Payroll Specialist

Job Description Job Description We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to join a Contract assignment supporting a municipality in Compton, California. This role will contribute to a time-sensitive payroll initiative focused on retroactive pay updates while also assisting with day-to-day payroll operations. The ideal candidate brings strong payroll knowledge, works carefully with detailed data, and can remain effective in a high-volume environment. This is a fully onsite opportunity with an immediate start and an expected project duration through approximately the end of August. Responsibilities: • Perform detailed retroactive pay calculations for a large employee group and verify results before submission. • Provide hands-on support for regular payroll cycles, including review activities and related reconciliations. • Examine payroll changes to confirm accuracy, policy alignment, and proper employee pay treatment. • Use the organization's payroll platform to enter, update, and maintain payroll-related records. • Partner with the payroll team to manage elevated processing volumes and complete project-based assignments. • Prepare and organize payroll documentation, supporting records, and reports as requested. • Assist with special payroll tasks tied to adjustment processing and other department priorities. • Prior experience handling payroll processing in a payroll setting is required. • Background working with full-cycle payroll is strongly preferred. • Experience with high-volume payroll environments, including employee populations of 500 or more, is preferred. • Strong accuracy skills and close attention to detail are essential for success in this role. • Comfort with manual payroll calculations and adjustment review is required. • Proficiency in Excel and the ability to work efficiently with payroll data are preferred. • Experience with ADP Workforce Now is highly desirable. • Public sector or municipal payroll experience, as well as exposure to multi-state payroll, is a plus.