Senior Payroll Analyst

Overview

This role runs and safeguards payroll for a rapidly growing workers’ compensation and liability third-party administrator (TPA). The employer pays employees across multiple states and several legal entities, and growth occurs through acquisition—each acquired business may bring its own payroll provider, pay codes, benefit plans, tax registrations, and pay calendar that must be brought onto the employer’s payroll platform without missed or incorrect pay.

The organization is consolidating a major acquisition onto its payroll effective January 2027, which will substantially increase the size and complexity of payroll.

This is a senior individual-contributor role, serving as the principal partner and backup to the Payroll Manager. High independence is expected.

Reports to the Payroll Manager. Remote based in Rocklin, CA.

Responsibilities

• Process biweekly and off-cycle payrolls in Paylocity for multiple legal entities and divisions, including:
  • Importing and reviewing time, earnings, and deductions
  • Resolving exceptions before cutoff
  • Delivering payroll on the published calendar
• Review every payroll register before approval by:
  • Comparing to the prior cycle
  • Investigating unusual hours, earnings, and net pay
  • Confirming that bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay, and other one-time payments have documented approval
• Own multi-state payroll tax compliance, including:
  • Federal, state, and local withholding
  • Unemployment insurance and local taxes
  • Registering new state and local tax accounts before an employee’s first pay date in a new jurisdiction
• Review quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, W-2s, and amendments prepared by the payroll provider; reconcile them to payroll records and resolve agency notices
• Lead the payroll side of acquisitions and integrations by:
  • Inventorying acquired payroll elements (pay codes, deductions, benefit plans, tax registrations, calendars, year-to-date balances)
  • Mapping payroll into Paylocity
  • Running parallel payrolls
  • Confirming the first combined payroll ties to the prior provider before go-live
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central each cycle and each month, including:
  • Payroll clearing, tax, benefit, and 401(k) liability accounts
  • Accrued payroll
  • Intercompany funding by entity
  • Resolving differences at the source
• Prepare each cycle’s funding schedule by entity (gross pay plus employer taxes) for Treasury and for affiliated or acquired entities that fund their own payroll
• Reconcile benefit and 401(k) deductions to carrier and recordkeeper invoices and remittances; follow up with HR on enrollment, arrears, and plan-limit issues
• Administer garnishments, levies, and child support orders; keep taxable fringe benefits and imputed income correctly coded and taxed
• Partner with HR on new hires, status changes, terminations, and final pay so changes are approved before they reach payroll and final pay meets each state’s timing rules
• Maintain payroll controls, including:
  • Approval evidence
  • Separation between entering and approving changes
  • Paylocity user access reviews
  • Documented procedures for each recurring task
• Support annual external audit, SOC reporting, workers’ compensation premium audits, and benefit plan audits with payroll schedules and documentation
• Answer employee payroll and tax questions promptly and confidentially; provide full backup for the Payroll Manager

Requirements

• Hands-on multi-state payroll processing and tax compliance experience, including state and local registrations, reciprocity, and multi-state employees
• Experience converting or consolidating payrolls from another provider, including pay-code mapping, year-to-date balance loads, and parallel testing
• Working knowledge of FLSA and state wage-and-hour rules, including overtime, final pay, and pay statement requirements, with particular attention to California
• Paylocity experience strongly preferred; experience with another enterprise payroll platform (ADP, UKG, Workday, Paycom, iiPay, or similar) considered
• Understanding of how payroll lands in the general ledger; ability to reconcile a payroll register to it
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (or comparable ERP) is a plus
• Advanced Excel skills (complex formulas, pivot tables, lookups, and large-data cleanup)
• Strong control mindset to ensure every payment is approved and every difference is explained, resolving exceptions before payroll closes rather than after
• Strict confidentiality and sound judgment with compensation and personal data
• Ability to manage overlapping deadlines across several entities and pay calendars at once
• Multi-entity or acquisitive company experience preferred
• Insurance, TPA, or professional services experience is a plus

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC)
• Experience in a multi-entity or acquisitive company (preferred)
• Insurance, TPA, or professional services experience

What success looks like in the first year

• Every employee is paid correctly and on time every cycle, with no missed deadlines or unapproved payments
• Employees joining from acquired businesses are paid correctly on their first payroll, with every new state and local tax account registered before that pay date
• Payroll and payroll liability accounts reconcile to the general ledger each month with no unexplained differences
• Recurring payroll tasks have written procedures, so payroll can run without depending on any one person

Background / Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent payroll experience

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $72,500–$85,000 annually
• The salary range is an estimate. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, skill set, and work location.
• Position is eligible for the employer’s full benefits package.

Benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Company contributions to HSA and FSA plans
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) and company-paid holidays
• Employee assistance resources and a supportive culture that values balance and wellbeing

Location

• Remote, based in Rocklin, CA

Equal Opportunity

The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Pursuant to the Los Angeles and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered.