Payroll Specialist

Position Overview

Our client, a leading global financial services and advisory firm, is seeking a Payroll Specialist to support day-to-day payroll operations. This role will be responsible for payroll processing, employee support, payroll administration, and reconciliation activities to ensure timely and accurate payroll delivery. The ideal candidate will have experience with full-cycle payroll operations and thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and respond to payroll-related cases through ServiceNow, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Review, evaluate, and process payroll-related requests and transactions.
• Prepare and maintain payroll data files (EIBs) for payroll processing.
• Support new hire payroll setup, including verification of employee information, tax elections, direct deposit details, and payroll documentation.
• Follow up directly with employees regarding payroll-related inquiries, outstanding items, and missing information.
• Partner with Benefits teams to address retroactive benefit adjustments and payroll impacts.
• Manage payroll activities related to leaves of absence and return-from-leave processes.
• Escalate urgent payroll changes, including terminations, off-cycle payments, bonus payments, and other time-sensitive transactions.
• Perform payroll account reconciliations and investigate payroll variances and discrepancies.
• Support daily cash and tax reconciliations, reporting, and audit activities.
• Investigate and resolve direct deposit exceptions, including ACH returns and banking rejections.
• Follow up on NOC (Notification of Change) transactions and work directly with employees to obtain updated banking information and ensure accurate future payments.
• Assist with payroll audits, compliance requirements, process improvements, and other payroll operations initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• FPC, CPP, or equivalent payroll experience preferred.
• 4-7 years of payroll operations experience.
• Experience with payroll case management and employee support.
• Proficiency with Workday, EIB processing, ServiceNow, and payroll reconciliation activities.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.