Senior Payroll Operations & Analytics Lead

Red Robin; Colorado; On-site; USD 67,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Red Robin seeks a Senior Payroll Operations Analyst to drive accuracy and controls across payroll processing, reconciliations, and reporting. You will partner with HR, Finance, and external providers to resolve issues, support year-end activities, and enhance payroll controls.

The role also acts as a senior resource, guiding junior staff and leading workstreams. Ideal candidates bring 3–5+ years in payroll/HR operations, extensive Excel skills, and experience with Workday or ADP.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of progressive payroll, payroll operations, HR operations, accounting operations, or related experience.
• Payroll tax experience required, including exposure to multi-state payroll tax compliance, reconciliations, filings, notices, or year-end activities.
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, payroll controls, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Experience researching and resolving payroll discrepancies, transaction issues, or vendor/system variances.
• Familiarity with payroll compliance requirements, year-end activities, and multi-state payroll practices.
• Experience coaching, training, or providing guidance to junior team members preferred.
• Ability to lead assigned workstreams, manage deadlines, and influence outcomes without direct reporting authority.
• Comfortable leveraging generative AI and automation tools to improve efficiency, accelerate routine tasks, support analysis, and enhance documentation, while maintaining appropriate judgment, confidentiality, and quality control.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and follow-through skills.
• Advanced Excel skills and comfort working with large data sets.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to partner effectively across HR, Finance, Accounting, and external providers.

Responsibilities

• Support payroll processing activities to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and consistency across recurring payroll cycles.
• Review and validate payroll transactions, adjustments, earnings, deductions, and related data changes.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies by partnering with HR, Finance, Accounting, field leadership, and external vendors.
• Support complex payroll cases, escalations, and off-cycle processing needs as required.
• Assist with periodic and year-end payroll activities, including data validation, reporting, corrections, and employee inquiry support.
• Maintain current knowledge of payroll practices, internal policies, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Perform payroll-related reconciliations, including payroll liabilities, deductions, benefit-related activity, tax-related activity, and general ledger support.
• Investigate variances across payroll, HRIS, vendor, and financial systems; recommend corrective actions where appropriate.
• Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities through timely reporting, analysis, and documentation.
• Partner with Accounting and Finance to support payroll-related accruals, reporting, and financial analysis.
• Provide documentation and support for internal and external audits, compliance reviews, and control testing.
• Contribute to the enhancement of payroll controls, reporting standards, and operational procedures.

Skills

Payroll operations

Analytical skills

Excel

Leadership

Training

AI automation

Communication

Problem-solving

Tools

Workday

ADP

Job description

Red Robin seeks a Senior Payroll Operations Analyst to drive accuracy and controls across payroll processing, reconciliations, and reporting. You will partner with HR, Finance, and external providers to resolve issues, support year-end activities, and enhance payroll controls.

The role also acts as a senior resource, guiding junior staff and leading workstreams. Ideal candidates bring 3–5+ years in payroll/HR operations, extensive Excel skills, and experience with Workday or ADP.