Sr. Payroll and Timekeeping Compliance Specialist

Sr. Payroll and Timekeeping Compliance Specialist

Houston, TX

Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. Our mission is to further science and exploration, communications, and economic progress from the Earth to the Moon and beyond. With multiple NASA lunar missions in development and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting NASA, our customers, and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the Moon. Our world-class team includes experts in all aspects of spacecraft subsystems design, development, and test, on-orbit operations, and safety.

The Sr. Payroll and Timekeeping Compliance Specialist is a senior individual contributor within Finance who owns the company's timekeeping and labor-charging compliance program. The position is responsible for establishing and administering consistent controls, monitoring employee and manager compliance, resolving exceptions, maintaining audit-ready documentation, and providing practical guidance across the organization.

This position serves as the primary Finance point of contact for timekeeping compliance and works closely with Payroll, Human Resources, Contracts, Legal, Program Management, and business leaders. The role does not process payroll. It provides Payroll with complete and validated timekeeping information, documented exceptions, and payroll-impacting notes before established processing deadlines.

The successful candidate must be able to operate independently, apply sound judgment, establish credibility with leaders and employees, and escalate significant or recurring concerns through the appropriate channels.

Timekeeping and Labor Charging Compliance

• Own and administer the company's timekeeping and labor-charging compliance program across business units, programs, and locations.
• Monitor timekeeping activity for completeness, timeliness, approvals, corrections, and adherence to established labor-charging requirements.
• Review exception reports and follow up with employees, supervisors, and business leaders to resolve missing, late, incomplete, or inaccurate timecards before applicable deadlines.
• Monitor the use of projects, programs, contracts, cost centers, and authorized charge codes; identify unusual or potentially inappropriate charging patterns for review.
• Ensure timecard corrections and adjustments include required explanations, approvals, and supporting documentation.
• Investigate timekeeping and labor-charging discrepancies in partnership with Finance and program leadership and escalate suspected mischarging or recurring noncompliance.
• Develop and maintain preventive and detective controls, standardized procedures, and documentation supporting compliant timekeeping practices.
• Track corrective actions through resolution and verify that required process or control changes are implemented.

Payroll Input and Coordination

• Provide Payroll with complete, accurate, and approved timekeeping information and payroll-impacting exception notes before established payroll deadlines.
• Review hours worked, overtime, paid time off, leave-related time entries, premiums, differentials, and timecard adjustments for completeness and consistency with established requirements.
• Coordinate with Payroll, Human Resources, Finance, employees, and managers to resolve timekeeping discrepancies that could affect payroll processing.
• Support pre-payroll validation and post-payroll review of timekeeping-related items without assuming responsibility for payroll processing or final payroll approval.
• Maintain documentation supporting timekeeping corrections, approvals, and other time-related payroll inputs.

Controls Audits and Reporting

• Conduct recurring reviews of timekeeping and labor-charging records to identify errors, control weaknesses, recurring issues, and emerging risks.
• Develop dashboards and reports covering late or missing timecards, approval timeliness, correction activity, recurring exceptions, and other key compliance indicators.
• Maintain audit-ready records in accordance with company, contractual, regulatory, and retention requirements.
• Support internal, external, customer, and government audits involving timekeeping, labor charging, and related labor-cost documentation.
• Assist Finance leadership with remediation activities arising from compliance reviews or audit findings.

Policies Training and Process Improvement

• Develop and deliver practical timekeeping and labor-charging training for employees, managers, and other stakeholders.
• Provide ongoing guidance regarding accurate time recording, timely approval, correction requirements, and appropriate escalation of questions or concerns.
• Partner with Human Resources and Legal on the implementation of established wage-and-hour requirements that affect timekeeping and payroll inputs.
• Partner with Contracts, Legal, Procurement, and Finance to implement established government contract labor requirements and support related documentation requests.
• Support the implementation and continuous improvement of JAMIS and related interfaces with payroll, HRIS, and financial systems.
• Identify opportunities to automate exception reporting, monitoring, validation, analytics, and audit documentation.
• Support the integration of timekeeping processes and controls for acquisitions, new business units, system implementations, and organizational changes.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience in timekeeping compliance, labor accounting, government contract accounting, payroll controls, internal audit, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience independently administering or auditing timekeeping and labor-charging processes in a government contracting environment.
• Working knowledge of government contractor timekeeping expectations, labor-cost controls, and audit readiness, including familiarity with FAR cost principles and DCAA audit practices.
• Experience reviewing timekeeping data and resolving exceptions before payroll or financial processing deadlines.
• Working knowledge of wage-and-hour requirements affecting time recording, overtime, leave-related entries, and payroll inputs.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to identify discrepancies, patterns, control weaknesses, and compliance risks.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, manage competing deadlines, and escalate significant issues appropriately.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain requirements clearly to employees, managers, and leaders.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience with enterprise timekeeping, payroll, ERP, or HRIS platforms.

US EEO Statement:

Intuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.