Senior Payroll Specialist

Kinaxis; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible vacation

Flexible work options

Well-being programs

Mentorship programs

Hackathons

Career development

Job summary

Kinaxis is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to support payroll operations across Canada, the United States, and multiple international jurisdictions. The role requires expertise in payroll legislation, taxation, benefits, and year-end reporting, with collaboration across HR, Finance, and external providers.

You will manage payroll processing, reconciliations, and audits in a multinational environment, ensuring accuracy and compliance while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships.

Qualifications

• Extensive payroll experience in Canada.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now.
• Payroll compliance knowledge including taxation and year-end processing.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Attention to detail and stakeholder engagement are essential.

Responsibilities

• Process payroll for Canada, the United States, and international entities.
• Validate inputs, earnings, deductions, taxes, benefits, bonuses, and stock transactions.
• Review outputs and investigate discrepancies prior to approval and transmission.
• Support hires, terminations, leaves of absence, promotions, transfers, and compensation changes.
• Ensure payrolls are completed accurately within service level timelines.

Skills

Payroll experience

Canada payroll

ADP Workforce Now

Payroll legislation

Payroll reconciliations

Analytical skills

Job description

About Kinaxis

Are you looking to join an innovative, market-leading company where you can truly elevate your career? At Kinaxis we are serious about culture, we are serious about technology, we are serious about customers, and we are serious about not taking ourselves too seriously. If you are looking to be part of an incredible growth story, then we might just be the place for you!

In 1984, we started out as a team of three engineers. Today, we have grown to become a global organization with over 2000 employees around the world, 6 global office and a best-in-class HQ in Ottawa, Canada. As winners of several Top Employer awards globally, we are proud to work with our customers and employees towards solving some of the biggest challenges facing supply chains today.

Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain orchestration, powering complex global supply chains, and supporting the people who manage them. Our powerful, AI infused platform provides full transparency and visibility across end-to-end supply chains, enabling our customers to make faster, better decisions. We are trusted by renowned global brands to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. With more than 40,000 users in over 100 countries, we are expanding our team as we continue to innovate and revolutionize how we support our customers.

Location

Hybrid, 3 days/week at our office in Ottawa, Canada

About the role

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Payroll Specialist to support payroll operations across Canada, the United States, and multiple international jurisdictions.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the accurate and timely processing, reconciliation, compliance, and administration of payroll programs for a global workforce. This individual will serve as a subject matter expert on payroll legislation, taxation, benefits, statutory reporting, auditing, payroll accounting, and payroll system administration while partnering closely with Human Resources, Finance, Benefits, Tax, and external payroll providers.

This role is ideal for an experienced payroll professional who thrives in a complex, multinational environment and enjoys solving challenging payroll and compliance issues.

Salary Range

Annual cash compensation ranges from $80,000 to $90,000, plus a discretionary 10% company bonus. The final offer within this range will reflect the successful candidate’s skills and experience.

Vacancy Status

This is an existing job vacancy

What you will do

Payroll Processing and Administration

• Assist with processing payrolls for Canada, the United States, and international entities in accordance with local legislative requirements and company policies.
• Validate payroll inputs, earnings, deductions, taxes, benefits, commissions, bonuses, stock transactions, and retroactive adjustments.
• Review payroll outputs and investigate discrepancies prior to payroll approval and transmission.
• Support payroll activities related to hires, terminations, leaves of absence, promotions, transfers, and compensation changes.
• Ensure payrolls are completed accurately and within established service level timelines.

Global Payroll Vendor Coordination

• Submit payroll changes and supporting documentation to local payroll providers.
• Review payroll results received from service providers and resolve discrepancies.

Compliance and Statutory Reporting

• Ensure compliance with payroll legislation, taxation requirements, social security programs, and statutory regulations.
• Prepare and review payroll remittances and year-end reporting obligations.
• Support audits, tax inquiries, and compliance reviews.
• Maintain payroll procedures and process documentation.
• Monitor legislative changes and assist with implementation of payroll-related updates.

Benefits and Retirement Plans

• Administer payroll-related deductions and company contributions for retirement and benefit programs.
• Prepare and reconcile pension, savings plan, and benefit remittances.
• Coordinate deductions and enrollment changes with benefit providers.
• Investigate and resolve deduction variances and employee inquiries.

Payroll Accounting and Reconciliations

• Prepare payroll reconciliations and validate payroll-related financial transactions.
• Reconcile payroll registers to general ledger accounts.
• Support month-end and year-end close activities.
• Prepare payroll journal entries and supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve outstanding payroll-related balance sheet items.

Audit and Internal Controls

• Prepare documentation supporting internal and external audit requirements.
• Maintain payroll controls and support control testing activities.
• Ensure payroll transactions are appropriately documented and traceable.
• Assist with payroll process reviews and compliance assessments.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Act as a subject matter expert for payroll systems, interfaces, and reporting tools.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and automation.
• Develop and maintain payroll reports, reconciliation tools, and process documentation.

Employee and Stakeholder Support

• Respond to complex payroll-related inquiries from employees, HR, Finance, and management.
• Explain payroll calculations, deductions, tax implications, and statutory requirements.
• Provide guidance on payroll policies and procedures.
• Build collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

What we are looking for

Primary Skills and Qualifications

• Extensive payroll experience in progressively responsible payroll roles.
• Extensive experience processing payroll in Canada.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now.
• Strong knowledge of payroll legislation, taxation, year-end processing, and statutory reporting.
• Experience with payroll reconciliations, accounting entries, and financial controls.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to effectively engage stakeholders and utilize available resources to obtain information needed for accurate payroll decisions.

Preferred

• Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation or equivalent.
• Experience with SuccessFactors, Workday, or similar HRIS systems.
• Experience supporting publicly traded organizations.
• Experience with NetSuite or other ERP platforms.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

#Senior;

Work With Impact: Our platform directly helps companies power the world's supply chains. We see the results of what we do out in the world every day, when we see store shelves stocked, when medications are available for our loved ones, and so much more.

Work with Fortune 500 Brands: Companies across industries trust us to help them take control of their integrated business planning and digital supply chain. Some of our customers include Lockheed Martin, Unilever, P&G, ExxonMobil, Cisco and more.

Social Responsibility at Kinaxis: Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee weighs in on hiring practices, talent assessment training materials, and mandatory training on unconscious bias and inclusion fundamentals. Sustainability is key to what we do and we're committed to a long-term net-zero operations strategy. We are involved in our communities and support causes where we can make the most impact.

People matter at Kinaxis and here are some of the perks and benefits we offer, which may vary by location and employee:

• Flexible vacation and Kinaxis Days (company-wide days off)
• Flexible work options
• Physical and mental well-being programs
• Regularly scheduled virtual fitness classes
• Mentorship programs, training, and career development
• Recognition programs and referral rewards
• Hackathons

For more information, visit the Kinaxis website at www.kinaxis.com or the company's blog at http://blog.kinaxis.com.

Kinaxis welcomes candidates to apply to our inclusive community. We provide accommodations upon request to ensure fairness and accessibility throughout our recruitment process for all candidates, including those with specific needs or disabilities. If you require an accommodation, please reach out to us at [e-mail]. This contact information is for accessibility requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Kinaxis is committed to ensuring a fair and transparent recruitment process. We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the initial step of the recruitment process to compare submitted resumes against the job description to identify candidates whose education, experience, and skills most closely match the requirements of the role. After the initial screening, all subsequent decisions regarding your application, including final selection, are made by our human recruitment team. AI does not make any final hiring decisions.