Payroll Specialist - Madison, WI
for section headings (About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule). We must not repeat job title as heading. No Job ID etc. Remove boilerplate. Include sections only if posting has real specific content. We have content: About the role? The posting includes description of role: "What We're Looking For" etc. Could map to "About the role". Responsibilities: many bullet points under Payroll Operations & Compliance, Employee Support & Partnership, Systems & Process Support. Requirements: qualifications. Skills: maybe from qualifications. Benefits: listed under "Why You'll Love Working Here Love Working Here" includes benefits list. Pay: not specified (no salary). Schedule: hybrid work arrangement described: "working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week." That's schedule info. So we can include Schedule section.
We must not include sections with filler like "commensurate with experience". Not present.
We need to preserve all substantive info, not invent. Use - for any list of duties/requirements/benefits. Use
for prose.
We need to decide headings: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Skills, Benefits, Schedule. Possibly also Qualifications? But we have Qualifications section already; could map to Requirements. Skills could be separate but we may combine. The instruction: use those headings if content exists. We can have both Requirements and Skills if distinct. Qualifications includes education, experience, certifications. Skills includes attention to detail, Excel, communication, etc. We'll split.
Let's extract content.
About the role: The paragraph after "What We're Looking For" up to maybe before "Payroll Operations & Compliance". Let's capture: "The Payroll Specialist is a hands-on payroll professional responsible for executing payroll accurately and on time for a multi-state workforce of hourly manufacturing and salaried employees. Reporting to the Payroll Lead, this role owns the day-to-day payroll process from time and pay data validation through payroll completion, reconciliations, and issue resolution. This is a role for someone who enjoys rolling up their sleeves, working in the details, and ensuring employees are paid accurately every pay period. The Payroll Specialist actively reviews and corrects payroll data, resolves timekeeping and pay issues, processes employee changes, manages compliance-related transactions, and follows through on discrepancies until they are fully resolved. This position is based in our offices in Windsor, WI, just outside the Madison area. Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week. The ideal candidate is a hands-on payroll professional who thrives on execution, accuracy, and accountability. They take ownership of the payroll process, proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact employees, and work effectively across Human Resources, Finance, Benefits, Operations, and location leadership to ensure payroll is processed accurately, on time, and in compliance with all requirements. Organized and detail-oriented, this individual is comfortable managing recurring deadlines, working through complex payroll situations, and following issues through to resolution while continuously looking for opportunities to improve processes and controls."
That's a lot; could be About the role.
Responsibilities: list of duties under Payroll Operations & Compliance, Employee Support & Partnership, Systems & Process Support. We'll combine into a single list? Might be long; but we can keep as
- each bullet.
We need to preserve all substantive info; not summarizing. So we need to list each bullet exactly as in text.
Let's extract bullet points:
Payroll Operations & Compliance:
- Process payroll on a recurring cycle for hourly and salaried employees across multiple states and locations.
- Calculate and verify wages, overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, commissions, garnishments, deductions, and benefit withholdings.
- Review timekeeping data each cycle, resolve missing punches and exceptions with location supervisors, and confirm hours before payroll close.
- Enter and maintain employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, pay rate changes, tax elections, and direct deposit information.
- Complete payroll reconciliations, audit reports, and validation checks each cycle, and correct discrepancies before transmission.
- Apply federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements and wage and hour rules to daily processing, escalating questions that fall outside established guidance.
- Process garnishment orders, unemployment claims, and employment and wage verification requests within required timeframes.
- Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 preparation, distribution, and corrections, and maintain payroll records in accordance with legal and company retention requirements.
Employee Support & Partnership:
- Serve as a first point of contact for assigned employee group answering questions regarding pay, deductions, taxes, and time records, responding promptly and professionally.
- Research payroll discrepancies, document the cause and resolution, and escalate complex tax and compliance matters to the Payroll Lead.
- Partner with Human Resources and Benefits to confirm employee data, status changes, and benefit deductions are reflected accurately in each payroll.
- Work with plant and office supervisors on timekeeping practices, pay policy application, and payroll cycle deadlines.
- Provide payroll reports and supporting detail to Finance for period-end close and general ledger reconciliation.
- Handle compensation and employee information with a high degree of confidentiality.
- Participate in special projects and other initiatives that support departmental and organizational objectives.
Systems & Process Support:
- Use payroll, timekeeping, and HRIS systems to process transactions, maintain accurate configuration data, and produce standard and ad hoc reports.
