Payroll Specialist

Chicago Bulls; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health premiums for healthcare, dental

Life insurance

401(k) with employer match

Flexible spending accounts

Paid time off

Game tickets

Snacks and meals

Pet insurance

Job summary

The Chicago Bulls seek a Payroll Specialist to support semi-monthly payroll for full-time and game-day staff, review timecards, and handle employee payroll inquiries. You will ensure accurate deductions, benefits, and tax compliance, with supervision from the Director of Payroll & Benefits Administration.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of payroll experience, a related bachelor’s degree preferred, and experience with Paylocity, Paycor, ADP, or Workday.

Qualifications

• 2-5 years of payroll processing experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and wage/hour laws.
• Experience using payroll systems such as Paylocity, Paycor, ADP, Workday, or comparable platforms.
• Familiarity with HRIS and timekeeping systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy and confidentiality.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Customer-service mindset with ability to respond professionally to inquiries.
• Partners effectively across teams to support accurate and timely payroll.
• Process-improvement mindset to improve payroll accuracy and efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Support semi-monthly payroll processing for full-time and game-day staff, including commissions, reimbursements, per diem payments, benefits deductions, and other payroll items.
• Review employee timecards for accuracy and completeness.
• Respond to general employee payroll and tax inquiries.
• Reconcile monthly benefits invoices and assist with resolving benefits questions.
• Support player benefits enrollment, annual open enrollment, and new-hire benefits meetings.
• Assist with end-of-employment documentation and COBRA notices.
• Provide documentation and administrative support for 401(k), workers’ compensation, and internal audits.
• Process 50/50 raffle payments, tax withholdings, and Forms W-2G and 1099.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Time management

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, HR, Business Admin, or related field

Tools

Paylocity

Paycor

ADP

Workday

HRIS

Timekeeping systems

Job description

Description

Payroll Specialist

Position Overview:

The Paylocity Specialist supports the accurate and timely administration of payroll, employee benefits, compliance reporting, and related departmental activities. This position reports to the Director of Payroll & Benefits Administration.

Responsibilities:

• Support semi-monthly payroll processing for full-time and game-day staff, including commissions, reimbursements, per diem payments, benefits deductions, and other payroll-related items.
• Review employee timecards for accuracy and completeness.
• Respond to general employee payroll and tax inquiries.
• Reconcile monthly benefits invoices and assist with resolving employee benefits questions.
• Support player benefits enrollment, annual open enrollment, and new-hire benefits meetings.
• Assist with end-of-employment documentation and COBRA notices.
• Provide documentation and administrative support for 401(k), workers’ compensation, and internal audits.
• Process 50/50 raffle winner payments, applicable tax withholdings, and Forms W-2G and 1099.

Required Qualifications:

• 2 - 5 years of payroll processing experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field is preferred.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and wage and hour laws.
• Experience using payroll systems such as Paylocity, Paycor, ADP, Workday, or a comparable platform.
• Familiarity with HRIS and timekeeping systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and a demonstrated commitment to accuracy and confidentiality.
• Excellent organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• A customer-service mindset and the ability to respond professionally to employee inquiries.
• Partners effectively across teams to support accurate and timely payroll.
• Takes ownership, meets deadlines, and proactively resolves issues.A process-improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, and processes.

Compensation & Benefits

The annual base salary range for this position is $55,000 - $60,000. This role is also eligible for overtime and an annual discretionary bonus. Actual compensation will be determined based on the candidate’s education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

The Chicago Bulls offer competitive benefits and perks. Benefits for full-time employees include, but are not limited to:

• Competitive employee premiums for healthcare, dental, and vision coverage.
• 100% paid premium for basic employee life insurance and disability coverage.
• 401(k) with employer match plus an annual discretionary contribution.
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care, as well as commuter benefits.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick time, holidays, days of significance, and parental leave.
• Complimentary home game tickets, parking, and gym access.
• Complimentary snacks and lunch. If working games or events, dinner will also be complimentary.
• Pet insurance.

The Chicago Bulls offer workplace flexibility; however, full-time remote work is not available for this position. Candidates must currently reside in, or be willing to relocate to, the Chicagoland area. This role requires scheduling flexibility, including the ability to work evenings and weekends as business needs require.

We are an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.