Senior Payroll Specialist – Workday & Compliance (Hybrid)

American University; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 47,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

American University in Washington, DC seeks a Senior Payroll Specialist to audit/produce biweekly and monthly payrolls, including termination payouts and multi-position overtime, and to load Workday EIB files. The role requires accuracy, confidentiality, and meeting tight deadlines.

The position interacts with HR/Payroll teams, managers, and staff across the university; provides backup for Payroll Operations Manager and Workday Technical Analyst as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, or relevant field.
• 2–4 years of relevant payroll experience.
• Excel skills including formulas and lookups.
• Experience with ERP or automated payroll systems (Workday preferred).

Responsibilities

• Audits biweekly and monthly payrolls; review new hires, changes, terminations, and retro pay.
• Compute and analyze various wages and deductions; respond to inquiries via ServiceNow, email, or phone.
• Provide backup for Payroll Ops Manager and Workday Analyst; assist in testing configuration changes.

Skills

Excel (formulas, lookups)

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business administration or accounting

Tools

Workday

Job description

American University in Washington, DC seeks a Senior Payroll Specialist to audit/produce biweekly and monthly payrolls, including termination payouts and multi-position overtime, and to load Workday EIB files. The role requires accuracy, confidentiality, and meeting tight deadlines.

The position interacts with HR/Payroll teams, managers, and staff across the university; provides backup for Payroll Operations Manager and Workday Technical Analyst as needed.