Senior Payroll Specialist

Swim Recruiting; Burnaby; Hybrid; CAD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid schedule

Pension plan

Day 1 health benefits

Professional development support

Annual bonus program

Job summary

Swim Recruiting in Burnaby is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to oversee end-to-end payroll for a mix of unionized and non-unionized employees in BC and Alberta. You will ensure accurate compensation, timely remittances, and compliance, while driving system improvements and internal controls.

The role reports into the Senior Manager, Accounting & Finance, with a hybrid schedule and potential work-from-home 2–3 days per week after onboarding.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years and preferably 7+ years of progressive experience in full-cycle payroll.
• Must have experience processing a unionized payroll and interpreting collective agreements.
• Experience leading T4 season.
• Experience with a Municipality/City or similar unionized organization is highly preferred.
• Experience with both salaried and hourly payroll.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end payroll operations and employee expense administration.
• Ensure timely remittances and compliance with applicable legislation and organizational requirements.
• Answer payroll inquiries and review timesheet submissions.
• Support payroll system improvements and vendor coordination.
• Audit readiness and continuous improvement of payroll processes and internal controls to enhance accuracy and service delivery.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Organized

Solutions-oriented

Education

Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) certification

Payroll Leadership Program certification

Post-secondary education

Tools

Ceridian Dayforce

Workday

UKG

SAP SuccessFactors

Oracle PeopleSoft

Excel

Job description

Well-rounded senior-level Payroll position with a stable, reputable, and well-established organization. Processing a diverse payroll- salary & hourly, unionized & non-unionized, mostly BC/some Alberta. Opportunity to get involved in payroll projects and initiatives, like process improvements, system upgrades, and planning internal communication with employees on payroll matters. Competitive total compensation package, including a generous pension plan!

Who- the Company:

Our client is a leading public-sector organization in Metro Vancouver, committed to building vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable communities. The organization delivers essential services, fosters innovation, and enhances the quality of life for residents and businesses in Greater Vancouver.

What- the Role:

On behalf of our client, SWIM is seeking a new Senior Payroll Specialist. This new employee will report directly into the Senior Manager, Accounting & Finance and will work alongside other folks in Payroll, Accounting, AP, AR, etc.

The Senior Payroll Specialist will oversee end-to-end payroll operations, employee expense administration, and benefits-related reporting, ensuring accurate compensation, timely remittances, and compliance with applicable legislation and organizational requirements. The Senior Payroll Specialist will answer payroll inquiries, review and validate timesheet submissions, and maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information. The Specialist also supports payroll system improvements, vendor coordination, audit readiness, and continuous improvement of payroll processes and internal controls to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and service delivery.

Payroll Insight:

Although the organization is larger, this Specialist will be specifically accountable for a payroll of around 400 employees, with over half of those unionized (a couple collective agreements). Mix of salaried and hourly employees. Mostly based in BC with some in Alberta. Hourly employees are overtime eligible. The company is on a municipal pension plan. This role is exempt/non-unionized.

Who- the Candidate:

We are looking for people who love processing a timely, accurate, and well-run payroll! Along with their colleagues, the new Senior Payroll Specialist will put in place new controls, system improvements, and better processes to create a sustainable and efficient payroll function for the years to come.

• Education
  • Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) certification is required.
  • Active pursuit of the Payroll Leadership Program certification (formerly known as the Certified Payroll Manager/CPM) is highly preferred and will be supported by the employer
  • Post-secondary education is highly preferred, in an area such as business, finance, etc.
• Work Experience
  • At least 5 years and preferably 7+ years of progressive experience in full-cycle payroll.
  • Must have experience processing a unionized payroll and interpreting collective agreements
  • Experience leading T4 season
  • Experience working with a Municipality/City is highly preferred, or experience with a similar organization with a unionized workforce such as a health authority, crown corporation, membership body, etc.
  • Experience with both salaried and hourly payroll.
• Systems-
  • Hands-on experience using a sophisticated payroll and/or HRIS such as Ceridian Dayforce, Workday, UKG, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle People Soft, etc.
  • System savvy, with proficiency in MS Excel as well as other MS Office software.
  • Experience supporting a company going through a payroll system implementation, conversion, or upgrade project would be great!
• Soft Skills-
  • Excellent attention to detail, organized, solutions-oriented, and efficient.
  • Great communication skills (written, verbal, non-verbal), with the ability to provide top-notch internal customer experience to employees and managers, as well as externally to vendors, systems providers, etc.

Where:

Based in Burnaby, directly next to a SkyTrain Station. After initial training and onboarding, this company offers a hybrid schedule and employees can work from home 2 or 3 days a week.

How Much:

Base salary commensurate with experience, likely in the range of $75,000 to $85,000. There might be a bit of wiggle room beyond that for someone highly qualified (for example, 10+ years relevant experience, PLP certification, lots of unionized payroll skills, etc).

The Senior Payroll Specialist will be eligible right away for the defined contribution municipal pension plan. There is a good bonus program, with a target of around 8% to 10%. Additionally, employees get paid vacation time, health benefits from Day 1, and relevant professional development support (for PCP, PLP and other relevant courses).