Senior Payroll Specialist

Artemis; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading payroll specialist company in California seeks a Senior U.S. Payroll Specialist to oversee payroll operations across the United States. You will manage payroll processing, ensure compliance with regulations, and handle payroll audits while collaborating with HR and Finance teams. The position requires a minimum of five years of payroll experience and proficiency in using payroll platforms such as ADP and SAP Concur. Advanced Excel skills are a necessity for this role.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of hands-on experience processing U.S. payroll.
• In-depth understanding of U.S. payroll laws and tax withholdings.
• Experience with payroll audits and financial close activities.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for employees.
• Conduct payroll audits and reconciliations.
• Prepare payroll journal entries for monthly close.

Skills

U.S. payroll processing

Payroll audits

SAP Concur

Tax compliance

Advanced Excel

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

ADP

SAP Payroll

Workday

Paychex

Job description

The Senior U.S. Payroll Specialist oversees comprehensive payroll operations across the United States, ensuring payroll is processed accurately, on schedule, and in full compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. This role plays a critical part in payroll accounting, expense reimbursement administration, audit support, and financial close activities, including reconciliations and journal entries.

Primary Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for salaried and hourly employees on weekly, bi-weekly, and semi-monthly cycles
• Review and validate payroll calculations, including regular wages, overtime, incentive pay, commissions, and employee deductions
• Conduct detailed payroll audits, performing both pre-processing validations and post-payroll reconciliations
• Prepare, analyze, and record payroll journal entries as part of monthly financial close procedures
• Reconcile payroll-related balance sheet accounts, including wages payable, tax liabilities, benefit accruals, and garnishments
• Contribute to month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes related to payroll reporting
• Ensure adherence to U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and withholding requirements
• Oversee payroll tax filings, remittances, corrections, and annual reporting processes, including W-2 and W-2C preparation
• Administer employee expense reimbursements through SAP Concur, including review and audit of submitted expense reports
• Reconcile expense reimbursements to payroll records and general ledger accounts
• Address employee payroll questions and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner
• Maintain effective internal controls to support SOX compliance and external audit requirements
• Collaborate cross-functionally with HR, Finance, and third-party payroll providers to ensure accurate data flow and reporting
• Recommend and implement process enhancements and support system optimization initiatives

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred - not required
• Minimum of five years of hands‑on experience processing U.S. payroll
• In-depth understanding of U.S. payroll laws, tax withholdings, and regulatory compliance
• Demonstrated experience supporting payroll audits, reconciliations, and financial close activities
• Practical experience using SAP Concur for expense management and reimbursements
• Experience with payroll platforms such as ADP, SAP Payroll, Workday, or Paychex
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, lookup functions (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP), and complex formulas