Payroll & Compliance Specialist, Multi-State & SOX

Air; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Air is seeking a Payroll Specialist who combines strong payroll expertise, accounting discipline, and a commitment to accuracy, compliance, and employee service. You will own key aspects of the payroll process for a growing, multi-state workforce and help ensure employees are paid accurately and on time.

This role will partner closely with Finance, People Operations, Benefits, and external providers to maintain compliant payroll operations, strengthen internal controls, and build scalable

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.
• CPA certification strongly preferred.
• 4+ years of payroll experience, including multi-state processing.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax rules.
• Experience with payroll accounting, journal entries, and reconciliations.
• Ability to analyze large data sets with high accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for a multi-state workforce, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Validate inputs: new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, commissions, time and attendance, deductions, garnishments, leaves, and off-cycle payments.
• Ensure compliance with payroll tax requirements and wage-and-hour regulations.
• Reconcile payroll tax activity and filings, W-2s, and notices with providers.
• Prepare payroll journal entries and reconcile general ledger accounts.
• Conduct payroll audits and resolve discrepancies before finalizing payroll.
• Collaborate with People Operations, Benefits, Finance, and Accounting on data and processes.
• Maintain audit-ready payroll records in line with SOX and regulations.
• Support audits with documentation, control evidence, and responses.
• Develop, document, and improve payroll policies and internal controls.
• Assist payroll system implementations, integrations, and process improvements.
• Support month-, quarter-, and year-end close with payroll reporting.

Skills

CPA license

Multi-state payroll

Payroll tax compliance

Payroll accounting

Excel advanced

Data analysis

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Administration

Tools

ADP Workforce Now

BambooHR

Employee Navigator

NetSuite

Job description

Air is seeking a Payroll Specialist who combines strong payroll expertise, accounting discipline, and a commitment to accuracy, compliance, and employee service. You will own key aspects of the payroll process for a growing, multi-state workforce and help ensure employees are paid accurately and on time.

This role will partner closely with Finance, People Operations, Benefits, and external providers to maintain compliant payroll operations, strengthen internal controls, and build scalable