Senior Payroll Specialist

FEMINIST; Gisborne; On-site; NZD 127,000 - 136,000; Full time

Job summary

Planned Parenthood Federation of America seeks a Senior Payroll Specialist to ensure accurate, compliant bi-weekly payroll runs. Under the Payroll Manager, you will perform QA/QC on complex data, manage UKG/HRIS processes, and support regulatory updates across multiple states.

This role collaborates across teams to ensure timely, precise payroll outcomes. You will handle audits, 401k reconciliations, and year-end tasks while maintaining strong internal controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• FPC or CPP certification preferred/required.
• 4–5 years of comprehensive payroll experience in high-complexity environments.

Responsibilities

• Perform advanced QA/QC reviews on payroll data and variances.
• Lead/execute final bi-weekly payroll runs under Payroll Manager guidance.
• Support UKG system upgrades, integrations, and project planning.
• Reconcile payroll data for audits (401k, financial statements) and tax authorities.
• Respond to unemployment claims and maintain payroll controls for compliance.

Skills

MS Excel proficiency

UKG/HRIS SME

Analytical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Admin

FPC/CPP certification

Tools

UKG Pro/Ready

Job description

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable sexual and reproductive health care for all people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. Planned Parenthood organizations serve all people with care and compassion, with respect, and without judgment, striving to create equitable access to health care. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable education and information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that supports the independently incorporated Planned Parenthood affiliates, which operate non-profit health centers across the U.S. PPFA also works to educate the public on and advocate for issues of sexual and reproductive health. Formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Action Fund is a separate non-profit membership organization tax-exempt under section 501(c)(4). The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy, and limited electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education in furtherance of the Planned Parenthood mission.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) seek a responsible and dedicated Senior Payroll Specialist. This job reports to the Payroll Manager in the Finance Department of PPFA. The Finance & Accounting team provide confidence to all stakeholders in the fiscal and fiduciary responsibility of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Planned Parenthood Action Fund and its subsidiaries (collectively the Organizations) with a commitment to customer service, sound controls, compliance monitoring, and timely, accurate, and complete reporting, analysis and decision support to further the Federation’s mission.

Purpose

The Senior Payroll Specialist provides advanced analytical support and technical expertise to ensure the accurate execution, compliance, and integrity of the Organization’s payroll runs. Under the general guidance of the Payroll Manager, this role is responsible for performing comprehensive technical QA/QC reviews on pre-processing data, identifying tax or operational variances, and fully executing the final bi-weekly payroll runs. By assessing complex components—including multi-state taxation, union requirements, and system logic—the Senior Specialist serves as the primary system user who ensures the payroll cycle is successfully completed and ready for management’s final approval. The Senior Payroll Specialist shares expertise with peers and new hires and supports system enhancements or process improvements.

Delivery

• Assess complex payroll components (e.g., multi-state taxation, imputed income, union payroll, garnishments) and provide analysis to the Payroll Manager to ensure the payroll framework remains compliant and operationally sound.
• Monitors terminations to ensure last pay laws are being followed.
• Act as a core functional user for UKG; support project planning for system enhancements, upgrades, or integrations under the guidance of the Payroll Manager.
• Conduct research into federal, state, and local regulatory changes to update and maintain the internal repository of payroll policies, procedures and payroll project design and implementation.
• Preparation and reconciliation of data for internal/external audits (e.g., 401k, financial statements) to support the accurate execution of the audit framework.
• Performs reconciliations of payroll records to external systems including 401K system, accounting, and tax authorities.
• Perform technical QA/QC reviews on payroll data prepared by the Payroll Specialist, identifying tax or data variances, making corrections to be reviewed by the Payroll Manager for formal approval and sign-off before submission.
• Provide support to the Payroll Manager for high-stakes projects including annual year-end activities, determining and performing payroll tax reconciliations and adjustments, W-2 issuance, system updates.
• Reviews quarterly tax packet (941s) and recommends updates needed to the payroll system to ensure full tax compliance.
• Responds to unemployment claims.
• Other duties as assigned

Engagement

• Partner with People, Culture & Equity, Finance, and IT to acquire and research data that provides depth to payroll project implementation, such as system upgrades or benefit plan changes.
• Act as a resource for internal teams by providing analytical input on complex payroll dimensions (e.g., tax implications for multi-state moves or fringe benefits) to support organizational decision-making.
• Collaborate with the Payroll Specialist to ensure shared accountability for delivery; serve as the designated back-up to the Specialist to sustain service during absences and ensure operational continuity.
• Serve as the technical point of contact for complex payroll inquiries escalated from the Specialist, researching and providing solutions for high-level discrepancies.
• Engage with external subject-matter specialists, including independent auditors, tax agencies, and payroll vendor consultants (UKG/ADP), to secure information relevant to audits and compliance projects.
• Proactively contact external partners to acquire information needed for payroll system optimizations, ensuring the organization stays aligned with industry best practices and technological advancements.
• Secure cooperation and gather evidence for external auditors during year-end and 401k audit processes, providing relevant analytical support to ensure a seamless audit cycle.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field. FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) preferred; CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) required.
• 4 – 5 years of comprehensive payroll experience, with a proven track record of handling high-complexity environments (multi-state, union).
• Minimum 3 years of experience as a Power User or Subject Matter Expert (SME) in UKG (Pro/Ready) or similar enterprise-grade HCM/Payroll systems.
• High proficiency in MS Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, complex formulas) and Google Sheets for reconciling large datasets and preparing audit schedules.
• Experience with system implementations, testing (UAT), or managing API integrations between Payroll and HRIS/Benefits platforms.
• Ability to assess complex payroll components and provide analytical frameworks for process improvement under guidance.
• Strong interpersonal skills to “secure cooperation” (per JECM) from external auditors, vendors, and cross-functional internal partners.
• Exceptional ability to manage highly confidential information and navigate ambiguous situations with professional confidence.

Salary:$75,000 – $80,000 a year

Travel: 0-5% domestic

Planned Parenthood’s cultural ethos, “In This Together”, reflects our commitment to building a workplace culture that fosters belonging, promotes learning throughout the employee lifecycle, and recognizes individual contributions to our mission.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America participates in the E-Verify program. Planned Parenthood Federation of America is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment, and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Planned Parenthood Federation of America is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation.