Senior Payroll Specialist

Sr. Payroll Specialist

The Sr. Payroll Specialist processes complex U.S. and Canadian payrolls and ensures full compliance with federal, state, provincial, union, prevailing wage, and certified payroll requirements. This role reviews and reconciles payroll data, leads payroll-related projects, partners with internal and external stakeholders on system and process improvements, and supports audits and reporting for a rapidly growing national organization.

Responsibilities

• Process complex multi-state U.S. and Canadian payrolls while ensuring compliance with all applicable federal, state, provincial, union, prevailing wage, and certified payroll regulations.
• Review payroll transactions for accuracy, including wage calculations, deductions, withholdings, taxes, fringe benefits, and employee changes, and resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Reconcile payroll, tax, and bank accounts on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis, identifying risks and proactively addressing issues.
• Maintain compliance with wage and hour regulations, union agreements, and all payroll-related laws and reporting requirements.
• Serve as a central point of coordination for payroll-related initiatives, tracking action items, following up with stakeholders, and driving projects to completion.
• Lead daily prioritization efforts and communications with stakeholders to ensure critical payroll issues, tax matters, and system enhancements are addressed efficiently.
• Partner with internal teams, vendors, and outsourced payroll providers to implement process improvements, system enhancements, and payroll-related updates.
• Generate, analyze, and distribute payroll reports, including year-end data, union fringe reporting, general ledger activity, and other audit or management requests.
• Monitor union and regulatory changes that impact payroll processing and system configuration, and recommend necessary adjustments.

Essential Skills

• At least 3 years of multi-state payroll processing experience.
• At least 3 years of union payroll processing and reporting experience.
• At least 3 years of prevailing wage payroll experience.
• At least 3 years of experience with advanced technical payroll work, including intermediate to expert Excel skills such as pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, macros, and the ability to quickly learn new systems.
• At least 1 year of certified payroll reporting experience.
• At least 1 year of hands-on Workday payroll experience.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field is preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is preferred.
• Experience with CMiC or similar construction or project-based systems is beneficial.
• Experience with mechanical contracting, construction, or engineering environment is an advantage.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Saint Paul, MN.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $32.00 - $38.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 5, 2026.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.