Payroll Specialist

Vaco; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to support a Workday implementation and ongoing payroll operations in Orange, CA. This on-site temporary-to-hire role focuses on accurate weekly payroll for a large employee population and resolving system-related payroll issues during the transition.

You will serve as a subject matter expert for Workday Payroll, partner with payroll, HR, and operations, and help employees adapt to the new system while ensuring compliance and timely payroll

Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll experience in a high-volume environment.
• Strong Workday Payroll experience.
• Knowledge of payroll laws and compliance.
• Ability to troubleshoot payroll issues and explain processes clearly.

Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for approximately 500 employees across multiple locations
• Support a larger employee population of 4,000+ employees within a complex organizational structure
• Serve as a Workday payroll subject matter expert and assist employees with payroll-related questions and system navigation
• Partner closely with payroll, HR, and operations teams to ensure a smooth transition during Workday implementation
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee concerns, and system-related issues
• Maintain payroll records and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations
• Assist with payroll audits, reporting, and reconciliations
• Support employee onboarding, payroll updates, deductions, garnishments, and timekeeping inquiries
• Collaborate with team members to identify process improvements and enhance payroll efficiency
• Help drive adoption of new payroll processes and provide exceptional internal customer support during change management efforts

Skills

Workday Payroll

Payroll processing

Regulatory compliance

Communication skills

Tools

Workday

Job description

Payroll Specialist (Workday Implementation Support)

Location: Orange, CA (On-Site, flex start times)

Employment Type: Temporary-to-Hire

Pay Rate: $28-$30/hr.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to join a high-volume payroll team during a critical HRIS and payroll system transition. This individual will play a key role in supporting payroll operations while helping employees and internal stakeholders adapt to a recent Workday implementation.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys troubleshooting payroll issues, and can confidently guide employees through system changes while maintaining payroll accuracy and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for approximately 500 employees across multiple locations
• Support a larger employee population of 4,000+ employees within a complex organizational structure
• Serve as a Workday payroll subject matter expert and assist employees with payroll-related questions and system navigation
• Partner closely with payroll, HR, and operations teams to ensure a smooth transition during Workday implementation
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee concerns, and system-related issues
• Maintain payroll records and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations
• Assist with payroll audits, reporting, and reconciliations
• Support employee onboarding, payroll updates, deductions, garnishments, and timekeeping inquiries
• Collaborate with team members to identify process improvements and enhance payroll efficiency
• Help drive adoption of new payroll processes and provide exceptional internal customer support during change management efforts

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of payroll experience in a high-volume environment
• Strong hands-on experience with Workday Payroll required
• Experience processing payroll for large employee populations
• Strong understanding of payroll laws, regulations, and best practices
• Ability to troubleshoot payroll issues and explain processes clearly to employees and managers
• Excellent customer service, communication, and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and navigate organizational change

Preferred Qualifications

• California payroll experience
• Union payroll experience
• Multi-state payroll experience
• Experience supporting HRIS implementations, conversions, or system transitions
• CPP certification is a plus