Payroll Specialist

Company Overview:

Our direct client is a growing ~$100M organization with a diverse workforce across multiple states. They value accuracy, compliance, continuous improvement, and strong cross-functional collaboration.

Position Summary:

Our client is hiring a Senior Payroll Specialist. This individual is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of payroll for a multi-state and international employee population, compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, and continuous improvement of payroll processes. This role serves as a subject matter expert for payroll operations, tax compliance, and payroll systems, and partners closely with HR, Finance, and external vendors to ensure payroll accuracy, regulatory compliance, and continuous process improvement.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned.

Payroll Processing & Operations

• Process semi-monthly payroll for salaried and hourly employees across multiple states and internationally
• Ensure accurate calculation of wages, overtime, bonuses, commissions, project-based compensation, PTO, garnishments, and deductions
• Review and reconcile payroll registers prior to submission
• Handle off-cycle payrolls, adjustments, and corrections as needed

Compliance & Taxation

• Ensure compliance with International, federal, state, and local payroll laws and regulations
• Manage multi-state payroll tax filings, amendments, and reconciliations
• Serve as primary contact for payroll tax agencies and third-party tax vendors
• Support payroll audits (internal, external, and regulatory)

Systems & Data Management

• Maintain payroll system data including employee setup, earnings, deductions, and tax profiles
• Partner on payroll system upgrades, implementations, and testing
• Ensure data integrity between payroll, HRIS, timekeeping, and accounting systems

Reconciliation & Reporting

• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger and support month-end and year-end close
• Prepare payroll-related journal entries and reports for Finance
• Partner with Finance to support accruals for payroll, bonuses, commissions, and benefits.
• Manage year-end processes including W-2s, corrections, and reporting

Employee & Stakeholder Support

• Serve as escalation point for complex payroll issues and employee inquiries
• Partner with HR on benefits deductions, LOAs, new hires, and terminations

Process Improvement

• Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency, accuracy, and controls
• Document payroll procedures and internal controls

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 5 years of payroll experience, preferably in a midsize organization with international and multi-state operations.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, tax compliance, and wage & hours laws.
• Experience with payroll systems such as Paycom, ADP, UKG, Workday, or similar platforms.
• Advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, reconciliations); experience with ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite) is a plus.
• High level of accuracy, confidentiality, and professional judgment.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills; ability to work cross-functionally.