Senior Payroll Tax & Compliance Specialist

Leidos is seeking a detail oriented, dependable, Senior Payroll Tax & Compliance Specialist with excellent analytical abilities to join its team.  This position will be responsible for providing support related to payroll tax, audit requests, status reporting, special projects, and other duties as assigned. This role reports to the Employee Experience, Tax and Compliance Manager.  

Senior Payroll Tax & Compliance Specialist

The Senior Payroll Tax Specialist serves as a subject matter expert for U.S. and Canadian payroll tax compliance, independently managing complex payroll tax matters, driving resolution of tax issues, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, local, and provincial regulations.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary payroll tax subject matter expert for multi-state U.S. and Canadian payroll operations, ensuring ongoing compliance with federal, state, local, and provincial tax regulations.
• Independently research, analyze, and resolve complex payroll tax issues, agency inquiries, and notices from the IRS, state and local tax authorities, CRA, and provincial agencies.
• Lead payroll tax compliance activities related to employee hires, transfers, and organizational changes, ensuring accurate tax withholding and reporting setup.
• Engage directly in communications with federal, state, local, and Canadian tax agencies to resolve escalated tax matters and compliance issues.
• Conduct detailed audits and reviews of employee tax configurations, payroll tax withholdings, and system setups to identify and mitigate compliance risks.
• Oversee payroll tax adjustments, amendments, and corrections, including complex W-2/W-2c processing and employee tax record remediation.
• Perform advanced analysis, reconciliations, and research to support payroll tax audits, regulatory examinations, and compliance initiatives.
• Review and validate quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, including Forms 941, 940, W-2, W-2c, T4, and other required U.S. and Canadian tax reporting.
• Provide expertise in Canadian payroll tax compliance, including CPP, EI, EHT, federal and provincial tax requirements, and year-end reporting obligations.
• Review state unemployment insurance rate notices, assess impacts, and coordinate implementation with payroll vendors and internal stakeholders.
• Evaluate and oversee new tax account registrations, jurisdictional filing requirements, and agency account maintenance activities.
• Partner with payroll vendors, HR, Finance, and external agencies to resolve complex tax matters and ensure accurate payroll tax reporting and remittance.
• Support internal and external audits by providing technical guidance, documentation, and analysis related to payroll tax compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll tax processes, controls, and compliance procedures, driving operational efficiencies and risk reduction.

• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications: 

• High School Diploma with 5+ years of progressive payroll experience in a multi-state environment, including payroll tax compliance
• UKGPro payroll experience
• Strong attention to detail, deadline oriented, with excellent communication skills
• Ability to assess appropriately when to escalate employee or system issues
• Outcome driven mindset with complete focus on accuracy and timely processing
• Organized and focused to drive results, improve processes, manage complex escalations, and meet operational deadlines
• Strong ability to work as a team, with focus on collaboration and developing business relations that drive high employee satisfaction but also demonstrates the ability to work and complete tasks independently.
• Experience with MS Excel, Pivot Tables, VLOOKLUP’s, and complex formulas
• Knowledge of Federal, state, and local tax regulations, including Canada
• Ability to identify gaps in controls and processes

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.