Payroll Specialist

We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to support a large food service organization in New York. This long-term contract opportunity is ideal for a detail-oriented payroll specialist who thrives in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and can manage complex payroll activities with accuracy. The role focuses on end-to-end payroll administration across multiple pay groups and jurisdictions, using Workday Payroll and Microsoft Excel to ensure timely and compliant processing.

Responsibilities:

• Manage complete payroll processing for large employee populations, including both hourly and salaried staff across weekly and bi-weekly pay cycles.
• Review employee time records and approved timesheets to confirm accuracy, completeness, and compliance before each payroll run.
• Process multi-state payroll transactions while applying applicable wage, tax, and deduction requirements across jurisdictions.
• Use Workday Payroll to execute payroll activities, maintain records, and resolve processing issues efficiently.
• Analyze payroll data in Microsoft Excel to reconcile discrepancies, validate calculations, and support reporting needs.
• Investigate and correct payroll variances, including missing hours, pay adjustments, and deduction concerns, in a timely manner.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to address payroll-related questions and ensure deadlines are met in a high-volume private company setting.
• Maintain accurate payroll documentation and support audit readiness through organized recordkeeping and process adherence.
• 3+ years of experience handling full-cycle payroll in a high-volume environment.
• Proven ability to process payroll for more than 500 employees with strong attention to detail.
• Hands-on experience administering multi-state payroll for hourly and salaried employee groups.
• Proficiency with Workday Payroll for routine processing, validation, and issue resolution.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills for reconciliation, analysis, and payroll reporting.
• Experience reviewing timesheets and approved time data prior to payroll submission.
• Working knowledge of weekly and bi-weekly payroll cycles and related compliance considerations.