Payroll Coordinator

Akin; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is seeking a Payroll Coordinator for its Washington, DC office. The role reports to the Payroll Manager and supports payroll processing, data entry, validation, and reconciliation for U.S. offices.

Hybrid work capabilities are available, and the position emphasizes accuracy, regulatory compliance, and superior service to attorneys and staff. The candidate should have 3–5 years of payroll experience, a finance/accounting background, and strong Excel/Workday

Qualifications

• College degree and/or relevant finance/accounting training is preferred.
• High School diploma or equivalent is required.
• 3–5 years of payroll experience; Workday experience is preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook).
• Knowledge of federal, state and local payroll/tax regulations.
• Familiarity with state/local overtime rules.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Strong communication and written skills.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Strong organization and attention to detail.
• Commitment to professional growth and development.

Responsibilities

• Assist with processing and validating multiple payrolls for staff and partners monthly.
• Handle data entry, payroll processing and tax-related calculations.
• Coordinate payroll activities with team members to ensure smooth operations.
• Analyze payroll data for accuracy and tax compliance.
• Ensure timely ACH submissions and deadlines.
• Prepare reports for internal departments as requested.
• Enter payroll data into Workday HRIS and manage related elections/deductions.
• Assist with tax filings and GL analyses related to payroll.
• Monitor timecard submissions and approvals, ensuring deadlines are met.
• Support Workday system upgrades and testing.

Skills

Payroll processing

Data entry accuracy

Communication skills

Teamwork

Problem solving

Time management

Attention to detail

Tax regulations knowledge

Ability to work independently

Prioritization

Organizational skills

Growth mindset

Office software proficiency

Education

College degree in accounting or finance

High School diploma or equivalent

Tools

Workday

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Outlook

Job description

Location: Washington, DC
Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM
FLSA: Exempt
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking a Payroll Coordinator in our Human Resources department, reporting directly to the Payroll Manager.

This role will reside in the Washington, DC office with hybrid work capabilities and will be responsible for assisting with the data entry, preparation, processing, validation and reconciliation of payrolls and time and attendance for the firm’s U.S. offices. The Payroll Coordinator is expected to serve as a positive role model and mentor, and to perform all responsibilities with a commitment to providing superior service to the firm’s attorneys, advisors and staff, efficient and effective departmental operations, and an atmosphere of teamwork and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities of this position include:

• Assist with the process and validation of multiple payrolls for staff and partners each month.
• Ability to process large volumes of data efficiently.
• Coordinate payroll activities and functions with other team members to ensure smooth payroll operations.
• Analyze payroll data for accuracy and tax compliance.
• Ensure accurate and timely ACH and tax file submission ensuring all deadlines are met.
• Process on/off cycle payments and various corrections.
• Provide reports as requested from payroll for various internal departments
• Enter payroll data into the firm's Workday HRIS, including various HR, benefits, transportation and tax-related elections and deductions.
• Ability to analyze and validate periodic, quarterly and annual tax filing with firm's 3rd party tax vendor.
• Assist Finance and Tax Departments with analysis of payroll related items in the general ledger.
• Run and analyze reports in Finance system used to create hourly attorneys' timecards in Workday on a semi-monthly basis.
• Monitor timecard submission and approval process ensuring all deadlines are met.
• Ability to validate and verify timecard calculations as necessary.
• Monitor Time and Attendance group email box to answer questions and address issues with guidance and oversight from Payroll Manager.
• Monitor Payroll group email box and answer questions and address issues with guidance and oversight from the Payroll Manager.
• Process Accounts Payable check requests for payroll-deducted contributions.
• Maintain payroll tracking spreadsheets and payroll back-up files—semi-monthly, monthly and annual.
• Assist with Workday system upgrade testing and implementations.
• Answer questions and assist personnel with tax and other payment modeling and estimates through the Workday HRIS self-service functionality.
• Prepare administrative analyses and reports and related functions.
• Assist with other HR departmental responsibilities as requested.

Qualifications (Experience, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities):

• College degree, with specialization in accounting or finance preferred.
• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of payroll experience. Previous experience with Workday preferred.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Outlook.
• Demonstrated knowledge of payroll and tax-related federal, state and local tax regulations..
• Demonstrated knowledge of state and local overtime regulations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to read, comprehend and follow instructions.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong service orientation and an ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with peers, office and firm management, and outside business partners.
• Ability to use critique of work to improve performance.
• Ability to troubleshoot payroll-related issues and problems and identify possible solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and adjust to changing priorities in a professional manner.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to prioritize multiple projects with specific deadlines; strong attention to detail.
• Commitment to professional growth and development

The anticipated base salary range for this position in Washington, DC is $80,000 - $100,000.The actual salary offered will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, years of relevant experience, certifications or other professional licenses held, job-related knowledge and skills, business needs, and the location from which the work will be performed.Additionally, salary or hourly wages may be only part of the total compensation package, which may also include a full range of health and other insurance benefits, financial and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility), a discretionary bonus, and various paid time off benefits.Additional information about benefits and rewards can be found here.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP participates in E-Verify for purposes of verifying employment eligibility