Payroll Specialist

Our client is an established, technology-driven company in San Diego seeking a Payroll Specialist to join its collaborative Finance team. This opening is due to an internal promotion, creating an excellent opportunity for someone with 2 years of progressive payroll experience looking to grow within a stable, high-performing organization. Experience processing multi-state payroll and working with a major enterprise payroll system (such as Workday, UKG, ADP, Dayforce, Paycom, Paylocity, or similar) is preferred.

Compensation: $70,000–$75,000 base salary plus a 10–20% annual bonus.

Responsibilities

• Process biweekly and monthly payroll for all employees with a high level of accuracy.
• Process employee terminations and ensure final pay is completed correctly.
• Review and validate timecards, hours worked, overtime, PTO, and other earnings.
• Ensure proper application of pay rates, shift differentials, bonuses, and special pay.
• Audit payroll reports before final submission to identify and resolve discrepancies.
• Ensure payroll compliance with federal, state, and local regulations (FLSA, wage and hour laws, and state-specific requirements).
• Process and verify federal, state, and local tax withholdings.
• Support quarterly and annual tax filings, including W-2 and W-2c corrections.
• Stay up to date on payroll regulations, tax changes, and compliance requirements.
• Process wage garnishments and review tax rate notices.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries promptly and professionally.
• Provide clear guidance to employees regarding pay, deductions, and timekeeping.
• Troubleshoot and resolve payroll issues or discrepancies.
• Reconcile payroll accounts and assist with month-end and year-end close processes.
• Maintain accurate payroll documentation for audits and internal controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 2 years of hands-on experience using an enterprise payroll system.
• 2 years of payroll experience.
• Experience processing multi-state payroll preferred.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office.
• Experience creating custom payroll reports is a plus.