Payroll Specialist

Payroll Specialist (Workday Implementation Support)

Location: Orange, CA (On-Site, flex start times)

Employment Type: Temporary-to-Hire

Pay Rate: $28-$30/hr.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to join a high-volume payroll team during a critical HRIS and payroll system transition. This individual will play a key role in supporting payroll operations while helping employees and internal stakeholders adapt to a recent Workday implementation.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys troubleshooting payroll issues, and can confidently guide employees through system changes while maintaining payroll accuracy and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for approximately 500 employees across multiple locations
• Support a larger employee population of 4,000+ employees within a complex organizational structure
• Serve as a Workday payroll subject matter expert and assist employees with payroll-related questions and system navigation
• Partner closely with payroll, HR, and operations teams to ensure a smooth transition during Workday implementation
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee concerns, and system-related issues
• Maintain payroll records and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations
• Assist with payroll audits, reporting, and reconciliations
• Support employee onboarding, payroll updates, deductions, garnishments, and timekeeping inquiries
• Collaborate with team members to identify process improvements and enhance payroll efficiency
• Help drive adoption of new payroll processes and provide exceptional internal customer support during change management efforts

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of payroll experience in a high-volume environment
• Strong hands-on experience with Workday Payroll required
• Experience processing payroll for large employee populations
• Strong understanding of payroll laws, regulations, and best practices
• Ability to troubleshoot payroll issues and explain processes clearly to employees and managers
• Excellent customer service, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and navigate organizational change

Preferred Qualifications

• California payroll experience
• Union payroll experience
• Multi-state payroll experience
• Experience supporting HRIS implementations, conversions, or system transitions
• CPP certification is a plus