Payroll Specialist

About the Role

Korn Ferry Interim has partnered with a global technology and software organization seeking a Contract-to-Hire Payroll Specialist to support payroll operations across North America. This is a hands-on role for a payroll professional who is passionate about payroll as a career, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and enjoys owning the payroll process from start to finish. The ideal candidate will have strong experience managing complex multi-state U.S. and Canadian payrolls, partnering with employees and cross-functional teams, and ensuring compliance with payroll tax and labor regulations. This position offers the opportunity to join a collaborative global payroll team with long-term growth potential.

Key Responsibilities

• Process end-to-end bi-weekly payroll for U.S. and Canadian employees, including hourly and salaried populations.
• Ensure payroll accuracy through data validation, audits, reconciliations, and exception reporting.
• Administer payroll-related activities including: Garnishments, Tax withholdings, Benefit deductions, Time and attendance processing, Overtime and FLSA calculations.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and issue resolution.
• Maintain and audit payroll data within HRIS and payroll systems.
• Review and reconcile payroll tax filings, W-2s, and payroll-related reports.
• Support internal and external audits and ensure compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local regulations.
• Partner with HR, Accounting, Finance, and third-party payroll vendors to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Prepare payroll-related reporting including general ledger files, accruals, headcount reporting, and ad hoc analyses.
• Assist with payroll process improvements, controls, documentation, and training initiatives.
• Support payroll operations across multiple North American entities and collaborate with the broader global payroll team.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of end-to-end payroll processing experience.
• Experience owning payroll operations for both the U.S. and Canada.
• Strong knowledge of: FLSA regulations, Overtime calculations, Payroll taxes, Wage and hour compliance, Garnishments and deductions.
• Multi-state payroll experience.
• Experience reconciling payroll tax filings and payroll-related reports.
• Strong proficiency in Excel and payroll systems.
• Experience working within HRIS platforms such as Workday and/or ADP.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• High degree of professionalism and confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPP or FPC certification.
• Experience with: Workday, ADP Workforce Now (WFN), ADP Celergo.
• General ledger, journal entry, and payroll accounting experience.
• Experience supporting payroll operations within a large, complex organization.

What We're Looking For

• Passionate about payroll and payroll compliance.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and ownership.
• Strong business partner who communicates effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Comfortable wearing multiple hats and supporting a variety of payroll-related responsibilities.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Solutions-oriented mindset with strong problem-solving abilities.