Payroll Assistant

About the role

AMERISAFE is seeking a detail-oriented, productivity-driven professional to join our “Excellence Team” in DeRidder, LA. The Payroll Assistant will support the human resources and payroll departments in accordance with company objectives and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Assist in maintaining the applicant tracking system and perform recruiting duties as directed by the HR Generalist.
• Coordinate pre-employment screening and communicate results in accordance with departmental procedures.
• Provide basic orientation to new hires upon the start of employment.
• Prepare new employee electronic files, ensuring secure and confidential documents are properly stored.
• Enter required information on new employees in ADP.
• Train new employees on payroll procedures, time entry, and auto reimbursement (if applicable).
• Back up Payroll Manager duties with enhanced access and rights in ADP.
• Respond to all employment verifications.
• Verify and administer garnishment orders.
• Process all employee manual payroll checks.
• Verify accuracy and proper approval of time entries submitted via ADP.
• Process accurate and timely data entry into ADP for semi-monthly payrolls, including reviewing reports and balancing totals prior to transmission.
• Create pay wires after all payrolls for billing internal companies.
• Complete changes to personal payroll data based on employee requests.
• Verify approvals on change requests and secure executive approval where necessary.
• Enter all changes submitted via change notices, including job titles, business unit, salary, and reporting structure.
• Reconcile all vacation and personal time.
• Assist with reconciling benefit billings, charging internal companies as necessary.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly payroll analysis reports for management.
• Distribute payroll checks as required.
• Act as the internal liaison for the auto reimbursement program.
• Process terminations through ImageRight and in ADP, ensuring accurate calculation of final pay and earned/unused time off balances; file separation notices with the appropriate state if needed.
• Maintain job description library and interview guides.
• Maintain the company organizational chart, ensuring job titles and reporting structures are accurate.
• Maintain monthly and quarterly reports and provide ad hoc reports as requested.
• Maintain HR and Payroll records in ImageRight.
• Assist with employee handbook updates.
• Maintain the HR and Payroll intranet pages.
• Maintain a quarterly training calendar for compliance training for employees and supervisors, assigning accordingly.
• Manage labor poster subscriptions, ensuring electronic and physical posters are compliant for all locations.
• Attend job fairs and off-site training events as requested.
• Assist with training and mentoring other staff members.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; Associate degree in business, accounting, or Human Resources preferred.
• Experience in a similar role preferred; HR or payroll processing experience a plus.
• Reliability in checking own work to ensure accuracy.
• Excellent computer skills; proficiency in Excel required; familiarity with ADP a plus.
• Highest level of confidentiality and understanding of sensitive information required.
• Excellent organization, interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the company.
• Strong sense of self-motivation and the ability to work independently.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, prioritizing as necessary to meet deadlines.
• Foster the AMERISAFE culture by embracing the pillars of consistency, focus, frugality, ownership, and service.

Pre-employment screening

Upon an offer and acceptance of employment, you will be required to complete pre-employment screening, including a criminal background check, a 10-panel drug test (amphetamine/methamphetamine, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine metabolite (BZE), marijuana metabolite (THCA), methadone, methaqualone, codeine/morphine, phencyclidine, propoxyphene), and, if applicable, a review of your motor vehicle report.