Payroll Specialist; North America

Payroll Specialist, North America

Our client is a global industrial company with multi-entity operations across the United States and Canada. They are strengthening the foundation of their North America payroll function and are looking for a seasoned practitioner to own end-to-end payroll operations, deepen compliance, and drive continuous improvement in partnership with HR, Benefits, Finance, and external vendors.

The Payroll Specialist, North America owns the end-to-end administration, processing, compliance, and continuous improvement of payroll operations across the United States and Canada. This role is the subject matter expert for payroll processing, tax administration, wage garnishments, Records of Employment (ROEs), audits, regulatory reporting, and payroll-related system administration and serves as a trusted resource to employees, managers, HR Business Partners, and business leaders across the organization.

As a Payroll Specialist, you will:

• Manage full-cycle payroll independently for employees across the United States and Canada, ensuring accurate and timely delivery every cycle
• Validate and process payroll transactions including hires, terminations, transfers, compensation changes, benefits deductions, tax updates, and time and attendance records
• Perform payroll audits, reconciliations, and post-payroll validation to maintain data accuracy, integrity, and compliance
• Serve as the subject matter expert for U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax requirements and Canadian federal and provincial payroll regulations
• Manage payroll tax filings, deposits, remittances, and year-end reporting, including W-2s, T4s, RL-1s, and other regulatory submissions
• Administer wage garnishments, tax levies, child support orders, and other statutory deductions in compliance with all applicable regulations
• Manage Canadian payroll processes, including preparation and submission of Records of Employment (ROEs), employee status changes, leaves, and terminations
• Conduct ongoing audits and reconciliations between payroll, HRIS, timekeeping, benefits, and finance systems to maintain data integrity
• Prepare standard and ad hoc payroll reporting, analyze payroll trends, and recommend improvements to operational efficiency and risk posture
• Serve as the payroll system subject matter expert, including administration and optimization of the payroll platform and related interfaces
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, controls, process documentation, and compliance standards, supporting payroll-related projects, acquisitions, and system implementations
• Investigate and resolve payroll inquiries and escalations while delivering exceptional customer service and partnering closely with HR, Benefits, Finance, Accounting, and external vendors

As a Payroll Specialist, you have:

• Payroll experience: 7+ years of progressive payroll administration experience
• Bi-national payroll: Demonstrated hands-on experience managing full-cycle payroll processes in both the United States and Canada
• Tax compliance: Extensive experience with payroll tax compliance, reporting, and regulatory requirements across multiple U.S. states and Canadian provinces
• Statutory deductions: Proven experience administering wage garnishments, tax levies, child support orders, and other statutory deductions
• Canadian reporting: Experience preparing and processing Records of Employment (ROEs) and managing Canadian payroll reporting requirements
• Audit and agency work: Experience managing payroll audits, tax notices, agency correspondence, and compliance reviews
• Technical proficiency: Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data analysis, reconciliations, pivot tables, and complex formulas
• System expertise: Strong working knowledge of enterprise payroll systems
• Independence and partnership: Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while effectively partnering across multiple functions
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or equivalent relevant industry experience

Preferred:

• Payroll accounting: Experience with payroll accounting, general ledger reconciliations, and payroll-related financial reporting
• Certification: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP), Certified Payroll Manager (CPM), or other related payroll certification
• Case management: Experience with enterprise case management systems

Work Details:

Work Location: This position is hybrid, onsite at the client's Houston, TX, headquarters or Richmond, VA, office. Qualified talent must be located in one of the two metro areas to support the onsite hybrid cadence.

Placement Type: Direct Hire

Estimated Schedule: Full-time

Employment Requirements:

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship
• Successful completion of background checks, assessments, or screenings as required by our client

About Willory

Willory is the only staffing and consulting firm solely focused on HR and payroll. We connect exceptional talent with forward-thinking organizations, building relationships that advance careers and strengthen teams. Our purpose is to empower people including the professionals who join our own team. If you are ready to grow in a role where your expertise in talent acquisition directly fuels the success of HR and payroll professionals across the country, we would love to hear from you.