Senior Manager, HR Operations & Payroll
EQ Bank
Accounting & Finance, People & HR, Operations
Toronto, ON, Canada
Posted on Jan 10, 2026
Join a Challenger
Being a traditional bank just isn’t our thing, so we challenge ourselves to get creative in providing innovative banking solutions for Canadians.
How do we get there? With a talented team of inquisitive and agile challengers that break through the status quo. So, if you’re passionate about redefining the future of banking—while having fun—this could be your next big opportunity.
Our company continues to grow, and today we serve more than 670,000 people across Canada through Equitable Bank, Canada's Challenger Bank™, and have been around for more than 50 years. Equitable Bank's wholly-owned subsidiary, Concentra Bank, supports credit unions across Canada that serve more than six million members. Together we have over $125 billion in combined assets under management and administration, with a clear mandate to drive change in Canadian banking to enrich people's lives. Our customers have named our EQ Bank digital platform (eqbank.ca) one of the top banks in Canada on the Forbes World's Best Banks list since 2021.
The Work
The Senior Manager, HR Operations & Payroll provides leadership for the delivery, governance, and continuous evolution of the HR Operations and Payroll function. This role owns the end-to-end effectiveness of HR operational processes, acting as both a hands-on operational leader and a strategic problem-solver.
The Senior Manager is embedded in day-to-day operations, serving as the first point of escalation for complex HR and payroll matters, while also using operational insight to identify systemic breakdowns, policy gaps, and poor stakeholder experiences. Leveraging deep payroll and HR operations expertise, this role partners closely with HR stakeholders and HR Technology to design, implement, and govern scalable processes, controls, and policies that improve accuracy, compliance, efficiency, and employee experience.
This role is a trusted advisor within HR, providing authoritative guidance on payroll, HR operations, and service delivery, while shaping how HR services are delivered today and designed for the future.
Team Leadership & Service Delivery Excellence
- Provide senior leadership to the HR Operations & Payroll team, setting clear standards for service quality, accuracy, risk management, and employee and stakeholder experience.
- Act as the primary escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk HR operations and payroll issues, applying sound judgment and resolving matters decisively and fairly.
- Remain actively engaged in day-to-day work, including reviewing transactions, coaching through complex cases, and troubleshooting issues alongside the team.
- Build a high-performing team culture focused on accountability, learning, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
- Establish clear performance expectations, monitor capacity and workload trends, and proactively adjust priorities to meet service levels and business needs.
- Coach and develop team members to strengthen technical capability, problem-solving skills, and confidence in handling complex cases independently.
HR Operations & Payroll Governance
- Own the end-to-end delivery and governance of HR Operations and Payroll, including onboarding, offboarding, benefits administration, payroll processing, data management, and HR reporting.
- Provide oversight of payroll operations to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant pay delivery, leveraging deep payroll expertise to manage risk and resolve issues.
- Review and approve HR and payroll transactions as required, ensuring alignment with legislation, internal controls, policies, and organizational values.
- Ensure data integrity across HR and payroll systems, partnering with stakeholders to define clear ownership, controls, and processes for employee data changes.
- Oversee compliance with employment legislation, payroll regulations, internal policies, and data privacy requirements.
- Lead regular audits and reviews of HR and payroll processes, identifying gaps, and opportunities for scalability to drive corrective action.
- Support the design, implementation, and ongoing administration of HR programs where operational rigor and payroll expertise are required.
Strategic Enablement & Change Execution
- Translate HR strategic initiatives into executable HR Operations and Payroll plans, ensuring operational readiness, resourcing, sequencing, and risk mitigation.
- Lead HR operational planning and execution for enterprise initiatives such as acquisitions, organizational changes, and workforce transitions.
- Assess operational and payroll impacts of change initiatives, identifying required work, dependencies, risks, and control considerations.
- Allocate and prioritize team resources to ensure the right expertise is assigned while maintaining day-to-day service delivery.
- Track execution, resolve issues, and escalate risks as required to ensure commitments are delivered accurately and on time.
- Balance strategic project work with ongoing operational demands through disciplined prioritization and capacity management.
Process, Policy & Control Design
- Use daily operational exposure, escalations, and service trends to identify broken, inefficient, or unclear processes and policies.
- Diagnose root causes of recurring issues and translate findings into sustainable solutions.
- Lead the design and implementation of improved processes, controls, and service models, balancing employee experience, compliance, and operational efficiency.
- Partner closely with HR Technology to reimagine workflows, introduce automation, and design scalable, low-risk solutions.
- Draft, revise, and govern HR policies, procedures, and process documentation, ensuring legislative compliance and operational clarity.
- Introduce and strengthen control points, review mechanisms, and governance structures to prevent errors and improve consistency.
- Monitor the effectiveness of implemented changes and continuously refine based on performance data and stakeholder feedback.
Let's Talk About You!
- Undergraduate degree in Human Resources, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
- 8+ years of HR operations and payroll experience (payroll mandatory, HR Operations preferred).
- 5+ years of experience leading and coaching a team in HR services, operations, or payroll.
- Strong understanding of HR processes, payroll practices, and relevant legislation.
- Hands-on experience with HRIS systems (Ceridian Dayforce preferred).
- Proven ability to triage and resolve complex issues in real time, balancing urgency, risk, and employee experience.
- Demonstrated success in translating operational insight into improved processes, policies, and controls.
- Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
What we offer [For full-time permanent roles]
💰 Competitive discretionary bonus
✨ Market leading RRSP match program
🩺 Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability benefits
📝 Employee Share Purchase Plan
👶🏽 Maternity/Parental top-up while you care for your little one
🏝 Generous vacation policy and personal days
🖥 Virtual events to connect with your fellow colleagues
🎓 Annual professional development allowance and a comprehensive Career Development program
💛 A fulfilling opportunity to join one of the top FinTechs and help create a new kind of banking experience
The incumbent will be working hybrid and in office time will be spent working from Equitable Bank’s additional office space located at 2200-25 Ontario Street, Toronto, ON.
Equitable Bank is deeply committed to inclusion. Our organization is stronger and our employees thrive when we honour and celebrate everyone’s diverse experiences and perspectives. In tandem with that commitment, we support and encourage our staff to grow not just in their career path, but personally as well.
We commit to providing a barrier-free recruitment process and work environment for all applicants. Please let us know of any accommodations needed so that you can bring your best self to the application process and beyond. All candidates considered for hire must successfully pass a criminal background check and credit check to qualify for hire. While we appreciate your interest in applying, an Equitable recruiter will only contact leading candidates whose skills and qualifications closely match the requirements of the position.
We can’t wait to get to know you!