Senior Payroll Specialist

Senior Payroll Specialist Location: Bethesda, MD (Hybrid – 4 days in office, 1 day remote) Schedule: Monday–Friday Overview We are partnering with a well-established and growing organization to identify a Senior Payroll Specialist to take full ownership of the payroll function. This is a unique opportunity to step into a stable environment with strong tenure and support. The prior payroll lead recently retired after a long tenure and will remain involved temporarily to ensure a smooth transition and training. The ideal candidate is someone who can operate independently, think critically, and confidently manage payroll end-to-end while serving as a trusted resource for employees and leadership. Key Responsibilities Own and manage the end-to-end payroll process for approximately 150+ employees on a bi-weekly cycle Process payroll in-house (no third-party provider), ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance Handle multi-state payroll across a small number of jurisdictions Administer payroll-related deductions including benefits, taxes, and other withholdings Support job costing and labor allocations tied to project-based work Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local payroll regulations Manage limited certified payroll / prevailing wage requirements Serve as the primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and resolve issues with professionalism and discretion Oversee related programs such as allowances, expense reimbursements, and company card administration Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, workflows, and reporting Partner with HR and accounting on cross-functional initiatives and process improvements Qualifications Required 5+ years of full-cycle payroll experience Experience processing payroll for 100–500 employees Strong understanding of multi-state payroll compliance Exposure to or working knowledge of certified payroll / prevailing wage concepts Demonstrated ability to own payroll independently (not purely data entry or support-level work) Strong communication skills with the ability to handle sensitive employee conversations Highly detail-oriented with strong problem-solving and critical thinking ability Experience using payroll/ERP systems (experience with integrated systems is a plus) Preferred Experience in construction or project-based environments Familiarity with timekeeping systems and payroll integrations Experience identifying and implementing process improvements CPP certification (nice to have, not required) Compensation & Benefits Base salary: $95,000 – $110,000 Hybrid work schedule (1 day remote per week) Strong, collaborative culture with long-tenured employees Stable environment with growth and process improvement opportunities What Makes This Role Unique Opportunity to fully own and run payroll in-house Built-in transition support from a long-tenured payroll leader Balanced workload with additional opportunity to contribute to process improvement initiatives High visibility role with interaction across accounting, HR, and operations #J-18808-Ljbffr Andrews & Cole, LLC