Payroll & Accounting Specialist 21314

Payroll & Accounting Specialist

Employment Type:Full time independent contractor
Work Model:Remote
Work Hours:US work hours


About the role:The Payroll & Accounting Specialist is responsible for the accurate timely and compliant execution of payroll operations while providing hands-on support across key accounting functions within the Finance department. This position serves as a primary owner of payroll processing payroll reconciliations payroll-related system activity and issue resolution while supporting accounts payable accounts receivable billing reconciliations and other transactional accounting responsibilities.

The Payroll & Accounting Specialist works closely with Accounting HR Operations employees and external providers to ensure payroll and accounting activities are completed accurately and on time. The successful individual demonstrates a high degree of accountability attention to detail follow-through and sound judgment; proactively identifies discrepancies; resolves issues; maintains effective controls; and follows assigned responsibilities through completion with limited day-to-day oversight.

Responsabilities

Payroll

• Owns assigned payroll processing activities and ensures payroll is completed accurately timely and in accordance with established schedules and controls.
• Processes payroll data from applicable systems and maintains accurate and current employee payroll records.
• Owns the payroll processing calendar and proactively coordinates required inputs approvals and deadlines with HR Operations Finance and other stakeholders.
• Performs pre-processing and post-processing payroll audits including validation of hours pay rates deductions taxes incentives reimbursements garnishments accruals and other payroll activity.
• Investigates unusual payroll activity discrepancies and variances; resolves issues or escalates material concerns prior to payroll finalization.
• Maintains payroll schedules and payment calculations for employees with specialized compensation arrangements.
• Reviews payroll tax activity verifies required documentation and ensures approved tax changes are accurately reflected in the payroll system.
• Reviews and reconciles employee benefit and retirement plan activity to confirm elections deductions contributions and changes are accurately reflected.
• Processes routine payroll activities including payroll adjustments garnishments supplemental payments and off-cycle payments.
• Prepares and records payroll journal entries and reconciles payroll activity between payroll and accounting systems.
• Reviews and maintains employee accrual balances in accordance with applicable policies and investigates discrepancies as needed.
• Responds to payroll inquiries and provides payroll information and documentation to employees management auditors and authorized outside parties as appropriate.

UKG & Payroll Systems

• Serves as a key Finance resource for UKG payroll and timekeeping processes including data validation troubleshooting reporting and ongoing system optimization.
• Partners with HR to validate employee lifecycle changes affecting payroll including hires terminations compensation changes employment status tax elections deductions benefits PTO/accruals and other employee data.
• Identifies system or process issues affecting payroll accuracy and works through resolution with internal stakeholders and UKG support or other external providers as appropriate.
• Develops and maintains payroll procedures checklists calendars controls and supporting documentation to promote consistent processing effective cross-training and business continuity.

Accounting

• Processes accounts payable activity and supports accurate and timely vendor payments.
• Records and maintains banking and credit card activity and assists with related reconciliations.
• Monitors internal expense activity and follows up as needed to ensure expense reports and supporting documentation are timely and complete.
• Records client payments monitors outstanding receivables and supports collection activities.
• Processes recurring and special client invoicing including related billing adjustments credits and rebates as needed.
• Maintains customer billing information and supports regular and ad-hoc client reporting and other client accounting requirements.
• Supports month-end close activities account reconciliations audit requests and other Finance department priorities as assigned.

General Responsibilities

• Maintains confidentiality and supports compliance with applicable payroll wage and hour financial and recordkeeping requirements.
• Maintains current standard operating procedures payroll calendars reconciliation documentation process maps and backup instructions for assigned responsibilities.
• Ensures critical payroll and accounting processes are documented sufficiently to support cross-training and business continuity.
• Identifies opportunities to improve processes system utilization internal controls and operational efficiency and takes an active role in implementing improvements.
• Supports audits system implementations process changes and other Finance department initiatives as needed.
• Communicates proactively when deadlines discrepancies or risks arise and follows issues through resolution.

What Success Looks Like

• Takes ownership and follows responsibilities through completion without requiring significant day-to-day oversight.
• Consistently produces accurate work and independently checks and validates results.
• Raises issues early and communicates proactively rather than allowing problems to become deadline driven.
• Balances urgency with precision particularly when processing payroll and handling employee or client financial information.
• Builds trust through reliability confidentiality responsiveness collaboration and follow-through.
• Looks for solutions and process improvements rather than simply identifying problems.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Accounting Finance Business or related field preferred; equivalent payroll and accounting experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of hands-on payroll processing experience required preferably in a multi-state environment.
• Experience performing payroll reconciliations payroll journal entries payroll tax review benefit deduction reconciliation and payroll audits strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting payroll for varied employee classifications schedules compensation arrangements or client-based workforce models preferred.
• Experience with UKG or a comparable payroll/HRIS platform strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of accounting processes including accounts payable accounts receivable journal entries billing and account reconciliations preferred

What we are looking for

• Strong knowledge of payroll processes and applicable payroll requirements.
• Exceptional attention to detail with a demonstrated ability to identify discrepancies validate information and question results that do not appear reasonable.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of assigned responsibilities meet deadlines consistently communicate proactively when issues arise and follow matters through resolution.
• Strong analytical ability problem-solving skills and sound judgment.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple recurring deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication customer service and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to handle confidential employee and financial information with professionalism and discretion.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office payroll/HRIS systems and accounting software.
• Demonstrated initiative reliability responsiveness and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Required Experience:

IC

Experience: years
Vacancy: 1