Senior Payroll Tax Analyst

Job Description

Opportunity, growth, and meaningful rewards! We offer:

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• Health, dental and vision insurance
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• Generous paid time off (vacation, flex or sick)
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• *401(k) retirement plan
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• *Company paid life insurance
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• *Tuition reimbursement
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• Employee assistance program
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• Training and exciting career growth opportunities
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• Referral program – refer a friend and earn a bonus
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*Benefits may vary by position so ask your recruiter for details.

About Us:

HMSHost, a subsidiary of Avolta , is a leader in creating dining for travel venues. With our unmatched portfolio , we operate over 1,000 locations in nearly 80 airports across North America, including proprietary concepts, local, regional, and national brands, and partnerships with award-winning chefs. For decades, HMSHost has curated food and beverage programs that make a traveler’s journey as exciting as the destination.

Purpose: The Senior Payroll Tax Analyst is responsible for ensuring the accurate calculation, reporting, and remittance of payroll taxes across U.S. federal, state, and local jurisdictions, as well as Canadian federal and provincial authorities. This role provides subject‑matter expertise, compliance oversight, and analytical support for payroll tax operations, audits, and system configurations.

Essential Functions:

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• Ensures full compliance with U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and Canadian federal/provincial payroll tax requirements, including oversight of withholding, calculation, and remittance for all tax types (FIT, SIT, FICA, FUTA, SUI, EHT, CPP, EI, QPP, etc.)
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• Manages year-end processes for U.S. and Canadian payroll taxes, including periodic, quarterly, and annual tax filings (Forms 941, 940, W-2, T4, T4A, RL-1, and others), reconciliations, adjustments, statement distribution, and employee corrections
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• Maintains and reconciles General Ledger payroll tax accounts and manages state, local, and Canadian provincial tax registrations, tax IDs, power-of-attorney documents, and agency account credentials
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• Liaises with government agencies to resolve notices, penalties, and amendments, and serves as the escalation point for U.S. and Canadian payroll tax matters.
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• Reviews and maintains payroll system tax configuration settings, assists with quarterly tax updates (PeopleSoft, ADP WFN – Canada, ADP EV6 – US), and partners with IT and payroll operations to troubleshoot tax-related system issues
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• Conducts internal audits to validate tax accuracy and completeness; researches and corrects tax withholding errors, retroactive adjustments, and overpayments
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• Prepares documentation and supports audits from tax authorities or internal audit teams; develops and maintains payroll tax metrics and reporting dashboards
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• Monitors U.S. and Canadian legislation changes, assesses operational impacts, and implements process improvements and best practices to streamline tax operations and support automation initiatives
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• Resolves complex tax inquiries from employees, payroll operations, HR, and Finance; creates and updates payroll tax procedures, documentation, and controls
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• Participates in testing for system updates, tax table changes, or new jurisdiction setups
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Reporting Relationship: The Senior Payroll Tax Analyst reports to the Senior Director of Payroll

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:

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• Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 5 years:
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• In a technical role: Requires 5 years of payroll tax experience across US and/or Canada jurisdictions
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• A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 2 of the 5-year requirement
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• In the industry: 3+ years of Hospitality, F&B and/or Retail experience preferred
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• Specialized training:
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• Training that leads to strong knowledge of federal, state, provincial, and local tax laws
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• Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits:
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• Experience with major payroll systems (PeopleSoft, ADP WFN - Canada, ADP EV6 - US)
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• Advanced Excel and analytical skills
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• Ability to interpret complex tax legislation and payroll data
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• Proven experience managing audits and agency relationships
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• Excellent organizational and time management skills
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• Business acumen and also has the mindset required to understand the long-term implications of payroll tax compliance and to advance the organization’s goals
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• Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances
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• Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments
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• Location: This role is based at the North America Support Center in Bethesda, MD
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