Senior Payroll Analyst

St. Charles Health System; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Charles Health System seeks a Senior Payroll Analyst to act as the technical SME for payroll and timekeeping systems, driving accuracy, system integrity, and compliant operations.

You will lead configuration, reporting, and improvements across biweekly payroll, working with Finance, HR, IT, and leaders to optimize processes. The role emphasizes analytics, system upgrades, and internal controls, with guidance to Payroll & Timekeeping staff and potential mentorship responsibilities in a

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years' progressive payroll experience with analytical/technical duties.
• Experience with payroll systems and reporting in complex environments.
• Knowledge of payroll regulations, wage/hour laws, and tax requirements.
• Experience collaborating with Finance/HR/IT and operations.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical SME for payroll and timekeeping systems, ensuring accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Lead design, configuration, maintenance, and testing of payroll functionalities and interfaces.
• Drive upgrades, integrations, and new functionality with requirements analysis and testing.
• Develop complex payroll and workforce reports for operations, compliance, and planning.
• Provide operational support, troubleshoot payroll issues, and assist with year-end tasks.
• Document, standardize, and improve payroll workflows and internal controls.

Skills

Advanced payroll analytics

Payroll system configuration

Reporting & analytics

Regulatory compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, Information Systems, or related field

Tools

Workday

UKG

Payroll software

Job description

The Senior Payroll Analyst serves as the technical subject matter expert for St. Charles Health System's payroll and timekeeping systems. This role provides advanced technical and analytical expertise to support payroll operations, system configuration, reporting, compliance, and continuous process improvement while ensuring payroll accuracy, system integrity, and operational efficiency.

Working closely with the Payroll & Timekeeping Manager, the Senior Payroll Analyst leads payroll system configuration, reporting development, troubleshooting, workflow optimization, and system enhancement initiatives. This role serves as a technical resource to Payroll & Timekeeping staff, maintains cross-functional proficiency in biweekly payroll operations to support business continuity, and partners with Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and operational leaders to improve payroll processes and system performance.

This position does not have direct supervisory responsibility but serves as a technical resource, providing functional guidance and knowledge sharing to Payroll & Timekeeping staff.

Essential Functions And Duties

• Serves as the technical subject matter expert for payroll and timekeeping systems, providing advanced technical and analytical support to ensure payroll accuracy, system integrity, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Leads the design, configuration, maintenance, and testing of payroll system functionality, including earnings, deductions, pay components, interfaces, and other system features supporting non-contractual, contractual, provider, and executive compensation programs.
• Leads technical activities associated with payroll and timekeeping system upgrades, implementations, integrations, and new functionality, including requirements analysis, testing, validation, documentation, issue resolution, and deployment support.
• Designs, develops, and maintains complex payroll and workforce reports utilizing calculated fields, advanced formulas, pay component groupings, and other reporting tools to support operational decision-making, compliance, financial analysis, and workforce planning.
• Maintains cross-functional proficiency in biweekly payroll operations to provide operational support and business continuity as needed. Supports complex payroll processing by resolving payroll issues, validating payroll calculations, auditing payroll results, and assisting with payroll tax reporting, quarterly reporting, year-end processing, W-2 validation, and required regulatory filings.
• Monitors payroll and timekeeping system performance and maintains system integrity through auditing, reconciliation, validation, troubleshooting, and root cause analysis. Identifies opportunities to strengthen internal controls, improve efficiency, enhance automation, and implement sustainable process improvements.
• Leads the documentation, standardization, and continuous improvement of payroll and timekeeping workflows, procedures, and internal controls to promote operational consistency, compliance, and efficiency.
• Partners with Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and operational leaders on payroll-related initiatives, providing technical expertise, data analysis, and recommendations to support system enhancements, labor management, compliance, and organizational objectives.
• Analyzes payroll, workforce, and timekeeping data to identify trends, compliance risks, labor cost drivers, operational issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement. Provides recommendations to leaders based on analytical findings.
• Develops and delivers training, job aids, and educational resources for payroll staff, leaders, and end users on payroll and timekeeping processes, reporting capabilities, and system functionality. Serves as a technical mentor and resource for Payroll and Timekeeping staff.
• Supports the Payroll & Timekeeping Manager in operational planning, strategic initiatives, department projects, and serves as a technical resource in the Manager's absence to support continuity of operations.
• Maintains expert knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, payroll tax requirements, collective bargaining agreements, and organizational policies to ensure compliance and support informed business decisions.
• Supports the vision, mission, and values of the organization in all respects.
• Supports Lean principles of continuous improvement with energy and enthusiasm, functioning as a champion of change.
• Provides and maintains a safe environment for caregivers, patients, and guests.
• Conducts all activities with the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and confidentiality. Complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, organizational policies, and corporate compliance standards, supporting the organization's corporate integrity efforts by acting ethically, reporting known or suspected violations, and cooperating fully with organizational investigations and proceedings.
• May perform additional duties of similar complexity within the organization, as required or assigned.

Education

Required: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, Information Systems, or related field. Equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.

Preferred: N/A

Licensure/Certification/Registration

Required: N/A

Preferred: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or other certification through the American Payroll Association.

Experience

Required: Five (5) years of progressive payroll experience with demonstrated involvement in analytical and technical functions, including payroll processing support, reporting, system configuration support, and compliance activities. Experience should include working with payroll and timekeeping systems in an analytical or systems-support capacity.

Preferred: Previous healthcare experience. Previous union payroll experience. Previous Workday and UKG experience.