Payroll Analyst

Overview

This entry-level Payroll Analyst I role is an individual contributor responsible for full-cycle payroll processing for assigned populations, entities, or states, and for providing Tier 2 payroll support. The role performs pay calculations, owns reconciliations, supports payroll tax compliance and reporting, and resolves employee and manager cases escalated from Tier 1 through the ServiceNow ticketing platform. Work is performed with limited supervision, with subject-matter ownership for assigned areas, process improvement contributions, and guidance/training for less experienced team members.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for assigned employee populations, legal entities, or states/countries across multiple pay frequencies.
• Perform complex calculations, including retroactive pay, prorations, severance, relocation, equity compensation, imputed income, gross-ups, and taxable fringe benefits.
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger, validate funding requirements, and research and clear variances prior to close.
• Review and validate quarterly and annual tax filings and unemployment returns; partner with the tax service provider to resolve agency notices.
• Administer multi-state and local tax setup, including reciprocity agreements and remote-work tax implications; audit benefit deductions, retirement contributions, and leave accruals.
• Own the Tier 2 ServiceNow queue: resolve escalated pay, tax, garnishment, and deduction cases within SLA, ensuring complete documentation.
• Determine and execute case resolution via off-cycle payment, adjustment, or upstream fix; identify recurring themes and recommend process improvements.
• Serve as a subject matter resource for assigned states/entities; prepare payroll journal entries and support internal, external, and SOX audits.
• Participate in UAT for system releases; prepare payroll funding files and support Treasury with settlement confirmation.
• Process assignment-related pay elements for globally mobile employees; validate pay transparency and pay equity data extracts.

Requirements

• 1–3 years of progressive multi-state/country payroll processing experience.
• Solid knowledge of federal, state, and local wage and hour law, payroll taxation, garnishment administration, and year-end requirements.
• Demonstrated experience operating a major payroll platform through the full payroll cycle.
• Intermediate Excel skills, including pivot tables, advanced lookups, conditional formulas, and reconciliation of large data sets.
• Experience reconciling payroll to the general ledger and researching wage and tax variances.
• Experience resolving escalated cases in a service management platform (ServiceNow strongly preferred) and a proven track record maintaining confidentiality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
• Hands-on experience with Oracle, ADP, UKG, Dayforce, SAP, or other leading payroll systems.
• Experience administering equity compensation (RSUs, options, ESPP) or mobility/expatriate payroll.
• Experience with union environments, collective bargaining agreements, or multi-EIN structures.
• Exposure to Germany and EMEA payrolls; ability to build custom reports or queries within a payroll or HCM system.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: 1700 EUR gross/monthly
• Annual bonus: 10%
• Base salary can be higher depending on the candidate’s experience

Location

Not specified in the provided job description.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal opportunity employer; committed to diversity and providing reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities.