Payroll Specialist (New York City Metropolitan Area)

Payroll Specialist

Location: New York, NY

Work Arrangement: Hybrid, 4 days onsite / 1 day remote

Experience: 3–5 years

Industry: Financial Services

*MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH WORKDAY PAYROLL*

The Opportunity

A growing financial services firm in New York City is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to join its HR/People team. This is a hands-on role responsible for supporting the accurate and timely processing of payroll, with a particular focus on maintaining data integrity, resolving payroll inquiries, and ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.

The ideal candidate will have 3–5 years of payroll experience and hands-on experience processing payroll through Workday . This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing organization where you will have meaningful ownership of the payroll process and the opportunity to develop alongside the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the end-to-end processing of payroll, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
• Process payroll using Workday , including employee changes, compensation updates, deductions, bonuses, and other payroll-related transactions.
• Review payroll data and conduct audits to identify and resolve discrepancies prior to payroll submission.
• Partner closely with HR, Finance, Benefits, and other internal stakeholders to ensure accurate employee and payroll information.
• Manage payroll-related inquiries from employees and provide timely, professional support.
• Process new hires, terminations, leaves of absence, salary changes, bonuses, and other employee lifecycle events.
• Assist with payroll reconciliations and reporting.
• Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 processing and related reporting.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and documentation.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and tax requirements.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, controls, and efficiencies as the organization continues to grow.
• Support ad hoc payroll and HR projects as needed.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of payroll experience , preferably within financial services or another fast-paced, professional environment.
• Hands-on Workday payroll processing experience is required.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, regulations, taxes, deductions, and compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting multi-state payroll is preferred.
• Strong Excel skills and comfort working with large sets of employee and payroll data.
• Excellent attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential employee information with discretion.
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable working in a growing environment where processes and responsibilities may continue to evolve.