- Follow documented payroll procedures and standard work and recommend updates when processes or requirements change.
- Identify recurring errors and manual steps and suggest improvements that reduce rework and strengthen controls.
- Test system updates, tax table changes, and new pay and deduction codes before they are released into production.
- Assist with documentation of payroll procedures, checklists, and process maps.
- Stay current on payroll regulations, tax changes, and company policy updates that affect processing.
That's responsibilities.
Requirements (Qualifications): The "Qualifications" paragraph:
"Associate's or bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field preferred, along with 2+ years of payroll processing experience.
Multi-state payroll experience is preferred, as is experience supporting hourly manufacturing and salaried employee populations.
Candidates should have hands-on experience with payroll systems, timekeeping systems, and HRIS platforms, along with familiarity with payroll tax administration and standard payroll reporting.
Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a plus.
The successful candidate will have working knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, and payroll compliance regulations, along with the ability to process and audit payroll accurately under recurring deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and solid reconciliation, organizational, and communication skills are essential, as is proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and lookup functions.
The ideal candidate brings a customer-focused approach, sound judgment in handling confidential information, and an interest in improving payroll processes and controls."
We can split into Requirements (education/experience) and Skills (attention to detail, Excel, etc.). But the instruction says use headings like Requirements, Qualifications, Skills. We have Qualifications section already; we could use Requirements for education/experience, Skills for the skill list. Let's do that.
Requirements: education, experience, multi-state, systems experience, certifications plus knowledge of laws.
Skills: attention to detail, reconciliation, organizational, communication, Excel proficiency, customer-focused approach, judgment, interest in improving processes.
But we need to preserve all substantive info; we can't omit any. So we need to include all points.
Let's list Requirements as bullet list:
- Associate's or bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field preferred
- 2+ years of payroll processing experience
- Multi-state payroll experience preferred
- Experience supporting hourly manufacturing and salaried employee populations preferred
- Hands-on experience with payroll systems, timekeeping systems, and HRIS platforms
- Familiarity with payroll tax administration and standard payroll reporting
- Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a plus
- Working knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, and payroll compliance regulations
- Ability to process and audit payroll accurately under recurring deadlines
Skills bullet list:
- Strong attention to detail
- Solid reconciliation, organizational, and communication skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and lookup functions
- Customer-focused approach
- Sound judgment in handling confidential information
- Interest in improving payroll processes and controls
Benefits: list from "Why You'll Love Working Here":
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Critical Illness & Accident Coverage
- Life Insurance
- Short & Long-Term Disability
- 401(K) with Profit Sharing
- Parental Leave
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Holidays
Schedule: hybrid work arrangement: "Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week." Also location: Windsor, WI. Could include location in About the role; but schedule section we can include that sentence.
We must not repeat job title as heading. No markdown. Output only HTML fragment.
Let's craft:
About the role
... (the paragraph we captured)
Responsibilities
- ... each bullet
...
Requirements
...
Skills
...
Benefits
...
Schedule
Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week.
We might also include location in About the role; we already have that.
Check for any boilerplate: we removed EEO etc. Good.
Now ensure we didn't miss any substantive info: The "What You'll Bring" section includes: commitment to accuracy, compliance, service excellence; ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, Operations; proactive approach to solving problems and improving processes; ability to work independently through recurring payroll cycle while knowing when to escalate. That's like skills/qualities; we could incorporate into Skills or About the role. Since we already have Skills covering many, we could add those bullet points to Skills as well. Let's add:
- Commitment to accuracy, compliance, and service excellence
- Ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, and Operations
- Proactive approach to solving problems and improving processes
- Ability to work independently through a recurring payroll cycle while knowing when to escalate
Add to Skills list.
Also "Why Join Us?" paragraph: "Join a growing organization where payroll plays a critical role in supporting our employees and business success. This position offers the opportunity to own the day-to-day payroll cycle, contribute to process improvements, and make a meaningful impact across a multi-site manufacturing environment." This could go to About the role or maybe a separate section but we can incorporate into About the role.
We should preserve that info. Let's add to About the role paragraph at end.
Thus About the role will be longer; we can combine the initial description plus the "Why Join Us?" and maybe "What You'll Bring". But we must not invent; just preserve.
