Payroll Specialist

About the role

Helix Electric was founded in 1985 and is now one of the nation’s largest and most successful electrical contracting companies. Our commitment to empowering people and powering projects is realized by our exceptional team of dedicated and highly skilled experts working together and never settling for good enough. We are proud of the team-oriented and employee-empowered business approach that defines our unique character.

Responsibilities

• Process weekly multi-state payroll for 3,000+ exempt, non-exempt, salary, and hourly employees while ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely payroll execution.
• Review payroll data and audit employee transactions, including new hires, terminations, tax updates, and direct deposit changes within UKG.
• Audit, validate, and process employee timecards through UKG Workforce Management, ensuring proper coding, labor allocation, and project costing.
• Cook up manual and off-cycle payroll transactions, including termination payouts, prevailing wage adjustments, missed wages, retroactive pay, and correction payments.
• Administer and maintain employee garnishments, tax levies, and child support orders in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Ensure employees working on public works and federally funded projects are compensated in accordance with California Prevailing Wage requirements and Davis-Bacon Act wage determinations, including proper worker classifications, apprenticeship requirements, fringe benefit calculations, and labor compliance reporting.
• Ensure compliance with Davis-Bacon Act requirements and applicable state prevailing wage regulations by reviewing wage determinations, validating worker classifications, auditing fringe benefit contributions, and verifying employees are compensated in accordance with project-specific labor compliance requirements.
• Prepare, audit, and submit weekly certified payroll reports through LCPtracker, ensuring compliance with California Prevailing Wage requirements, Davis-Bacon Act requirements, apprenticeship reporting, and project-specific labor compliance standards.
• Partner with project teams, field operations, and compliance personnel to resolve payroll and labor compliance discrepancies.
• Perform payroll reconciliations related to earnings, deductions, taxes, garnishments, labor distributions, benefit contributions, and certified payroll reporting.
• Aid in responses to internal and external audits, labor compliance reviews, and government agency inquiries.
• Research and resolve employee payroll questions, issues, and discrepancies while providing a high level of customer service.
• Maintain compliance with evolving federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including California wage and hour laws.
• Support special projects, process improvements, system testing, and payroll-related initiatives as assigned.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of payroll experience, including at least 1-2 years supporting prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting.
• Experience processing full-cycle, in-house payroll in a high-volume weekly multi-state payroll for hourly and salaried employees.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, payroll taxation, and payroll best practices.
• Experience with California prevailing wage requirements and certified payroll reporting preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, reconciliation, and reporting functions.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive employee information.
• Educational background: Associate or bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent work experience considered.
• Experience with California public works projects and Davis-Bacon Act compliance.
• Familiarity with prevailing wage classifications, fringe benefit calculations, apprenticeship requirements, and labor compliance reporting.
• Experience preparing and submitting certified payroll reports through LCPtracker or similar reporting platforms.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification is a plus.
• Experience in construction, engineering, utility, infrastructure, or specialty contracting environments.