Payroll Manager

Moving Space Forward

Rocketdyne is back — and we're just getting started. We are unleashing decades of unrivaled flight heritage to power the most critical missions in space today, from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to an MMRTG journeying to Saturn's largest moon. National security space is shifting to proliferated constellations, creating compounding demand for exactly what we build. If you want to do the most important work of your career at a company where One, Trust, and Bold are a way of life, Rocketdyne is your place.

The Role

The Payroll Manager serves as the operational backbone of Rocketdyne's employee pay experience, owning end-to-end payroll processing for the entire workforce with accuracy, compliance, and care. This is a detail-intensive, trust-critical role requiring deep payroll expertise, strong controls orientation, and the ability to partner effectively across HR and Finance. The ideal candidate brings a track record of running clean, compliant payroll operations and thrives in environments where precision and accountability are non-negotiable.

This role is fully remote on a 9/80 schedule.

Success in this role looks like:

• Accurate, on-time payroll processing every cycle — without exception
• Clean reconciliations and audit-ready records at all times
• Strong partnership with HR and Finance that eliminates gaps and reduces risk
• Employees who get clear, timely answers to their payroll questions
• Payroll controls and processes that scale with the company

Key Responsibilities

• Manage full-cycle payroll processing for exempt, non-exempt, and hourly employees through ADP — ensuring accuracy of earnings, deductions, taxes, and adjustments every cycle
• Maintain payroll records and controls with the rigor required of a company operating under ITAR and government contract obligations
• Oversee payroll-related reconciliations and ensure balance sheet accounts are accurate and audit-ready
• Partner with HR on employee changes, benefits, timekeeping, and compliance matters — serving as the connective link between people data and pay outcomes
• Manage all payroll reporting obligations including quarterly and annual filings across multiple states
• Respond to employee payroll questions with clarity and urgency, resolving discrepancies quickly and completely
• Maintain and continuously improve payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls
• Support system improvements and integration initiatives involving ADP, including enhancements that improve accuracy, efficiency, and employee experience
• Assist with audits and ad-hoc reporting requests, providing clean data and clear documentation on demand

Why This Role Matters

Rocketdyne is in a defining moment — a newly independent company standing up its own infrastructure, systems, and operations from the ground up. Payroll is not a back-office function here — it is a direct expression of the trust we place in every person who shows up to do this work. The Payroll Manager ensures that trust is honored every single pay period. It demands someone who embodies One — partnering seamlessly across HR, Finance, and the business — who leads with Trust — handling sensitive compensation data with absolute discretion and integrity — and who is truly Bold — willing to build better processes, challenge the status quo, and hold the standard even when it's hard.

Basic Qualifications

• 5+ years of payroll experience with ADP Workforce Now or equivalent platform
• Strong working knowledge of payroll compliance, tax rules, and multi-state requirements

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field
• Experience managing or supervising payroll operations in a multi-site or government-contracting environment
• Demonstrated ability to maintain payroll controls and produce audit-ready documentation
• Strong attention to detail and a track record of resolving discrepancies quickly and completely
• Experience supporting payroll system implementations, integrations, or process improvement initiatives
• Prior experience in aerospace, defense, manufacturing, or a private-equity-owned business
• Familiarity with a carve-out, separation, or post-transaction stand-up environment where payroll infrastructure was built or rebuilt from scratch