Let's construct About the role paragraph by concatenating the relevant prose sections:
From "What We're Looking For": The Payroll Specialist is a hands-on payroll professional ... (the big paragraph). Then "Why Join Us?" paragraph. Then "What You'll Bring" bullet points (we can turn into prose or list). Since we have a Skills section for those, we can move those bullet points to Skills. But we already have Skills list; we can add those bullet points there.
Thus About the role will include the first big paragraph plus the "Why Join Us?" paragraph.
for prose. We need to decide headings: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Skills, Benefits, Schedule. Possibly also Qualifications? But we have Qualifications section already; could map to Requirements. Skills could be separate but we may combine. The instruction: use those headings if content exists. We can have both Requirements and Skills if distinct. Qualifications includes education, experience, certifications. Skills includes attention to detail, Excel, communication, etc. We'll split. Let's extract content. About the role: The paragraph after "What We're Looking For" up to maybe before "Payroll Operations & Compliance". Let's capture: "The Payroll Specialist is a hands-on payroll professional responsible for executing payroll accurately and on time for a multi-state workforce of hourly manufacturing and salaried employees. Reporting to the Payroll Lead, this role owns the day-to-day payroll process from time and pay data validation through payroll completion, reconciliations, and issue resolution. This is a role for someone who enjoys rolling up their sleeves, working in the details, and ensuring employees are paid accurately every pay period. The Payroll Specialist actively reviews and corrects payroll data, resolves timekeeping and pay issues, processes employee changes, manages compliance-related transactions, and follows through on discrepancies until they are fully resolved. This position is based in our offices in Windsor, WI, just outside the Madison area. Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week. The ideal candidate is a hands-on payroll professional who thrives on execution, accuracy, and accountability. They take ownership of the payroll process, proactively identify and resolve issues before they impact employees, and work effectively across Human Resources, Finance, Benefits, Operations, and location leadership to ensure payroll is processed accurately, on time, and in compliance with all requirements. Organized and detail-oriented, this individual is comfortable managing recurring deadlines, working through complex payroll situations, and following issues through to resolution while continuously looking for opportunities to improve processes and controls." That's a lot; could be About the role. Responsibilities: list of duties under Payroll Operations & Compliance, Employee Support & Partnership, Systems & Process Support. We'll combine into a single list? Might be long; but we can keep as
- each bullet.
We need to preserve all substantive info; not summarizing. So we need to list each bullet exactly as in text.
Let's extract bullet points:
Payroll Operations & Compliance:
- Process payroll on a recurring cycle for hourly and salaried employees across multiple states and locations.
- Calculate and verify wages, overtime, shift premiums, bonuses, commissions, garnishments, deductions, and benefit withholdings.
- Review timekeeping data each cycle, resolve missing punches and exceptions with location supervisors, and confirm hours before payroll close.
- Enter and maintain employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, pay rate changes, tax elections, and direct deposit information.
- Complete payroll reconciliations, audit reports, and validation checks each cycle, and correct discrepancies before transmission.
- Apply federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements and wage and hour rules to daily processing, escalating questions that fall outside established guidance.
- Process garnishment orders, unemployment claims, and employment and wage verification requests within required timeframes.
- Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 preparation, distribution, and corrections, and maintain payroll records in accordance with legal and company retention requirements.
Employee Support & Partnership:
- Serve as a first point of contact for assigned employee group answering questions regarding pay, deductions, taxes, and time records, responding promptly and professionally.
- Research payroll discrepancies, document the cause and resolution, and escalate complex tax and compliance matters to the Payroll Lead.
- Partner with Human Resources and Benefits to confirm employee data, status changes, and benefit deductions are reflected accurately in each payroll.
- Work with plant and office supervisors on timekeeping practices, pay policy application, and payroll cycle deadlines.
- Provide payroll reports and supporting detail to Finance for period-end close and general ledger reconciliation.
- Handle compensation and employee information with a high degree of confidentiality.
- Participate in special projects and other initiatives that support departmental and organizational objectives.
Systems & Process Support:
- Use payroll, timekeeping, and HRIS systems to process transactions, maintain accurate configuration data, and produce standard and ad hoc reports.
- Follow documented payroll procedures and standard work and recommend updates when processes or requirements change.
- Identify recurring errors and manual steps and suggest improvements that reduce rework and strengthen controls.
- Test system updates, tax table changes, and new pay and deduction codes before they are released into production.
- Assist with documentation of payroll procedures, checklists, and process maps.
- Stay current on payroll regulations, tax changes, and company policy updates that affect processing.
That's responsibilities.
