Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist to oversee accurate and timely payroll operations for a multi-state U.S. employee population in Dallas, Texas. This role combines hands-on payroll execution with careful review, compliance support, and close coordination with finance and internal partners. The ideal candidate brings strong knowledge of full-cycle payroll administration, thrives in a detail-driven environment, and is confident managing complex pay scenarios from start to finish.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end semi-monthly payroll process, ensuring all pay data is collected, reviewed, approved, transmitted, and reconciled on schedule.
• Administer employee payroll updates including onboarding changes, departures, compensation adjustments, tax elections, direct deposit updates, and benefit or deduction changes.
• Handle complex payroll transactions such as incentive payouts, retroactive earnings, garnishments, reimbursement payments, off-cycle payrolls, and manual check processing.
• Maintain organized payroll documentation, processing timelines, and audit records to support compliance, internal controls, and complete approval tracking.
• Analyze payroll registers and related reports to identify inconsistencies, resolve errors, and confirm accuracy before final payroll release.
• Partner with finance teams to align payroll funding, journal outputs, and reporting, while clarifying notable variances or unusual payroll activity.
• Support year-end payroll responsibilities by preparing reconciliations, assisting with employee tax documents, and coordinating required filings with relevant stakeholders.
• Use ADP Workforce Now and other payroll tools to manage payroll activity efficiently across a multi-state employee base.

Requirements

• Proven experience managing full-cycle payroll for a U.S. workforce in a semi-monthly environment.
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state payroll practices, payroll taxes, deductions, and compliance requirements.
• Experience processing payroll for employee populations ranging from approximately 100 to 500 employees.
• Hands-on proficiency with ADP Workforce Now and related payroll reporting functions.
• Ability to manage sensitive payroll information with a high degree of accuracy, discretion, and attention to detail.
• Experience reviewing payroll discrepancies, performing reconciliations, and resolving issues within tight deadlines.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across payroll, finance, and internal business teams.

Benefits

• Medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance available to contract/temporary professionals.
• Eligibility to enroll in the company 401(k) plan for hired contract/temporary professionals.