US Payroll Specialist

As a Payroll Specialist, you’ll play a key role in ensuring our employees across the country are paid accurately and on time. This role requires careful attention to detail, discretion when handling sensitive information, and a service mindset when supporting employees at all stages—from onboarding to offboarding.

You’ll collaborate with teams across the organization, including HR, Talent, and Legal/Compliance, to uphold both our internal standards and external requirements. You’ll be part of a team working to ensure payroll runs smoothly in a complex, multi-state environment, and that our people feel supported and cared for throughout.

Key Responsibilities

Timesheet & Payroll Input Preparation

• Collect and process payroll data across our nationwide network of schools and corporate teams using a third-party payroll system
• Pull timesheet data, validate completeness and approvals, email managers to resolve error corrections, and resolve exceptions.
• Prepare payroll input files/worksheets and changes needed for processing.
• Produce and maintain a Timesheet Exception Report (missing punches, missing approvals, overtime spikes, zero hours, unusual shifts).

New Hires & Terminations

• Review and validate new hire and termination changes from HRIS against payroll cutoffs.
• Prepare new hire/termination payroll worksheets (including final pay components, PTO payout inputs per policy).
• Ensure compliance with employment laws across multiple states and legal entities

Off-Cycle Payroll Support

• Intake and track off-cycle payroll requests (corrections, bonuses, retro adjustments).
• Maintain an Off-cycle Log with request details, approvals, amounts, and resolution outcomes.
• Prepare off-cycle entries and reconciliation notes for onshore review and execution.

Other support

• Support payroll tickets and e-mails (paystub questions, deductions explanation, missing hours) and route escalations.
• Assist with employee onboarding, offboarding, and status changes in our HRIS

Process documentation & continuous improvement

• Maintain SOPs, checklists, and templates for payroll preparation and exception resolution.
• Recommend improvements to reduce off-cycle corrections and recurring timesheet issues.

Controls & Compliance

• Follow strict data privacy standards (PII/SSNs/bank details).
• Use least-privilege access; do not process changes outside approvals.
• No final payroll release responsibilities; all releases handled onshore.
• Maintain and safeguard confidential payroll records and employee data

Required

• A bachelor's degree and 1+ years supporting payroll operations OR timekeeping/payroll input preparation (US payroll preferred).
• Advanced Excel skills (pivots, lookups, filtering, reconciliation worksheets).
• Strong attention to detail and comfort working with deadlines and cutoff calendars.
• Excellent written communication in English.
• Comfortable navigating tech platforms and typing quickly and accurately
• Organized, proactive, self-starter, and excited to grow with a dynamic team

Preferred

• Experience with a timekeeping system (Illumine, etc.).
• Experience producing payroll variance reports and reconciliation packages.

• HMO with 1 free dependent upon hire
• Life Insurance
• 20 PTO credits annually
• VL and SL cash conversion
• Annual Performance-Based Merit Increases and Employee Recognition
• Great Company Culture
• Career Growth and Learning
• A laptop will be provided by the company

Hiring process:

1. Talent Acquisition screening
2. Skills-based assessments (Excel)
3. Operations interview
4. Final client interview with a live 30-minute Excel assessment