SEMCO - Senior Workday Payroll Analyst

SEMCO ENERGY; Port Huron (MI); On-site; USD 83,200 - 120,550; Full time

Job summary

SEMCO Energy is seeking a Senior Workday Payroll Analyst to lead end-to-end US payroll operations in Workday, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement. The role partners with HRIS, Finance, and Digital to optimize payroll design and execution.

The ideal candidate will drive configuration opportunities, manage integrations, and lead audits while delivering timely payroll processing and effective issue resolution across the organization.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of payroll experience with at least 5 years in Workday Payroll, time tracking, and absence management.
• Expertise in Workday configuration, including payroll calculations and business process frameworks.
• Experience using Workday integrations (EIB, Core Connectors, Studio).
• Strong hands-on experience executing payroll within Workday, including issue resolution and operational support.

Responsibilities

• Identify configuration opportunities and optimize Workday Payroll, including earnings, deductions, taxes, and payroll calculations.
• Design, maintain, and test payroll-related business processes within Workday.
• Execute full-cycle payroll processing within Workday with validation, reconciliation, and post-payroll activities.
• Provide Tier 1 and Tier 2 support for payroll system issues and defects.
• Troubleshoot payroll system issues and partner with HRIS for sustainable solutions.

Skills

Workday payroll

Time tracking

Absence management

Payroll analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/IS

CPP certification (preferred)

Tools

Workday Integrations (EIB, Core Connectors, Studio)

Workday configuration

Job description

Senior Workday Payroll Analyst

The Senior Workday Payroll Analyst is responsible for the end-to-end execution, support, and continuous improvement of US payroll operations in Workday. This role sets priorities across payroll operations and system optimization, provides subject matter expertise on payroll design and issue resolution, and partners closely with HRIS, Finance, and Digital to deliver accurate, compliant, and efficient outcomes.

Primary Duties

• Identify configuration opportunities and advise on the ongoing optimization of Workday Payroll, including earnings, deductions, taxes, and payroll calculations.
• Design, maintain, and test payroll-related business process frameworks within Workday.
• Execute full-cycle payroll processing within Workday, including validation, reconciliation, and post-payroll activities, while ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Provide first-line (Tier 1) and escalated (Tier 2) support for payroll-related system issues, inquiries, and defects.
• Troubleshoot payroll system issues, identify root causes, and partner with HRIS to implement sustainable solutions and enhancements.
• Investigate and resolve data discrepancies by analyzing how payroll, time tracking, absence, and worker data elements interact within Workday.
• Monitor and validate inbound/outbound payroll data flows (e.g., time, benefits, GL, banking, tax providers), ensuring data integrity across systems.
• Support and maintain integrations between Workday and internal applications such as the general ledger as well as third-party vendors (e.g., benefits, banking, tax providers).
• Leverage reporting and data analysis to proactively identify payroll issues, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Lead cross-functional coordination with Finance and IT on payroll system enhancements, upgrades, and projects.
• Support audit requests by providing documentation, data validation, and control evidence.
• Partner with HRIS to shape the Workday release roadmap and lead payroll impact analysis, testing coordination, and deployment readiness.
• Lead identification of automation and process improvement opportunities within payroll operations.
• Learn, map, and document current-state payroll processes to support issue resolution, process improvement, and future system changes.
• Document processes, troubleshooting steps, and known issues to support knowledge sharing and operational excellence.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, or related field.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of payroll experience with at least 5 years in Workday Payroll, time tracking, and absence management.
• Expertise in Workday configuration, including payroll calculations and business process frameworks, with a solid understanding of Workday data structures and how employee, payroll, time, and financial data elements interrelate.
• Experience using Workday integrations (EIB, Core Connectors, Studio preferred).
• Strong hands‑on experience executing payroll within Workday, including issue resolution and operational support.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Knowledge of payroll compliance requirements and applicable regulations.
• Experience supporting audits and maintaining strong internal controls.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to non‑technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
• Experience in regulated industries such as utilities.
• Familiarity with financial systems (e.g., Oracle Fusion, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards) and ERP integrations.
• Experience working in a shared services or support environment, including handling payroll inquiries and ticket‑based issue resolution.
• Experience supporting more than one pay group, unionized and non‑unionized workforce, and multiple jurisdictions.

Benefits

We offer a competitive salary range of $83,200 to $120,550 per year, commensurate with experience, education, and skills. In addition, we provide a comprehensive benefits package including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off.

EEO & Diversity Statement

For Canadian hires: AltaGas hires personnel on the basis of job‑related qualifications. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to a person's ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

For U.S. hires: WGL/SEMCO/AltaGas offers a total rewards package that includes competitive pay, incentive bonus plans, holiday pay, 401K matching and a wide array of benefits. These benefits including medical, dental and vision coverage are designed to help you and your family stay healthy. We also have paid time off (PTO) to balance the demands of your work and personal life. Available benefits vary depending on the specifics of the role.

U.S. affiliates of AltaGas are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, family responsibilities, matriculation, physical or mental disabilities, political affiliation, genetic information, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.