Payroll & Accounting Assistant

Payroll & Accounting Assistant – Career Path to Business Manager

Abel Personnel | Harrisburg, PA | Full-Time | Onsite

Salary: $45,000–$55,000

Build Toward More Than Your Next Accounting Role

Abel Personnel is seeking an experienced Payroll & Accounting Assistant to join our internal team in Harrisburg, PA.

We're hiring this position with the future in mind.

As part of our long-term succession planning, the person joining us will have the opportunity to work closely with our Business Manager, develop a comprehensive understanding of our payroll, accounting, and business operations, and build toward the potential to assume greater responsibility—including a future Business Manager role.

We're looking for someone who already has a strong foundation in ADP payroll processing and hands-on accounting, but who is also curious, analytical, and interested in understanding how the broader business works.

If you're ready for a role where you can use your accounting skills today while developing toward something bigger tomorrow, we'd like to meet you.

The Opportunity

Our accounting environment is different from a traditional, highly automated corporate payroll operation.

As a staffing and workforce solutions company, we process in-house biweekly payroll for approximately 300 employees working across multiple client accounts and assignments.

Payroll involves working between our Applicant Tracking System (ATS)/timekeeping platform and ADP, with different employee assignments, pay rates, schedules, client requirements, and exceptions to manage.

That means we're not simply looking for someone who knows which buttons to push in a payroll system.

We need someone who understands the process behind the numbers.

Someone who can look at a discrepancy and ask:

Why doesn't this match? What changed? Where did the difference originate? What needs to be corrected?

What You'll Do

You will work closely with our Business Manager and internal team across payroll, bookkeeping, accounting, and financial operations.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Support in-house biweekly payroll processing for approximately 300 employees
• Process payroll using ADP and information originating from our ATS/timekeeping platform
• Review employee hours, pay rates, deductions, adjustments, and other payroll activity
• Compare and reconcile payroll information across systems
• Identify and research payroll discrepancies before payroll is finalized
• Process or coordinate payroll corrections and adjustments
• Assist with payroll taxes, reporting, and compliance requirements
• Perform day-to-day bookkeeping activities
• Maintain accounting information in QuickBooks
• Perform bank, account, and general ledger reconciliations
• Research discrepancies and determine appropriate corrections
• Support accounts payable and accounts receivable
• Process and track vendor payments
• Maintain accurate general ledger and supporting financial records
• Assist with monthly financial statements and management reporting
• Maintain organized supporting documentation and audit trails
• Assist with financial research, reporting, and special projects
• Gradually develop knowledge of broader financial, administrative, and business operations

What You'll Need

Required Experience

• 3 years of hands-on bookkeeping or accounting experience
• Hands-on ADP payroll processing experience
• Direct experience processing or significantly supporting in-house payroll
• Experience working with payroll information across multiple systems
• Experience with a timekeeping, HRIS, ATS, or comparable employee-data platform
• Proficiency with QuickBooks
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Working knowledge of debits, credits, reconciliations, and general ledger accounting
• Experience performing bank and account reconciliations
• Understanding of payroll taxes, deductions, adjustments, and payroll reporting
• Ability to independently research and resolve payroll or accounting discrepancies
• Strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while meeting firm payroll and accounting deadlines

Experience That Will Set You Apart

We're especially interested in candidates who have:

• Processed payroll for 250 employees
• Worked in staffing, payroll services, professional services, or another fast-paced, multi-account environment
• Worked with employees across multiple clients, departments, locations, assignments, or cost centers
• Experience with AP/AR, journal entries, month-end close, or financial reporting
• Experience reconciling information between payroll, timekeeping, HRIS, ATS, or accounting systems
• An Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline

Relevant hands-on experience may be considered in place of a degree.

What We're Really Looking For

Technical skills matter, but this position requires something more.

We're looking for someone who thinks like an accounting professional rather than simply a processor.

You notice when something doesn't make sense.

You understand that a system-generated number isn't necessarily a correct number.

You are willing to go back to the source information, investigate the discrepancy, determine what happened, and follow the issue through resolution.

You're also comfortable with variety. Staffing is a fast-moving business, and different clients and employee assignments can have different requirements and nuances. You can keep those distinctions organized while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines.

And because this position is part of our succession planning, we're looking for someone who is interested in learning beyond the boundaries of their initial job description.

A Path Toward Business Manager

This is one of the most important aspects of the opportunity.

The successful candidate will work closely with our current Business Manager to develop a broader understanding of Abel Personnel's accounting, payroll, financial, and administrative operations.

As your knowledge and capabilities develop, there will be opportunities to take on increasing responsibility and build the skills and judgment necessary for broader business oversight.

Our intention is to develop a strong internal resource who has the potential to progress toward the Business Manager role as part of our long-term succession planning.

This is not an automatic promotion or predetermined timeline. Advancement will be based on demonstrated performance, development, business needs, and readiness for increased responsibility.

Why Abel Personnel?

Abel Personnel has been serving employers and job seekers throughout Central Pennsylvania and beyond for more than 55 years.

Our longevity comes from strong relationships, attention to detail, adaptability, and people who take ownership of their work.

As part of our internal team, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Work directly with experienced leadership
• Become an important part of our financial and business operations
• Gain exposure beyond a narrowly defined payroll or bookkeeping role
• Use your accounting knowledge and analytical abilities every day
• Learn the operational side of a fast-paced staffing business
• Take on increasing responsibility as your knowledge develops
• Build toward a potential future Business Manager position
• Establish a long-term career with an established Central Pennsylvania company

Interested in Growing With Us?

If you have hands-on ADP payroll experience, strong bookkeeping and accounting fundamentals, and the desire to develop into broader business responsibilities, we'd like to hear from you.

Please apply with a resume highlighting your experience with ADP payroll processing, bookkeeping, QuickBooks, account reconciliations, general ledger accounting, and Excel.

Abel Personnel is an Equal Opportunity Employer.