Payroll Analyst - Remote in AZ

Purpose of the job

The detail-oriented and analytical Payroll Analyst with a strong accounting background will support and enhance our payroll operations. This role is responsible for payroll reconciliations, payroll accounting / journal entries, process improvement, compliance with federal and state regulations, and supporting system enhancements and testing in Workday. This role is primarily responsible for payroll accuracy, reconciliation, and accounting integrity within Workday, while also supporting analytics, automation, and emerging AI use cases.

Required Qualifications

• Required Work Experience:

  • 3 years of experience in multi-state payroll processing
  • 2 years of experience in analysis, auditing, and process improvement
  • 1 year of experience with accounting or financial analysis

• Required Education:

  • A high-school diploma or GED

• Required Licenses:

  • N/A

• Required Certifications:

  • N/A

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred Work Experience:

  • 5 years of experience in multi-state payroll processing
  • 2 years of experience with payroll accounting and journal entries
  • 2 years of experience with Workday payroll and timekeeping modules in a mid-to-large organization

• Preferred Education:

  • An associates or bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, or related field of study

• Preferred Licenses:

  • N/A

• Preferred Certifications:

  • Not specified

Essential Job Functions And Responsibilities

• Payroll Processing, Reconciliation & Accounting:

  • Perform detailed payroll account reconciliations, including general ledger entries, variance analysis, and timely resolution of discrepancies
  • Prepare, review, and post payroll-related journal entries in accordance with accounting standards
  • Partner with Accounting/Finance teams to ensure payroll activity is accurately reflected in the general ledger
  • Maintain audit-ready payroll records and ensure compliance with internal controls and audit requirements
  • Audit requests such as 401k, worker’s comp and internal/external audit requests
  • Generate, analyze, and interpret payroll reports to ensure accuracy and identify trends or anomalies
  • Maintain/implement custom reports in Workday or other reporting tools to support business needs

• HRIS (Workday) Support & Testing:

  • Lead testing for Workday payroll and HRIS releases, including regression testing and user acceptance testing (UAT)
  • Create, track, and resolve Workday tickets related to payroll issues, enhancements, and system defects
  • Collaborate with HRIS and IT teams to ensure system functionality aligns with payroll requirements

• Process Analysis & Improvement:

  • Analyze current payroll processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend improvements and innovative solutions while ensuring adherence to internal controls
  • Evaluate and apply AI-enabled tools (e.g., Copilot, workflow automation, analytics assistants) to improve payroll reconciliation, audit support, reporting, and operational efficiency
  • Develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures and internal controls
  • Support implementation of process improvements, automation initiatives, and system enhancements
  • Maintain data integrity processes that need improvement. Recommend improvements

• Compliance & Legislative Analysis:

  • Monitor and interpret federal, state, and local payroll legislation, including wage and hour laws and tax updates
  • Evaluate the impact of regulatory changes on payroll processes and systems
  • Recommend and support implementation of changes to ensure ongoing compliance
  • Partner with HR, Legal, and Finance teams to maintain compliant payroll practices

• Reporting & Data Analysis:

  • Provide data-driven insights and recommendations to leadership

Required Competencies

• Required Job Skills:

  • Strong analytical, problem-solving and project management skills
  • Ability to apply payroll functional knowledge to data and processes to create and implement improvements
  • Proficient with Workday, specifically payroll and timekeeping
  • Financial acumen, including general accounting principles
  • Advanced computer skills, including Copilot, MS Office Suite

• Required Professional Competencies:

  • Maintain confidentiality and privacy
  • Willingness to dive in and research to come up with creative solutions to fix problems or streamline processes
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to prioritize workload and provide timely follow-up and resolution
  • Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple projects
  • Establish and maintain working relationships in a collaborative team environment

Preferred Competencies

• Preferred Job Skills:

  • Write and review business requirements, flow specifications or change requests
  • Proficiency with developing reporting or queries from various applications
  • Ability to create agentic AI to streamline processes

• Preferred Professional Competencies:

  • Strong analytical skills to support independent and effective decisions
  • High standard of performance to achieve aggressive goals
  • Accounting principles

Preferred Leadership Experience And Competencies

• N/A