Payroll Specialist

Central States Funds/TeamCare; Chicago (IL); Presencial; USD 65.000 - 85.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Central States Funds/TeamCare is seeking a Payroll Specialist to manage weekly payroll for a diverse workforce including union and non-union employees, ensuring accuracy and compliance with CBAs and laws. You will streamline payroll processes, optimize the HRIS (Workday and transition from UKG), handle year-end processing, and provide reliable payroll reporting and support to HR and leadership.

The role emphasizes attention to detail, confidentiality, and teamwork, with opportunity to improve

Formación

• 3+ years of progressive payroll experience supporting union and non-union populations.
• Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and CBAs.
• Experience with HRIS payroll platforms (Workday, UKG).
• Advanced Excel and payroll reporting skills.
• CPP or FPC certification preferred.

Responsabilidades

• Process weekly payroll for union and non-union hourly and salaried employees in alignment with CBAs and policies.
• Manage payroll changes for hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, and union status updates; ensure accurate deductions.
• Interpret CBAs and wage/hour laws; respond to pay inquiries.
• Partner with Total Rewards, Finance and Pension on year-end processing and audits.
• Perform payroll audits and assist internal audits with documentation and reconciliations.
• Improve processes; optimize HRIS configurations and payroll reporting; support system testing and transitions.

Conocimientos

Payroll experience

Multi-state payroll

Payroll regulations

Analytical skills

Communication skills

CPP/FPC certification

Educación

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

Herramientas

Workday

UKG

Microsoft Excel

Descripción del empleo

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for the accurate and timely processing of payroll for a diverse workforce that includes unionized hourly employees, unionized salaried employees, and non-union salaried exempt employees. This role ensures compliance with collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), company policies, and all applicable payroll regulations. In addition to transactional payroll responsibilities, the Payroll Specialist plays an active role in streamlining payroll processes, identifying system efficiencies within the HRIS, and leveraging reporting and data analysis to support payroll operations and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Compliance

• 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

Payroll Auditing & Controls

• 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

Process Improvement, HRIS Optimization & Reporting

• Evaluate payroll 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

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 payroll 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.
• 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.)