of Canadian and U.S. payroll legislation, taxation, and compliance requirements.
• Strong accounting knowledge and a proven ability to record payroll transactions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, HLOOKUPs, and advanced functions).
• Ability to adapt to and learn new payroll platforms.
• The legal right to work in Canada.

This will set you apart from other candidates

• Payroll certification (e.g., PCP or CPM) or working towards one.
• Experience supporting payroll system implementations, migrations, or enhancements.
• Experience with payroll platforms such as Dayforce/Ceridian or Blue Marble.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)/accounting systems and electronic payment platforms (e.g., Deltek Vantagepoint).
• Experience in an engineering, consulting, or project-based environment.
• Fluency in English and French.

We're looking for someone who is

• Detail-oriented, accurate, and accountable.
• Able to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines under pressure.
• A strong communicator, both written and oral, with a customer-service mindset.
• A confident problem-solver.
• Able to work both independently and collaboratively across teams.
• Trustworthy with confidential and sensitive financial information.

Support for you, professionally and personally

We’re not just about work—we’re about growth, impact, and meaningful connections.

Professional growth: We support your growth at CPCS and professional development by providing training, coaching, mentorship and regular feedback.

Meaningful connection: We believe in engaging collaboratively with passionate, diverse and motivated clients, team members and stakeholders to understand various viewpoints.

Greater impact: We believe in helping infrastructure leaders make more impactful decisions. Everything we do seeks to enable positive economic, social and environmental impacts.

Competitive compensation: We offer all team members competitive base salaries along with a benefits package that includes superior health and wellness programs. You could be eligible to receive a performance-based bonus. With time and proven excellence, you may be invited to become a company shareholder and benefit from company dividends and profit sharing. We also believe in offering flexible work arrangements and ample, defined time off. The salary offered within the range will be determined by factors such as experience, education, and skills. Read more about our total compensation.

Apply today
Thank you for your interest.

• Applications will be accepted until December 2, 2026
• Only those selected for consideration will be contacted
• Participating in a case study or written exercise will be required for shortlisted candidates

Submit a cover letter explaining why you’re interested in this role and detailed resume identifying your qualifications. If you have applied to our positions before and already have a profile, please log in here to apply for this position. If you are a new applicant, click Apply below to create your profile and submit your application.

Our Recruitment Process
Our recruitment process includes the following steps:

• Application review: We carefully assess every application
• A phone screening: A quick chat to get to know you better and answer any questions
• Case study: A written test to assess your quantitative analysis and writing skills
• An interview with the hiring team (VP of the division) and potentially other team members: A deeper conversation about your experience, skills, and what excites you about CPCS
• Final discussion: For some roles, we may have an additional step to ensure a great fit
• Offer and onboarding: If it’s a match, we’ll welcome you to the team!

Please be advised that AI technology is used in the interview process for note recording.

Our recruitment practices
CPCS is an equal opportunity employer. We actively encourage applications from women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, veterans and members of underrepresented groups. We foster an environment where our people feel safe, heard and valued. Our belief is that we all have unique talents, perspectives and backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

CANADA: CPCS is committed to, and will strive to ensure that, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005, its regulations, standards and all other relevant legislation are applied in a timely fashion. We'll provide all qualified applicants and employees who have disabilities with reasonable accommodations as required by law. If this is your case, please contact [email protected] or 613-237-2500. Read more about our commitment to accessibility.