Payroll Specialist

Proworks Services, Inc; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Proworks Services, Inc is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to own the full payroll cycle from timecard review to final processing. This role also handles payroll accounting, including journal entries, GL reconciliations, accruals, and labor cost allocations.

The ideal candidate has 4+ years of hands-on payroll experience, strong Excel skills, and proficiency with payroll software. You will collaborate with HR and Accounting, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality across the organization.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of hands-on payroll experience including independent full-cycle payroll processing.
• Experience preparing journal entries, accruals, and general ledger reconciliations.
• Experience reconciling payroll and timekeeping data and resolving discrepancies independently.
• Strong Excel skills, including formulas, lookups, and pivot tables.
• Proficiency with payroll, timekeeping, and accounting software.
• Ability to manage competing payroll and month-end deadlines with accuracy.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and employee service skills.
• Ability to work independently, safeguard confidential information, and collaborate with HR and Accounting.
• Follow established payroll requirements and internal controls and elevate policy questions.

Responsibilities

• Independently manage accurate and timely payroll processing for a large employee population.
• Review and reconcile timecards, earnings, deductions, overtime, PTO, and payroll adjustments before finalizing payroll.
• Verify approved changes to pay rates, employee status, deductions, and terminations against supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Prepare manual check requests, corrections, and other approved adjustments.
• Review payroll registers and labor distribution reports for accuracy.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries professionally while maintaining confidentiality.
• Support year-end processing, W-2 reporting, audits, and payroll tax reviews.
• Prepare payroll journal entries and reconcile payroll-related general ledger accounts.
• Calculate and reconcile month-end payroll and PTO accruals.
• Allocate payroll expenses to departments, programs, or cost centers.
• Prepare reclassifications and investigate payroll-related bank reconciliation differences.
• Analyze payroll activity and account balances across periods, explain material variances, and prepare corrections.
• Prepare payroll, overtime, PTO, headcount, and labor distribution reports.
• Support payroll budget-to-actual analysis and forecasting.
• Maintain complete supporting documentation for financial close, management review, and audits.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field

Tools

Excel

Payroll software

Timekeeping software

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist with strong full-cycle payroll and hands-on payroll accounting experience. This role independently manages payroll from timecard review through final processing and performs the related accounting work, including journal entries, general ledger reconciliations, accruals, and labor cost allocations.

Candidates must have experience owning the complete payroll cycle and performing payroll accounting duties. Experience limited to entering payroll data or submitting hours does not meet the requirements of this position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Independently manage accurate and timely payroll processing for a large employee population.
• Review and reconcile timecards, earnings, deductions, overtime, paid time off, and payroll adjustments before finalizing payroll.
• Verify approved changes to pay rates, employee status, deductions, and terminations against supporting documentation.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Prepare manual check requests, corrections, and other approved adjustments.
• Review payroll registers and labor distribution reports for accuracy.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries professionally while maintaining confidentiality.
• Support year-end processing, W-2 reporting, audits, and payroll tax reviews.

Payroll Accounting:

• Prepare payroll journal entries and reconcile payroll-related general ledger accounts.
• Calculate and reconcile month-end payroll and paid time off accruals.
• Allocate payroll expenses to the appropriate departments, programs, or cost centers.
• Prepare reclassifications and investigate payroll-related bank reconciliation differences.
• Analyze payroll activity and account balances across reporting periods, explain material variances, and prepare approved corrections.
• Prepare payroll, overtime, paid time off, headcount, and labor distribution reports.
• Support payroll budget-to-actual analysis and forecasting.
• Maintain complete supporting documentation for financial close, management review, and audits.

Required Qualifications:

• At least four years of hands-on payroll experience, includingindependent full-cycle payroll processing and payroll accounting.
• Demonstrated experience preparing journal entries, accruals, and general ledger reconciliations.
• Experience reconciling payroll and timekeeping data and resolving discrepancies independently.
• Strong Excel skills, including formulas, lookups, and pivot tables.
• Proficiency with payroll, timekeeping, and accounting software.
• Ability to manage competing payroll and month-end deadlines with exceptional accuracy.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and employee service skills.
• Ability to work independently, safeguard confidential information, and collaborate with Human Resources and Accounting.
• Ability to follow established payroll requirements and internal controls and elevate policy or compliance questions appropriately.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, or a related field.
• Experience with departmental cost allocations, labor reporting, and payroll variance analysis.

Ideal Candidate

• A detail-oriented payroll professional who can confidently own payroll from start to finish and reconcile its financial impact. The ideal candidate brings both operational payroll expertise and the accounting knowledge needed to maintain accurate financial records.

This is a full-time || temp-to-hire opportunity with an initial probationary period. Conversion to direct employment is based on performance and business needs.