Archived listing. The details below describe a past opening.
We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to support a Contract position based in San Francisco, California. This role will own payroll operations for a multi-state employee population, ensuring each pay cycle is processed accurately, on schedule, and in line with applicable regulations. The ideal candidate will bring strong payroll administration experience, sound judgment when handling sensitive matters, and the ability to collaborate effectively with Finance, employees, and external providers.
Responsibilities:
- Manage complete semi-monthly payroll processing for a multi-state workforce, including standard payroll runs, off-cycle payments, earnings adjustments, deductions, garnishments, and employee record updates.
- Act as the primary internal resource for payroll administration, overseeing system setup, tax configurations, reporting, data integrity, and troubleshooting with the payroll platform.
- Partner with the payroll vendor to track service quality, address escalations, and resolve payroll, tax, and integration-related issues in a timely manner.
- Administer payroll tax activities across federal, state, and local jurisdictions, including registrations, filings, notices, amendments, quarter-end tasks, year-end processing, and W-2 coordination.
- Establish and maintain strong payroll controls, documentation standards, reconciliation practices, and audit support materials to promote compliance and accuracy.
- Investigate and resolve complex questions related to pay, taxes, timekeeping, and payroll discrepancies while communicating clearly and professionally with employees.
- Work closely with Finance on payroll funding, ledger alignment, account reconciliations, accruals, invoicing, reporting, audit preparation, and workforce cost analysis.
- Track changes in payroll legislation and compliance requirements, translating updates into actionable process improvements and policy adjustments.
- Oversee administration of the 401(k) plan, including employee eligibility, enrollment, contribution processing, loans, distributions, corrections, and participant support.
- 5+ years of experience managing full-cycle payroll operations.
- Proven experience processing multi-state payroll in a high-volume environment, including populations of over 500 employees.
- Strong knowledge of payroll compliance requirements, including federal, state, and local tax regulations.
- Hands-on experience with payroll systems such as Rippling or ADP WFN and the ability to learn and manage payroll platforms effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to handle payroll reporting, reconciliations, and issue resolution with a high level of accuracy and confidentiality.
- Experience partnering with Finance on payroll accounting activities, audits, and reporting deliverables.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to explain payroll matters clearly to employees and internal stakeholders.