Sr. Payroll Operations Specialist

Overview

A Senior Payroll Operations Specialist is needed to join a Payroll Services team supporting complex payroll operations for US-based employees, including union populations, expatriates, and other specialized pay scenarios. This role acts as a subject matter expert responsible for payroll processing, compliance, issue resolution, audit support, process improvements, and operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Process daily payroll activities accurately, efficiently, and in compliance with policies and regulations.
• Calculate, compile, validate, and submit payroll transactions and adjustments for assigned employee groups.
• Manage complex payroll scenarios such as union payroll, expatriate payroll, off-cycle payments, special earnings, and other nonstandard pay situations.
• Calculate miscellaneous pay components in accordance with federal, state, and local payroll and tax requirements.
• Create, review, audit, and process manual checks and special payroll payments.
• Prepare and validate manual upload files and supporting data for payroll processing.
• Perform payroll entries and reviews related to garnishments, deductions, and special payroll transactions.
• Support employee receivables and overpayment recovery processes.
• Detect, research, troubleshoot, and resolve routine and complex payroll anomalies and processing issues.
• Handle employee escalations and provide advanced payroll guidance to help desk and shared services teams.
• Research and process tax adjustments and assist in resolving complex payroll and tax matters.
• Collaborate with Payroll, Time & Labor, HR, Finance, and other business groups to identify and resolve recurring operational issues.
• Support system enhancements, integration testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and implementation activities.
• Lead small-scale process improvement initiatives to increase payroll accuracy, reduce manual effort, and improve operational efficiency.
• Develop, maintain, and update process documentation and standard operating procedures.
• Provide training, onboarding support, mentorship, and guidance to Payroll Operations Specialists and new team members.
• Support special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Basic Qualifications

• High School Diploma with 7+ years of progressive payroll processing experience.
• Advanced payroll processing and troubleshooting experience supporting complex payroll scenarios.
• Experience processing large volume payrolls for 10,000 or more employees.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to payroll accuracy and compliance.
• US Citizenship required with the ability to obtain security clearance as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with UltiPro Payroll, Costpoint Payroll, and Deltek Time & Expense systems.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification preferred.
• Experience supporting union payroll, expatriate payroll, payroll tax processing, and audit activities.
• Experience supporting payroll integrations, testing, and process automation initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional partners and lead process improvements.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay range: $52,000.00 - $94,000.00 annually.
• Compensation offers consider job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable bargaining agreements, and legal requirements.
• Employment benefits include competitive compensation, health and wellness programs, income protection, paid leave, and retirement plans.

Location

• This is a remote position within the United States.

Note: US Citizenship is required and the ability to obtain security clearance may be necessary for this role.