Payroll and Grants Administrator

The Salvation Army North & Central Illinois Division; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Salvation Army Midland Divisional Headquarters is seeking a Payroll and Grants Administrator to lead full-cycle payroll using the ADP Vantage system and support grant-related labor reporting. This salaried role sits in the Finance Department and collaborates with Grant and Contract Accountants to ensure compliant allocations of wages across funding sources.

Responsibilities include payroll processing, timekeeping oversight, payroll reporting, grant labor tracking, and audit support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field.
• 5 years of progressively responsible payroll experience including grants.
• CPP designation preferred.
• Experience with audits and regulatory compliance.
• Proficient with spreadsheets and cloud accounting software.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all payroll operations ensuring timely, accurate processing.
• Validate timekeeping records for accuracy and policy compliance.
• Handle payroll adjustments, deductions, and manual checks.
• Serve as primary payroll resource for inquiries and issues.
• Maintain payroll system data integrity and access controls.
• Prepare payroll reports, journals, and grant-related labor data.
• Coordinate grant labor tracking and allocations.
• Support audits with required documentation.
• Develop and improve payroll policies and procedures.
• Provide payroll support and confidentiality to staff.
• Coordinate with external payroll providers.
• Respond to verification requests.
• Act as payroll SME to ensure business continuity.

Skills

Full-cycle payroll

ADP Vantage

Grant accounting

Timekeeping

Payroll reporting

Payroll compliance

Labor distribution

Audits support

Process improvement

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance/BA or related field

CPP designation preferred

Tools

ADP Vantage

Excel

Cloud-based accounting software

Job description

The Salvation Army Midland Divisional Headquarters is looking for a candidate who has full-cycle payroll experience to join our team as the new Payroll and Grants Administrator. This position, as a member of our Finance Department, will handle all aspects of payroll using the ADP Vantage system. In addition to the regular day-to-day payroll activities, it works with our Grant and Contract Accountants to ensure accurate reporting of time and wages for positions specifically paid through various grant funding sources.

This is a full-time, salaried position with a starting pay of $55,000 - $60,000 a year depending on education and experience.

Under the direction of the Controller and working collaboratively with the Divisional Contracts and Grants Compliance Manager, the Payroll and Grants Administrator oversees payroll and grant-related labor compliance activities to ensure accurate compensation, proper allocation of personnel costs to funding sources, and adherence to applicable federal, state, local, grant, and organizational requirements. The position is responsible for payroll administration, timekeeping oversight, labor distribution reporting, grant documentation, audit support, process improvement, and payroll system management while serving as a trusted resource for payroll compliance and operational excellence.

Essential Functions

• Administer and oversee all payroll operations, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing in accordance with federal, state, local, and organizational requirements.
• Review, monitor, and validate employee timekeeping records for accuracy, completeness, appropriate approvals, and policy compliance; coordinate corrections and resolve discrepancies with supervisors, managers, and employees as needed.
• Process payroll adjustments, special pay transactions, manual checks, direct deposit issues, and other payroll-related deductions and payments.
• Serve as the primary resource for payroll-related questions and issues by researching, investigating, and resolving payroll discrepancies, payroll system issues, and employee inquiries in a timely and professional manner.
• Maintain payroll system functionality and data integrity, including employee payroll records, labor level assignments, adjustment rules, user access administration, password resets, and other payroll system maintenance activities.
• Generate, analyze, reconcile, and distribute payroll reports, payroll journals, compensation data, and other payroll-related information for Finance, Human Resources, leadership, auditors, granting agencies, and operational departments.
• Manage and oversee grant-related labor tracking and timekeeping, ensuring employee salaries and wages are accurately charged to the appropriate grants and funding sources. Collect, review, maintain, and reconcile supporting timesheets and labor documentation; verify the accuracy of grant allocations; and ensure compliance with grant requirements, audit standards, reporting obligations, and organizational policies. Provide guidance to supervisors and employees regarding grant-related timekeeping, labor distribution, and documentation requirements.
• Coordinate payroll compliance activities, maintain required documentation, support internal and external audits, and prepare monthly, quarterly, fiscal year-end, and annual payroll reports and reconciliations.
• Develop, maintain, and improve payroll policies, procedures, controls, workflows, and documentation to enhance efficiency, accuracy, consistency, and regulatory compliance.
• Provide payroll support, training, guidance, and customer service to employees, supervisors, managers, departments, and field locations while maintaining strict confidentiality of payroll and organizational information.
• Coordinate with external payroll providers and other authorized third parties to resolve payroll issues, submit service requests, support reporting requirements, and ensure effective payroll system operations.
• Monitor outstanding payroll transactions, including stale-dated checks and other unresolved payroll items, and coordinate appropriate corrective actions and record maintenance.
• Respond to employment verification requests and provide authorized payroll-related information and data as required.
• Serve as a payroll subject matter expert to support business continuity and the effective administration of payroll and timekeeping functions.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field and five (5) years of progressively responsible payroll administration experience, including payroll compliance, timekeeping systems, payroll reporting, and grant-funded labor allocation; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience supporting audits, maintaining payroll records, administering payroll systems, and ensuring compliance with grant and regulatory requirements is required. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation preferred. Combination of education and work experience will be considered. Required computer knowledge includes experience with spreadsheets, word processing and Cloud-based accounting software. Must be a team player, a self-starter, able to handle several projects at the same time and perform well with minimum supervision. Must demonstrate ability to think independently and exercise sound judgment. Position requires valid drivers’ licenses, pass TSA MVR check and reliable transportation to visit assigned sites.