Payroll & HR Ops Specialist

Central States Funds/TeamCare; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Central States Funds/TeamCare is seeking a Payroll & HR Ops Specialist to oversee weekly payroll for union and non-union staff, ensure accurate wage calculations, deductions, and compliance with CBAs and applicable laws across the employee lifecycle.

You will partner with Payroll, Total Rewards, Finance, and CTS (IT) to optimize Workday and UKG configurations, run audits, implement process improvements, and deliver timely, confidential service to employees and leaders.

Qualifications

• Degree in HR, accounting, finance, business or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of progressive payroll experience supporting union and non-union populations.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and CBAs.
• Hands-on experience with HRIS platforms (Workday, UKG) and payroll process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for union and non-union hourly and salaried employees, including wage rates, overtime, shift differentials, premiums, and retro pay.
• Manage payroll changes for hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, and union status updates; ensure correct deductions and withholdings.
• Interpret CBAs and wage-hour laws; respond to pay inquiries with confidentiality.
• Partner with Total Rewards, Finance, and Pension teams on year-end processing and audits.
• Support HR programs and HRIS configurations, testing, and system transitions from UKG to Workday.
• Complete year-end payroll responsibilities in Workday and UKG; perform regular payroll audits.

Skills

Payroll processing

HRIS (Workday & UKG)

Excel & reporting

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in HR, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field

Tools

Workday

UKG

Job description

The Payroll & HR Ops Specialist is responsible for the accurate and timely administration of payroll and the execution and continuous improvement of HR operational processes across the employee lifecycle. This role manages payroll processing for a diverse workforce, including unionized hourly and salaried employees and non-union salaried exempt employees, ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), company policies, and applicable laws and regulations. In addition, the role executes key HR transactions, maintains accurate employee records and HRIS data, supports HR programs and compliance initiatives, and provides responsive, high-quality service to employees and leaders. Working closely with Payroll, Total Rewards, Finance, and CTS (IT), the Payroll & HR Ops Specialist leverages HRIS capabilities, reporting, and data analysis to strengthen data integrity, streamline workflows, improve system efficiencies, and support consistent, compliant, and effective payroll and HR operations that enhance the employee experience.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for union and non union hourly and salaried employees, ensuring accurate application of wage rates, overtime, shift differentials, premiums, retro pay, and other earnings in alignment with CBAs and company policies.
• Manage payroll changes for hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, and union status updates, while ensuring correct calculation and withholding of union dues, benefit deductions, garnishments, and related items.
• Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements and federal, state, and local wage and hour laws (including FLSA) to payroll processing and employee pay inquiries.
• Partner with Total Rewards, Finance, and Pension teams on year-end processing, compensation cycles, audits, retirement transitions, and other cross functional initiatives.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries with professionalism and confidentiality and serve as a payroll subject matter resource for HR and business leaders.
• Complete year-end payroll responsibilities in both Workday and UKG

• Perform regular payroll audits to validate accuracy of pay, deductions, and system configurations
• Review payroll registers, variance reports, and exception reports prior to payroll submission
• Identify discrepancies, research root causes, and implement corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence
• Support internal audits by providing payroll documentation, reports, and reconciliations

• Evaluate workflows and procedures to identify opportunities for process improvements and efficiency gains
• Partner with the HR Payroll Manager to optimize HRIS (Workday) configurations, pay rules, and automation, and support system testing, transition and implementation activities from UKG to new HRIS (Workday), integrations, configuration changes, and updates
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures, job aids, and documentation to support consistent processing
• Use HRIS payroll reporting tools to support payroll operations, audits, and compliance requirements, and analyze data to proactively identify risks, inefficiencies, and recurring payroll issues

• Serve as primary contact for HR-related inquiries, providing timely and accurate responses to procedures and programs
• Partner with Total Rewards and Talent team to ensure seamless coordination of employee changes and issue resolution
• Participate in or lead HR operational projects such as process standardization and documentation, system implementations, etc.
• Assist with HR metrics, data analysis, and continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in HR, Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience).
• 3+ years of progressive payroll experience supporting union and non union populations, with demonstrated ability to resolve complex pay discrepancies.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Hands on experience with HRIS platforms (Workday, UKG), including involvement in system implementations or payroll process redesign.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and payroll reporting tools, with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and other productivity tools
• High attention to detail and ability to manage sensitive and confidential information.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• CPP or FPC certification preferred; multi state payroll experience preferred

Compensation

Annual Salary Range: $65K-$85K

(The posted range of pay represents the anticipated pay scale for this position. Final pay will be determined based on a variety of job-related factors, including, but not limited to, skills, experience, education, certifications, internal equity, and organizational needs.)