Senior Payroll Analyst

HMSHost; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental and vision insurance

Generous paid time off

401(k) retirement plan with company match

Company paid life insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Employee assistance program

Training and career growth opportunities

Referral program with bonuses

Job summary

HMSHost is looking for a Senior Payroll Analyst to support payroll processing in the U.S. and Canada, ensuring accuracy and compliance with regulations. This role involves examining payroll runs, preparing performance reports, and managing off-cycle payments. Candidates should have over 5 years of relevant experience, particularly in payroll processing and the hospitality sector, along with strong skills in PeopleSoft, Microsoft Excel, and an analytical mindset. This position is based at the North America Support Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Qualifications

• Over 5 years of education and professional experience.
• 3-5 years of payroll experience in a technical role.
• 3-5 years of Hospitality, F&B, or Retail experience.

Responsibilities

• Examines payroll runs for accuracy and compliance.
• Analyzes payroll process and identifies improvement areas.
• Ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel

PeopleSoft payroll experience

Analytical mindset

Strong business acumen

Keen eye for detail

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related program

Tools

PeopleSoft

Success Factors

ADP

Job description

With a career at HMSHost, you really benefit! We Offer

• Health, dental and vision insurance
• Generous paid time off (vacation, flex or sick)
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Company paid life insurance
• Tuition reimbursement
• Employee assistance program
• Training and exciting career growth opportunities
• Referral program – refer a friend and earn a bonus

*Benefits may vary by position so ask your recruiter for details.

Purpose

The Senior Payroll Analyst supports U.S. and Canadian payroll processing to ensure accuracy and timely execution. This role is also responsible for maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations, preserving payroll records, and managing off‑cycle payment processing.

Essential Functions

• Examines each payroll run for accuracy, efficiency, and compliance; prepares summary report to the Director of Payroll on any apparent improvement opportunities
• Analyzes the payroll process and its efficiency over time, identifies areas of opportunity, and presents improvement plans; if improvement plans are considered viable, may be tasked with their implementation
• Prepares reports highlighting performance against targets and any identified issues, as well as trending payroll performance over time to encourage continuous improvement, including suggestions for long‑term enhancements to the process
• Ensures compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements, including tax laws, wage and hour laws and other payroll‑related regulations
• Verifies that work records have been captured correctly and completely; checks that all the performed work is a true reflection of the entered work records
• Validates bonuses, overtime, expense claims, or other ad hoc remuneration
• Verifies wage and salary data for errors/inconsistencies and highlights any issues
• Inspects mistakes and anomalies to determine whether they are systemic or resulting from faulty data input; flags systemic failures and liaises with the Director of Payroll to rectify them
• Performs regular spot checks to ensure deductions are accurate for each payroll run
• Audits the deductions process to determine and rectify the root cause of errors
• Oversees the distribution of paychecks and direct deposits
• Ensures payroll information updates such as promotions, salary band revisions, or annual salary increases are entered into the HRMS by payroll staff; checks for accuracy

Reporting Relationship

The Senior Payroll Analyst reports directly to the Director of Payroll.

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment

• Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 5 years:
  • In a technical role: Requires 3‑5 years of payroll experience
    • A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 2 of the 5‑year requirement
  • In the industry: 3‑5 years of Hospitality, F&B and/or Retail experience
  • Must have previous experience processing high volume payroll
• Specialized Training:
  • Knowledge of U.S. state, local, and federal tax regulations, as well as wage and hour regulations and laws
  • Knowledge of Canadian federal and provincial laws and regulations preferred
• Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits:
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel
  • Requires PeopleSoft payroll experience; experience with Success Factors & ADP preferred
  • Analytical mindset and keen eye for detail
  • Possesses strong business acumen and a forward‑thinking approach to payroll management, with the ability to evaluate long‑term impacts and drive alignment with organizational goals.
  • Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances
  • Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments to achieve common goals
• Location: This role is located at the North America Support Center in Bethesda, MD

Avolta, including Dufry, HMSHost Corporation, Hudson, and affiliates (“the Company”), is an equal opportunity employer. It is the Company’s policy to ensure equal employment opportunity in all aspects of employment and to comply with anti‑discrimination laws and regulations. The Company prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and provides equal opportunities to applicants and team members without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, age, religion, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, national origin, disability, military service and veteran status, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances (referred to as “protected characteristics”).