Payroll Specialist

We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to manage weekly pay activities for a busy banquet operation in New York, New York. This fully onsite role supports a high-volume hospitality team and is ideal for someone who is comfortable handling payroll for hourly staff, gratuity-related earnings, and attendance records with precision. This is a contract opportunity with the potential to become permanent, offering the chance to contribute in a fast-paced environment while partnering closely with banquet leadership to keep payroll accurate, timely, and aligned with event staffing.

Responsibilities:

• Administer weekly payroll for a large banquet workforce, ensuring employees are paid correctly and on schedule.
• Audit payroll entries and make necessary corrections before final submission to reduce errors and delays.
• Track payroll activity during the week, with concentrated processing responsibilities at the start of each workweek.
• Compute and enter gratuity payments tied to banquet functions and confirm proper allocation to eligible staff.
• Investigate payroll variances, reconcile discrepancies, and resolve compensation issues based on shifts and events worked.
• Perform bank-related payroll reconciliations and complete supporting payroll utility tasks as needed.
• Maintain accurate timekeeping and attendance information using Unifocus and related payroll systems.
• Use Evention to support payroll processing, including event-based earnings and gratuity calculations.
• Work closely with banquet management to match payroll records with staffing levels and event schedules.
• Provide knowledge-sharing support during employee handoff periods to help maintain continuity in payroll operations.
• At least 2 years of experience processing payroll in a detail-focused setting.
• Prior payroll experience within a hotel environment is required; broader hospitality payroll experience may also be considered.
• Background handling payroll for high-volume hourly employee populations.
• Familiarity with banquet payroll and event-driven pay structures is strongly preferred.
• Experience calculating gratuities, adjustments, and other payroll components connected to service events.
• Working knowledge of Evention and Unifocus is preferred.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify issues and correct payroll discrepancies efficiently.
• Ability to stay organized and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, onsite environment.