Payroll Off-Cycle Specialist

Off-Cycle Payroll Specialist

The Off-Cycle Payroll Specialist will manage all non-regular payroll runs, including bonus payments, terminations, retroactive adjustments, tax corrections, and special project payrolls. The contractor will ensure timely, accurate processing while maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and internal policies. This contractor will lead a series of short-term, project-oriented initiatives aimed at streamlining and automating off-cycle payroll operations. The focus is on evaluating, piloting, and deploying emerging technologies (RPA, workflow orchestration platforms, AI-assisted data validation) to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy, and shorten cycle times while maintaining full regulatory compliance.

Assess current off-cycle workflow - map end-to-end steps, data hand-offs, approvals and control points; produce a detailed as-is process map.

Identify automation opportunities - measure and report efficiency gains.

Document control and compliance evidence.

Provide training and change management support to payroll, HR and Finance teams on new tools, updated processes and reporting procedures.

Required Qualifications: Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or related field (or equivalent experience) 4+years payroll processing experience, with at least 2+years focused on off-cycle runs. 2+ years leading process-improvement or automation projects (RPA, workflow orchestration, SaaS payroll platforms) Proficiency with payroll systems - SAP Employee Central Payroll, SAP Employee Central, Strong excel/Power Query abilities Strong knowledge of US payroll tax rules and SOX control concepts. Hands on experience with cloud payroll systems, advanced excel/power query, power pivot skills Demonstrated problem-solving skills with data-driven decision making Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to convey complex issues to non-technical audiences Demonstrated knowledge of Payroll principles & processes

Desired skills: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) Strong SAP Employee Central systems experience Previous leadership experience Strong Advanced MS Excel skills with proficiencies in using Excel related capabilities to build and automate data. Demonstrated staff level accounting skills confirmed through related work experience.