Payroll Senior Specialist

Primary Purpose
Performs advanced payroll support activities and independently resolves complex operational issues across payroll processes, transactions, and systems. Applies extensive knowledge of established payroll procedures and practices to address unusual situations, identify recurring problems, and support accurate payroll execution with minimal supervision.
Duties and Responsibilities

• Resolves payroll discrepancies involving multiple transactions, pay periods, deductions, employee records, or related payroll processes.
• Performs payroll reconciliations and researches differences among payroll results, time records, deductions, adjustments, and supporting documentation.
• Processes unusual or highly detailed payroll transactions by applying established policies, procedures, practices, and prior precedents.
• Reviews payroll exception and control reports to identify recurring errors, incomplete transactions, and processing issues requiring corrective action.
• Researches employee and manager inquiries involving payroll calculations, adjustments, deductions, time reporting, and transaction histories and explains applicable payroll procedures.
• Supports payroll audits and reviews by researching transactions, compiling records, tracing processing histories, and addressing identified documentation or transaction discrepancies.
• Performs detailed testing of payroll system changes, interfaces, configurations, and workflows and documents processing defects or unexpected results.
• Identifies recurring payroll processing issues and recommends practical changes to procedures, documentation, job aids, and workflows within established guidelines.
• Ensure health and retirement plan elections match active payroll deductions in the system.
• Reconcile monthly insurance billing statements and resolve eligibility or claim issues with external carriers.
• Assist with wellness and timekeeping initiatives including leave of absence case monitoring, tracking and support.
• Assist with vendor management and benefit communication.
• Assist with 401k contribution reporting.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required.

Experience

• Typically requires 5 years of related experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to communicate sensitive or time-critical payroll information clearly and professionally.
• Ability to independently diagnose and resolve support issues with limited precedent.
• Ability to recommend improvements to payroll support workflows.
• Knowledge of advanced payroll support practices within complex payroll environments.
• Knowledge of internal controls and approval requirements affecting payroll processing.
• Skill in coordinating payroll documentation and issue resolution across multiple functions.
• Skill in synthesizing information from multiple sources to support accurate payroll outcomes.
• Knowledge of health and welfare programs.
• Knowledge of insurance billing and claims processes with external carriers.
• Knowledge of 401k processes including plan contributions and reporting.