Payroll Specialist

Position Summary

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of payroll for a large, multi-state employee population. This position performs payroll calculations, validations, reconciliations, and employee support while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. The Payroll Specialist partners closely with Payroll Operations, Payroll Systems, Payroll Tax, HR, Employee Care, and Finance to resolve payroll issues and deliver an exceptional employee experience. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong analytical skills, attention to detail, ownership, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Primary Responsibilities

• Process weekly, biweekly, and semi-monthly payrolls accurately and on schedule.
• Review payroll transactions for accuracy and completeness before payroll processing.
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies.
• Process one-time payments, manual payments, off-cycle payrolls, and adjustments.
• Review and validate timekeeping data from Workday and ADP Workforce Management.
• Manage employee payroll inquiries through ServiceNow while meeting established SLA expectations.
• Research and resolve complex payroll issues involving taxation, deductions, garnishments, direct deposit, leave of absence, and benefit deductions.
• Perform payroll audits and reconciliations before and after payroll processing.
• Assist with quarter-end and year-end payroll activities.
• Maintain payroll documentation and support continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Escalate payroll issues appropriately while exercising sound judgment with sensitive employee matters.

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll processing experience.
• Experience processing payroll for large employee populations.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple deadlines while maintaining accuracy.
• Demonstrated customer service skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Workday Payroll and Workday HCM experience.
• ADP Workforce Management (WFM) experience.
• Experience with ServiceNow or similar case management systems.
• Multi-state payroll experience.
• Experience with payroll reconciliations and audit reporting.
• Experience supporting payroll process improvements.

Key Competencies

• Payroll Knowledge: Payroll taxation, wage and hour regulations, garnishments, benefits and deductions, supplemental wages, retroactive pay, leave of absence processing.
• Technical Skills: Workday, ADP Workforce Management, Microsoft Excel, ServiceNow, payroll reporting and reconciliations.
• Behavioral Competencies: Accountability, attention to detail, critical thinking, customer focus, collaboration, sound judgment, time management, adaptability, continuous improvement mindset.

Pay & Benefits

Base pay range: $23.29 – $38.81 per hour. In addition to base pay, other compensation such as an annual bonus or long-term incentive opportunities may be offered.