About Kitchen Food Company

Kitchen Food Company is a leading manufacturer of high-quality food products, serving customers across the country. We pride ourselves on our commitment to excellence, innovation, and sustainable practices. Join our team and be part of our continued success.

Job Summary

The Payroll Manager is responsible for owning and executing the full end‑to‑end payroll function for the new food manufacturing site in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. This role is critical during a period of rapid growth, supporting the scale‑up to approximately 300 employees over the next five years.

The position ensures accurate, compliant, and timely U.S. payroll processing, delivers meaningful labor cost and workforce insights, supports audits and regulatory compliance, and serves as the primary U.S. backup for Australian payroll operations. The Payroll Manager partners closely with HR, Finance, and site leadership to support operational efficiency and informed decision‑making.

Key Responsibilities 

Payroll Administration

·        Own and manage the full end‑to‑end U.S. payroll cycle, ensuring all employees are paid accurately and on time.

·        Maintain payroll integrity across hourly and salaried employee populations (shift differentials, overtime, bonuses)

·        Ensure accurate time and attendance processing, including production schedules, rotating shifts, and weekend work.

·        Oversee garnishments, levies, child support orders, and other payroll deductions.

·        Ensure payroll is processed accurately and on time in accordance with company calendars.

·        Manage payroll adjustments, corrections, and employee payroll inquiries.

Audit & Compliance

·        Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations including FLSA.

·        Manage internal and external payroll audits.

·        Maintain accurate documentation, processes, and payroll controls.

·        Maintain accurate payroll documentation and records in line with retention requirements.

System Implementation & Optimization

·        Serve as the payroll system subject matter expert

·        Lead or support the implementation and ongoing optimization of the US Rippling HRIS platform.

·        Ensure accurate system configuration for payroll, time and attendance, and reporting.

·        Drive continuous improvement of payroll processes as the site scales.

·        Resolve complex payroll discrepancies and system issues.

Stakeholder Management

·        Act as the primary point of contact for payroll-related inquiries from employees and managers.

·        Partner with HR on onboarding, offboarding, benefits deductions, leave administration, and workers’ compensation.

·        Manage payroll vendors and third-party providers.

·        Support Finance with payroll reporting, accruals, and reconciliations.

Global Payroll Support

·        Act as the designated backup for Australian payroll operations, executing payroll processes as required.

·        Maintain working knowledge of Australian payroll timelines, processes, and compliance requirements.

Labor Analytics & Reporting

·        Produce detailed labor and payroll reports, including headcount, overtime, and labor cost trends.

·        Develop and maintain key operational metrics such as cost of labor per unit manufactured and employee retention

·        Partner with Finance and Operations to support efficiency, budgeting, and forecasting.

Time & Attendance

·        Coordinate closely with managers of hourly employees to ensure accurate time capture and approvals.

·        Review and resolve time and attendance discrepancies prior to payroll processing.

HR & Reporting Support

·   Provide payroll and employee data to support HR activities including benefits administration, onboarding, and offboarding.

·        Support workforce analytics including retention, turnover, and compliance reporting.

Occupational Safety, Health and Environment

·        Champion a culture of safe working

·    Ensure all company safety, wellness and environmental policies and procedures are adhered to in accordance with OHSA (Occupational Safety and Health) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) requirements

·        Ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers while they are at work

·        Ensure consultation with employees on safety and health issues

Food Safety

·    Ensure operations are according to our food safety policies and processes including FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and USDA (US Department of Agriculture) compliance plus our HACCP and GMP programs.

·     Ensure control of any food safety risks.

Key Qualities

Qualifications, Skills & Experience (Essential):

·        Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field preferred.

·   5+ years proven experience managing end‑to‑end U.S. payroll, preferably in a manufacturing/hourly workforce environment.

·        Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll regulations and compliance requirements.

·        Experience working with HRIS and payroll systems (Rippling experience highly desirable).

·        Experience with hourly workforces, overtime rules, and time & attendance systems.

·        Advanced Excel and payroll reconciliation skills.

·        High attention to detail and accuracy

·        Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills

·        Strong communication skills and stakeholder engagement

·        High integrity and confidentiality

Qualifications, Skills & Experience (Desirable):

·        Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

·        Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC)

·        Experience supporting multi‑state payroll.

·        Exposure to international payroll processes, particularly Australian payroll.

·        Experience supporting payroll audits.

Physical Requirements:

·      Site-based role within a food manufacturing environment working in office area

·      Ability to walk onto production floor on occasion and access manufacturing areas.

·      May require flexibility to support off-shift operations or emergency situations.

This statement of duties is intended to give an indication of the scope and nature of work that an employee at this level may be expected to perform. However, the statement does not restrict the employer’s right to require the employee to perform any task that is within the employee’s competency and skill which is reasonably incidental to or associated with the position held.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive      workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal or Kentucky state law. 

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and to applicants with disabilities during the recruitment process, in accordance with applicable laws.