Requirements (Qualifications): The "Qualifications" paragraph:
"Associate's or bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field preferred, along with 2+ years of payroll processing experience.
Multi-state payroll experience is preferred, as is experience supporting hourly manufacturing and salaried employee populations.
Candidates should have hands-on experience with payroll systems, timekeeping systems, and HRIS platforms, along with familiarity with payroll tax administration and standard payroll reporting.
Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a plus.
The successful candidate will have working knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, and payroll compliance regulations, along with the ability to process and audit payroll accurately under recurring deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and solid reconciliation, organizational, and communication skills are essential, as is proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and lookup functions.
The ideal candidate brings a customer-focused approach, sound judgment in handling confidential information, and an interest in improving payroll processes and controls."
We can split into Requirements (education/experience) and Skills (attention to detail, Excel, etc.). But the instruction says use headings like Requirements, Qualifications, Skills. We have Qualifications section already; we could use Requirements for education/experience, Skills for the skill list. Let's do that.
Requirements: education, experience, multi-state, systems experience, certifications plus knowledge of laws.
Skills: attention to detail, reconciliation, organizational, communication, Excel proficiency, customer-focused approach, judgment, interest in improving processes.
But we need to preserve all substantive info; we can't omit any. So we need to include all points.
Let's list Requirements as bullet list:
- Associate's or bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field preferred
- 2+ years of payroll processing experience
- Multi-state payroll experience preferred
- Experience supporting hourly manufacturing and salaried employee populations preferred
- Hands-on experience with payroll systems, timekeeping systems, and HRIS platforms
- Familiarity with payroll tax administration and standard payroll reporting
- Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) is a plus
- Working knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, and payroll compliance regulations
- Ability to process and audit payroll accurately under recurring deadlines
Skills bullet list:
- Strong attention to detail
- Solid reconciliation, organizational, and communication skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and lookup functions
- Customer-focused approach
- Sound judgment in handling confidential information
- Interest in improving payroll processes and controls
Benefits: list from "Why You'll Love Working Here":
- Generous Paid Time Off
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Critical Illness & Accident Coverage
- Life Insurance
- Short & Long-Term Disability
- 401(K) with Profit Sharing
- Parental Leave
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Holidays
Schedule: hybrid work arrangement: "Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week." Also location: Windsor, WI. Could include location in About the role; but schedule section we can include that sentence.
We must not repeat job title as heading. No markdown. Output only HTML fragment.
Let's craft:
About the role
... (the paragraph we captured)
Responsibilities
- ... each bullet ...
Requirements
-
...
Skills
-
...
Benefits
-
...
Schedule
Team members enjoy a hybrid work arrangement that balances collaboration and flexibility, working onsite four days per week and remotely one day per week.
We might also include location in About the role; we already have that. Check for any boilerplate: we removed EEO etc. Good. Now ensure we didn't miss any substantive info: The "What You'll Bring" section includes: commitment to accuracy, compliance, service excellence; ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, Operations; proactive approach to solving problems and improving processes; ability to work independently through recurring payroll cycle while knowing when to escalate. That's like skills/qualities; we could incorporate into Skills or About the role. Since we already have Skills covering many, we could add those bullet points to Skills as well. Let's add: - Commitment to accuracy, compliance, and service excellence - Ability to build strong relationships across HR, Finance, and Operations - Proactive approach to solving problems and improving processes - Ability to work independently through a recurring payroll cycle while knowing when to escalate Add to Skills list. Also "Why Join Us?" paragraph: "Join a growing organization where payroll plays a critical role in supporting our employees and business success. This position offers the opportunity to own the day-to-day payroll cycle, contribute to process improvements, and make a meaningful impact across a multi-site manufacturing environment." This could go to About the role or maybe a separate section but we can incorporate into About the role. We should preserve that info. Let's add to About the role paragraph at end. Thus About the role will be longer; we can combine the initial description plus the "Why Join Us?" and maybe "What You'll Bring". But we must not invent; just preserve. Let's construct About the role paragraph by concatenating the relevant prose sections: From "What We're Looking For": The Payroll Specialist is a hands-on payroll professional ... (the big paragraph). Then "Why Join Us?" paragraph. Then "What You'll Bring" bullet points (we can turn into prose or list). Since we have a Skills section for those, we can move those bullet points to Skills. But we already have Skills list; we can add those bullet points there. Thus About the role will include the first big paragraph plus the "Why Join Us?" paragraph.