Senior Payroll Associate

Role Overview

We are seeking a payroll professional to join our team as a Senior Payroll Associate. This role will own day-to-day US payroll operations and contribute to process improvement and compliance initiatives. Reporting to the Global Payroll Manager, the role sits on the Finance Team that rolls up to the Chief Financial Officer. The ideal candidate will have 3 to 5 years of experience in payroll processing, a strong understanding of global HR systems, and demonstrated experience with US payroll, tax, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintaining US Employee Data: Lead the maintenance and governance of US employee payroll data within the HRIS and payroll systems, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and appropriate controls. Partner with Finance and HR to review, validate, and document complex payment adjustments, maintaining clear audit-ready records.
• Processing New Hires and Terminations: Oversee payroll-related components of onboarding and offboarding, ensuring correct initial setup, final pay calculations, and compliance with company policies and US wage and hour requirements.
• Assist with Immigration Statuses and Notices: Coordinate with HR, Legal, and external partners to ensure payroll implications of immigration status changes (e.g., work authorization, tax residency) are correctly reflected in payroll and documented.
• Collecting Payroll Data: Review and audit payroll input data for bi-weekly and semi-monthly payrolls, identifying discrepancies, resolving issues with stakeholders, and preparing payroll for approval.
• Payroll Processing: Independently process end-to-end payroll for bi-weekly and semi-monthly schedules, including pre- and post-payroll validations, reconciliations, and coordination with Finance on funding and GL postings. Escalate and resolve complex payroll issues in a timely manner.
• I-9 Verifications: Oversee accurate completion and tracking of I-9 verifications in partnership with HR Operations, ensuring compliance with US employment eligibility requirements and internal controls.
• Benefit Administration: Support and reconcile payroll-related benefit activity, including new enrollments, changes, and terminations, ensuring deductions align with carrier invoices and internal records. Partner with Benefits and Finance to resolve variances.
• Annual Audit Support: Serve as point of contact for payroll-related audit requests, extracting and validating data from HRIS and payroll systems, preparing reconciliations, and supporting internal and external audit reviews.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and control in payroll operations, including documentation of standard operating procedures.
• Additional Duties: Perform other duties as needed to support payroll, benefits, and HR operations, including participation in cross-functional projects and system enhancements.

Qualifications

• 3 – 5 years of hands-on payroll processing experience, preferably supporting US payroll from a global or shared services environment.
• Demonstrated experience with US payroll regulations, taxes, and compliance; multi-state experience a plus.
• Experience working with integrated HRIS and payroll systems; UKG proficiency strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to own and prioritize multiple payroll cycles and deadlines with minimal supervision with a strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain payroll concepts to non-experts.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills, with the ability to partner effectively with HR, Finance, and external vendors.