Federal Payroll Specialist

Position Summary

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of multi-state payroll for Miami Nation Enterprises and its subsidiaries, including companies performing federal government contracts in construction, IT, and logistics services. This role manages the full payroll cycle, payroll-related accounting and reconciliations, and payroll recordkeeping, and plays a key role in ensuring that labor costs, timekeeping, and wage payments meet the requirements of federal contracts, federal labor standards, and applicable federal, state, and local payroll laws.

Miami Nation Enterprises is an excellent place to grow your career! We offer robust benefits including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long- and short- term disability coverage starting day one. We have a generous 401(k) match plan as well as paid time off and paid holidays.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Compliance

• Process payrolls for employees across multiple states and entities, including reviewing and approving timesheets, monitoring PTO usage, submitting payroll batches, and posting timesheets.
• Enter payroll journal entries and ensure payroll is processed in compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, tax requirements, and internal procedures.
• Maintain accurate employee payroll data, including pay rates, deductions, tax withholdings, and job/labor classifications.

Federal Contract Payroll Support

• Ensure timekeeping and labor distribution practices meet federal contract requirements, including daily time recording, proper charging of hours to contracts, task orders, and indirect accounts, and documented approval of timesheet corrections, consistent with DCAA-compliant timekeeping standards.
• Apply and verify prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits under the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts for construction contracts and the Service Contract Act (McNamara-O'Hara) for service contracts, using the wage determinations incorporated in each contract.
• Administer SCA health and welfare fringe payments, holiday and vacation requirements, and cash equivalents or bona fide benefit offsets as required by applicable wage determinations.
• Monitor overtime and work-hours requirements under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act as applicable to each contract.
• Support labor cost accuracy for contract billing and indirect rate calculations by ensuring payroll data aligns with the job cost and project accounting system (Costpoint).

Accounting Accuracy & Reconciliation

• Perform payroll-related reconciliations, including payroll clearing, tax, and benefit accounts, and manage leave accrual balances.
• Prepare intercompany payroll journal entries across affiliated entities.
• Process payroll-related accounts payable, including 401(k) contributions, insurance premiums, and wage garnishments, ensuring accuracy and timely remittance.

Reporting & Documentation

• Maintain complete, organized payroll records and documentation, and ensure appropriate backups are kept.
• Retain payroll, timekeeping, and certified payroll records in accordance with federal contract record retention requirements and company policy.
• Prepare payroll reports for management, finance, and contract compliance purposes as requested.

Communication & Collaboration

• Serve as a point of contact for employees, managers, vendors, and internal teams on payroll matters, benefit deduction questions, and pay discrepancies.
• Communicate timekeeping and charging expectations to employees and supervisors working on federal contracts, and assist with timekeeping training as needed.

Problem-Solving & Issue Resolution

• Identify payroll issues, research discrepancies, and independently resolve problems to maintain accurate payroll operations.
• Promptly correct underpayments or misclassifications, including restitution for prevailing wage shortfalls, and document corrective actions.

Other Duties

• Adapt to new systems, updated procedures, regulatory changes, and new contract requirements as the business grows.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field required.
• [3+] years of payroll processing experience, preferably multi-state and multi-entity.
• Experience with government contractor payroll, including Davis-Bacon, Service Contract Act, certified payroll, and DCAA-compliant timekeeping, strongly preferred.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) preferred.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency with Sage (MAS), ADP Workforce Now, Deltek Costpoint, and Microsoft Excel (including lookups, pivot tables, and reconciliations).
• Working knowledge of payroll accounting, general ledger, and journal entries.
• Familiarity with the FAR and DFARS labor-related clauses, Department of Labor wage determinations, and contract cost principles is a plus.

Core Competencies

• Strict confidentiality in handling sensitive payroll, employee, and company information.
• High attention to detail and accuracy, with the ability to meet firm deadlines with minimal oversight.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills.
• Professional, clear communication with employees at all levels, vendors, and government or prime contractor representatives.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to changing regulations, systems, and business needs.

Travel

Travel is not required for this position.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Miami Federal/Miami Nation Enterprises is an Equal Opportunity Employer.