Payroll Specialist

AppleOne; Santa Rosa (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k

Job summary

AppleOne Employment Services in Santa Rosa, CA is seeking a detail‑oriented Payroll Specialist with 3+ years of hands-on payroll processing experience. You will manage the full bi-weekly payroll cycle, support benefits administration, and maintain payroll data while assisting employees with payroll questions.

You will collaborate with HR, finance, and leadership to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely payroll operations in a professional team environment.

Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years of payroll processing experience.
• Advanced Excel, Word and Outlook skills.
• Experience with payroll systems.
• Strong attention to detail, organization and time management.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to research, analyze and resolve payroll-related issues.

Responsibilities

• Process the full bi-weekly payroll cycle, including data review and corrections.
• Maintain payroll system data, employee status changes, labor distribution codes and tax updates.
• Administer health plans, life and disability plans, and 403(b) retirement plan processes.
• Reconcile deductions and benefit invoices, prepare reports and remit payments.
• Serve as main point of contact for employee payroll questions.
• Train new hires and managers on timekeeping, policies and regulations.

Skills

Payroll processing

Advanced Excel

Time management

Communication

Attention to detail

Research and problem solving

Collaboration

Multitasking

Training

Education

No specific degree listed

Tools

Payroll systems

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a detail-oriented Payroll Specialist for an opportunity in Santa Rosa, CA. This role is ideal for a payroll professional with 3+ years of hands-on payroll processing experience who enjoys accuracy, compliance, employee support, and working cross-functionally with HR, finance, and leadership teams.

The Payroll Specialist will manage the full bi-weekly payroll cycle, support benefits administration, maintain payroll system data, and serve as a key resource for employee payroll questions. This is a great opportunity to join a professional, team-focused environment where accuracy, initiative, collaboration, and high standards are valued. The role offers meaningful responsibility, exposure to payroll and benefits operations, and the ability to contribute to process improvements and employee support.

Key Responsibilities

• Process the full bi-weekly timesheet and payroll cycle, including reviewing payroll data, identifying discrepancies, and making adjustments or corrections as needed.
• Maintain payroll system data, employee status changes, payroll labor distribution codes, tax updates, deduction changes, garnishments, and employee records.
• Administer insured health plans, life and disability plans, and 403(b) retirement plan processes, including audits, reconciliations, and contribution review.
• Reconcile voluntary payroll deductions and insured benefit invoices, prepare reports, research exceptions, and remit payments to vendors and other entities.
• Serve as the main point of contact for employee payroll questions and resolve payroll-related issues with accuracy and professionalism.
• Train new hires and managers on timekeeping processes, payroll policies, procedures, and applicable state and federal regulations.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Process the full bi-weekly payroll cycle, including timesheets, payroll review, corrections, and employee status changes.
• Administer payroll deductions, garnishments, benefits reconciliations, and 403(b) contribution auditing.
• Maintain payroll systems, labor distribution codes, employee records, and payroll-related reporting.
• Train employees and managers on timekeeping, payroll procedures, and related compliance requirements.
• 3 to 5 years of payroll processing experience.
• Advanced Excel skills and working proficiency in Word and Outlook.
• Experience working with payroll systems.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, and time management skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to research, analyze, and resolve payroll-related issues.
• Ability to take initiative, solve problems, and manage multiple priorities.
• Collaborative work style with the ability to support employees, managers, vendors, and internal teams.
• Flexibility and willingness to take on a variety of payroll, benefits, and administrative tasks.
• Commitment to excellence, accuracy, confidentiality, and high standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with benefits enrollment administration.
• Experience administering or supporting health, life, disability, and retirement benefit plans.
• Familiarity with 403(b) retirement plan contribution auditing and reconciliation.
• Experience training employees or managers on timekeeping and payroll procedures.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

• The Know Your Rights poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf
• The pay transparency policy is available here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf
• For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.
• We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.
• AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program. https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf
• We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.