Senior Payroll Analyst

Job Description

Job Description

seeking an experienced Senior Payroll Analyst / Payroll Lead to manage complex payroll operations across multiple employee groups, including hourly and union populations. This position will serve as a subject matter expert for payroll processing, system administration, compliance, reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience with Workday, Kronos (UKG), and ADP payroll systems and possess a strong understanding of union payroll, multi-state payroll regulations, tax compliance, and payroll best practices.

This role will partner closely with HR, Finance, Accounting, and Operations to ensure timely and accurate payroll processing while driving process improvements through automation, reporting, and emerging technologies. The organization is particularly interested in candidates who are AI-fluent , leveraging artificial intelligence and automation tools to improve efficiency, reporting accuracy, and operational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Administration & Processing

• Independently manage and process complex payrolls for salaried, hourly, and union employees.
• Ensure accurate payroll calculations, including overtime, shift differentials, union deductions, garnishments, bonuses, and special payments.
• Perform payroll audits and reconciliations prior to processing to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Reconcile payroll-related general ledger and accrued payroll accounts.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, and union payroll regulations.

Systems & Technology

• Serve as the primary payroll systems expert for Workday, Kronos (UKG), and ADP platforms.
• Manage payroll-related system configurations, upgrades, tax updates, integrations, and testing.
• Partner with HRIS and IT teams to support payroll system enhancements and process automations.
• Develop, maintain, and optimize payroll reports, dashboards, queries, and data analytics.
• Utilize AI-enabled tools and automation technologies to improve payroll efficiency, reporting, troubleshooting, and process documentation.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure payroll tax compliance and accurate reporting across all applicable jurisdictions.
• Support internal and external audits and provide required payroll documentation.
• Maintain payroll records in accordance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor legislative changes impacting payroll and recommend required process updates.

Process Improvement & Leadership

• Analyze payroll processing challenges and recommend scalable solutions and best practices.
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, workflows, and documentation.
• Act as a functional lead on payroll-related projects, acquisitions, integrations, and process improvement initiatives.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to payroll team members.
• Serve as backup to the Payroll Manager and assist with departmental leadership as needed.

Customer Service

• Respond to complex payroll inquiries from employees, managers, HR, Finance, and external agencies.
• Resolve payroll discrepancies in a timely and professional manner.
• Partner cross-functionally to ensure positive employee payroll experiences.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field.
• 8+ years of progressive payroll experience.
• Demonstrated experience processing union payroll and hourly payroll populations.
• Advanced experience with:
• • Workday Payroll
  • ADP Payroll Systems
  • Kronos / UKG Workforce Management
• Strong knowledge of payroll tax regulations and compliance requirements.
• Experience reconciling payroll accounts and partnering with Accounting and Finance teams.
• Advanced Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data analysis, and reporting.
• Experience creating reports, queries, and payroll analytics.