Payroll Specialist

Payroll Specialist

Power/mation is looking for an experienced Payroll Specialist to join our Human Resources team. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll while also supporting benefits administration, employee leaves, compliance, audits, and reporting.

We're looking for someone who combines strong payroll expertise with exceptional attention to detail and a service-oriented approach. The ideal candidate enjoys digging into the details, identifying discrepancies, improving processes, and using data to provide meaningful insights to HR and business leaders.

Payroll Administration

• Process accurate and timely multi-state payroll using ADP Workforce Now.
• Review and validate time records, pay changes, benefit deductions, garnishments, taxes, and other payroll inputs.
• Maintain accurate employee payroll and HRIS records.
• Coordinate payroll activities associated with new hires, compensation changes, transfers, leaves of absence, and terminations.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee questions.
• Serve as a knowledgeable and responsive resource to employees and managers regarding payroll matters.
• Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 processing and reconciliation.
• Maintain payroll procedures, documentation, and internal controls.

Benefits Administration & Reconciliation

• Administer benefit deductions through payroll, including medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life insurance, disability, and other benefit programs.
• Reconcile monthly benefit invoices against employee enrollment and payroll deduction records
• Coordinate benefit invoice payments and ensure payments are accurate and timely.
• Research and resolve discrepancies involving carrier invoices, employee deductions, and eligibility.
• Support annual benefit enrollment and related payroll and HRIS updates.
• Partner with benefit providers, brokers, employees, and internal stakeholders to resolve benefit administration issues.
• Reconcile retirement plan contributions and other payroll-related benefit funding.

Leave Administration & Compliance

• Administer employee leaves of absence, including FMLA, Minnesota Paid Leave, short-term and long-term disability, military leave, and other applicable state and federal leave programs.
• Coordinate leave requests, required documentation, eligibility, payroll impacts, benefit continuation, and return-to-work activities.
• Maintain accurate and confidential leave records and tracking.
• Collect benefit premium payments while employees are on leave.
• Communicate with employees and managers regarding leave eligibility, requirements, responsibilities, and available resources.
• Partner with third-party administrators and benefit providers to coordinate disability and leave benefits.
• Monitor federal and state leave requirements and help ensure company practices remain compliant.

Payroll Compliance, Reconciliations & Audits

• Perform regular payroll reconciliations to identify discrepancies and ensure payroll accuracy.
• Reconcile payroll taxes, benefit deductions, retirement contributions, and other payroll-related liabilities.
• Assist with federal, state, and local payroll tax compliance and resolution of payroll tax notices.
• Support internal and external payroll and benefit audits.
• Coordinate payroll and employee data related to audit requests.
• Identify discrepancies, control gaps, or process issues and partner with HR and Finance to resolve them.
• Maintain organized payroll records and documentation in accordance with applicable record-retention requirements.

Workforce Analytics & Reporting

• Prepare accurate month-end headcount reporting, including hires, terminations, transfers, and other workforce changes.
• Analyze overtime trends and utilization, identifying significant changes, patterns, and opportunities for management review.
• Develop recurring payroll and workforce reports that provide meaningful insights to HR and business leaders.
• Analyze payroll data for variances, trends, exceptions, and potential compliance or cost concerns.
• Look for opportunities to automate and improve payroll and HR reporting.
• Help strengthen the accuracy and consistency of employee and workforce data across HR systems.
• Create clear, meaningful data visualizations to help leaders understand workforce trends.

What You'll Bring

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of progressive payroll experience, including hands-on responsibility for payroll processing.
• Associate's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, or closely related field.
• Recent hands-on experience processing payroll using ADP Workforce Now.
• Experience processing multi-state payroll.
• Working knowledge of federal and state payroll and wage-and-hour regulations.
• Experience with payroll reconciliations, audits, and payroll-related reporting.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and the ability to work comfortably with large data sets.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent organization and follow-through with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive employee information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a multi-state organization.
• Experience with Epicor Profit 21 or similar ERP system.
• 4-year degree in Human Resources, Accounting, or closely related field.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• Experience with Power BI and the ability to develop dashboards and data visualizations is a plus.