Senior Payroll Specialist

AvonRisk; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 73,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

AvonRisk is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to lead multi-state payroll processing for a growing portfolio of entities. You will own payroll cycles, ensure accuracy, and drive tax compliance across states while integrating acquisitions onto the payroll platform.

Reporting to the Payroll Manager, this senior IC role requires independence, strong internal controls, and collaboration with HR and finance to close books each period. Experience with Paylocity and Dynamics 365 BC is a plus.

Qualifications

• Progressive payroll experience across multiple states.
• Experience consolidating payrolls from another provider.
• Strong knowledge of state wage-and-hour rules, esp. California.

Responsibilities

• Process biweekly and off-cycle payrolls for multiple entities and divisions.
• Review payroll registers and ensure bonuses, commissions, and one-time payments are approved.
• Own multi-state payroll tax compliance and local registrations.
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger monthly using Dynamics 365 BC.
• Lead payroll aspects of acquisitions and integrations with accurate mapping.
• Support audits, SOC reporting, and respond to employee payroll questions.

Skills

Multi-state payroll

Paylocity

Payroll GL reconciliation

Advanced Excel

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

CPP or FPC a plus

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC

ADP

Job description

AvonRisk is the nation's leading specialty risk manager for self-insured organizations, uniting respected regional leaders in workers' compensation, liability, managed care, and risk management across 32 states. With nearly 700 professionals and brands including Intercare, InterMed, George Hills, and AS&G Claims Administration, we're a people-focused, operations-driven organization that prioritizes reasonable caseloads, strong training, collaborative teams, and expert support. We invest in tools and workflows that reduce friction—not increase volume—and create real career paths for professionals who want to grow or move into leadership. At AvonRisk, you're part of a team that values good judgment, curiosity, and accountability, and gives you the support to succeed.

Please note that candidates should be within a commutable distance of Rocklin, CA.

Summary

The Senior Payroll Specialist runs and safeguards payroll for a rapidly growing workers' compensation and liability third-party administrator (TPA). The Company pays employees across many states and several legal entities, and it grows by acquisition: each acquired business arrives with its own payroll provider, pay codes, benefit plans, tax registrations, and pay calendar, and has to be brought onto the Company's payroll platform without a missed or wrong paycheck. The Company is consolidating a major acquisition onto its payroll effective January 2027, which will substantially increase the size and complexity of the payroll. This role processes and reviews payroll each cycle, owns multi-state payroll tax compliance, reconciles payroll to the general ledger, and is the hands-on lead for converting acquired payrolls. It is a senior individual-contributor seat, the principal partner and backup to the Payroll Manager, and is expected to operate with a high degree of independence. This role reports to the Payroll Manager and is remote based in Rocklin, CA.

Responsibilities

• Process biweekly and off-cycle payrolls in Paylocity for multiple legal entities and divisions: import and review time, earnings, and deductions, resolve exceptions before cutoff, and deliver payroll on the published calendar.
• Review every payroll register before approval: compare to the prior cycle, investigate unusual hours, earnings, and net pay, and confirm that bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay, and other one-time payments carry documented approval.
• Own multi-state payroll tax compliance: federal, state, and local withholding, unemployment insurance, and local taxes, including registering new state and local tax accounts before an employee's first pay date in a new jurisdiction.
• Review quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, W-2s, and amendments prepared by the payroll provider, reconcile them to the payroll records, and resolve agency notices.
• Lead the payroll side of acquisitions and integrations: inventory the acquired payroll (pay codes, deductions, benefit plans, tax registrations, calendars, year-to-date balances), map it into Paylocity, run parallel payrolls, and confirm the first combined payroll ties to the prior provider before go-live.
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central each cycle and each month: payroll clearing, tax, benefit, and 401(k) liability accounts, accrued payroll, and intercompany funding by entity, and resolve differences at the source.
• Prepare each cycle's funding schedule by entity (gross pay plus employer taxes) for Treasury and for affiliated or acquired entities that fund their own payroll.
• Reconcile benefit and 401(k) deductions to carrier and recordkeeper invoices and remittances, and follow up on enrollment, arrears, and plan-limit issues with HR.
• Administer garnishments, levies, and child support orders, and keep taxable fringe benefits and imputed income correctly coded and taxed.
• Partner with HR on new hires, status changes, terminations, and final pay so that changes are approved before they reach payroll and final pay meets each state's timing rules.
• Maintain payroll controls: approval evidence, separation between entering and approving changes, Paylocity user access reviews, and a documented procedure for each recurring task.
• Support the annual external audit, SOC reporting, workers' compensation premium audits, and benefit plan audits with payroll schedules and documentation.
• Answer employee payroll and tax questions promptly and confidentially, and provide full backup for the Payroll Manager.

Requirements

• Hands-on multi-state payroll processing and tax compliance experience, including state and local registrations, reciprocity, and multi-state employees.
• Experience converting or consolidating payrolls from another provider, including pay-code mapping, year-to-date balance loads, and parallel testing.
• Working knowledge of FLSA and state wage-and-hour rules, including overtime, final pay, and pay statement requirements, with particular attention to California.
• Paylocity experience strongly preferred; experience with another enterprise payroll platform (ADP, UKG, Workday, Paycom, iiPay, or similar) considered.
• Understanding of how payroll lands in the general ledger and the ability to reconcile a payroll register to it; Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or a comparable ERP is a plus.
• Advanced Excel skills (complex formulas, pivot tables, lookups, and large-data cleanup).
• The control instinct to make sure every payment is approved and every difference is explained: you resolve exceptions before payroll closes rather than after.
• Strict confidentiality and sound judgment with compensation and personal data.
• Ability to manage overlapping deadlines across several entities and pay calendars at once.
• Experience in a multi-entity or acquisitive company preferred; insurance, TPA, or professional services experience is a plus.

What success looks like in the first year

• Every employee is paid correctly and on time every cycle, with no missed deadlines or unapproved payments.
• Employees joining from acquired businesses are paid correctly on their first Company payroll, with every new state and local tax account registered before that pay date.
• Payroll and payroll liability accounts reconcile to the general ledger each month with no unexplained differences.
• Recurring payroll tasks have written procedures, so payroll can run without depending on any one person.

Background

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related discipline, or equivalent payroll experience. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) is a plus.
• Approximately 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including at least 3 years processing multi-state payroll for 500 or more employees.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

Compensation

Salary Range: $72,500-$85,000 annually

The salary range listed is an estimate. Actual compensation will be determined based on several factors such as a candidate's experience, qualifications, skill set, and work location. Position is eligible for AvonRisk's full benefits package.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Company contributions to HSA and FSA plans
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off (PTO) and company-paid holidays
• Employee assistance resources and a supportive culture that values balance and wellbeing

Equal Opportunity Employer

AvonRisk is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status. Pursuant to the Los Angeles and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records.

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