Senior Accountant

Southland Industries Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Annual bonus

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Paid parental leave

Paid holidays and vacation

Professional development

Wellness benefits

Job summary

Southland Industries is seeking a payroll professional to manage weekly onboarding for union employees, review orientation documents, and handle ERP payroll data for the division.

You will maintain accurate payroll records, manage leave accruals, stay compliant with state and federal sick and safe leave programs, and partner with foremen, superintendents, and construction managers to ensure smooth payroll operations and strong employee service.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in HR, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field, with 3–5 years of experience.
• Proficient in Excel and payroll processing/reporting systems.
• Strong problem-solving and attention to detail; confidentiality required.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to multitask.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate payroll records for union employees and timely updates.
• Process new hire paperwork, payroll form updates, status changes, and terminations.
• Monitor PTO balances and provide reports to management.
• Identify payroll needs; coordinate with employees to resolve issues.
• Ensure compliance with state and federal sick and safe leave programs.
• Design and manage Sick and Safe Leave accrual structures.
• Monitor regulatory changes affecting Sick and Safe Leave and payroll.
• Prepare reports on leave usage and payroll compliance.
• Identify efficiency improvements through process automation.
• Support audits and payroll adjustments.
• Communicate payroll information timely while maintaining confidentiality.
• Assist with special projects.

Skills

Payroll operations

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel skills

Confidentiality

Analytical ability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in HR/Accounting/Business Administration

Tools

Payroll software

ERP systems

Advanced Excel

Job description

Position Summary

Responsible for weekly onboarding of union employees to include orientation meeting document review and ERP payroll information and maintenance for the division. This position requires a strong understanding of payroll operations, multi-jurisdictional leave compliance, and the ability to partner cross-functionally to support a scalable, business-driven payroll and benefits framework. Provide exception customer service to our employees as well as coordinating as needed with division Foremen, Superintendents, and Construction Managers. Offers accounting assistance to the Division Accounting Department and Corporate Payroll

Position Details

• Work with payroll team regarding union employees and supervisors to ensure that employees’ records are accurately created and maintained and ensure all employee documentation is accurately and timely updated.
• Administers accurate employee payroll records, including new hire paperwork, payroll form updates, employee status change forms and employee terminations.
• Helps monitor and track employee paid time off balances (vacation, holiday, jurisdictionally mandated sick and safe leave, and other personal time off) and provide updated reports to management regularly.
• Proactively identify divisional payroll needs for increased accuracy and coordination with all levels of employees to resolve issues resulting from weekly payroll audits.
• Compliance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement related to State and Federal sick and safe programs.
• Help design and manage Sick and Safe Leave accrual structures, including eligibility, accrual rates, caps, carryover, and usage rules.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes impacting Sick and Safe Leave and payroll practices.
• Prepare reports and analysis related to leave usage, accrual balances, and payroll compliance.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls, and employee experience through process enhancements and automation.
• Support internal and external audits as necessary.
• Helps coordinate and process any necessary payroll adjustments ensuring the proper documentation has been provided, including wage rate and/or fringe adjustments, expense reports, travel pay, subsistence, allowance, or other pay corrections.
• Supports the Division Payroll Team and Corporate Payroll in ensuring that payroll information is communicated timely, and effectively while maintaining confidentiality and high levels of customer service.
• Assists with other special projects as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent professional experience) with a minimum of three to five years’ experience.
• Proficiency in computer usage with intermediate to expert Excel skills, and prior experience using various payroll processing and reporting systems.
• Strong problem-solving abilities, including identifying and resolving straightforward payroll or accounting discrepancies promptly, and knowing when to elevate complex issues for management resolution.
• Maintains confidentiality and manages sensitive information discreetly.
• Demonstrated multitasking skills, meeting critical deadlines even under pressure, and adapting to a dynamic environment.
• Effective written and verbal communication, with strong people skills for interacting with employees at all levels.
• Detail-oriented, highly organized, and possesses strong analytical capabilities.

Benefits

As a 100% employee-owned company, we offer a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family:

• 401(k) plan with 50% company match (no cap) and immediate 100% vesting
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% paid for employee)
• Annual bonus program based upon performance, achievement, and company profitability
• Term life, AD&D insurance, and voluntary life insurance
• Disability income protection insurance
• Pre-tax flexible spending plans (health and dependent care)
• Paid parental leave
• Paid holidays, vacation, and personal time
• Training/professional development opportunities and company-paid memberships for professional associations and licenses
• Wellness benefits

About Southland Industries

As one of the nation’s largest MEP companies, Southland Industries is built on the foundation of great people. Since 1949, we put our people first, enabling growth, professional achievement, and innovation. If you want to join a fast-paced environment where you’re engaged, challenged, and valued.

To learn more about careers at Southland, explore our career opportunities, follow us on social media, and check out our website.

Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing our employees with a safe work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Southland Industries are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, family care or medical leave status, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Southland Industries will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Pay: Final pay is determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. For Virginia this ranges from $67,910.00 - $88.283.00 plus annual incentive, benefits, and retirement program as outlined above.

Contingent Employment: All employment offers are contingent upon successful drug tests, background checks, and professional reference checks. Roles that include driving as an essential job duty will be required to have a successful Motor Vehicle Record check (MVR). We are not able to offer sponsorship of employment at this time.

External Agency Announcement : Its Southland Industries' policy not to accept candidate submissions from recruiting agencies without an active and authorized work order. Candidate ownership can only be established after a bona fide work order is issued by a member of the Southland Industries Talent Acquisition team and the candidate is appropriately submitted through our Applicant Tracking System (ATS).