Senior Specialist, Payroll (Hybrid - Rahway, NJ)

MSD Malaysia; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 87,000 - 137,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. seeks a Payroll Senior Specialist to own end-to-end U.S. and Puerto Rico payroll operations, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance.

You will collaborate with HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, Internal Audit, and ADP to drive automation, governance, and process improvement across payroll functions. The role emphasizes SOX controls, year-end activities, and payroll accounting support, with a focus on complex compensation, garnishments, and regulatory changes.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in a related field or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting U.S. payroll operations and an outsourced payroll environment.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, local, and Puerto Rico payroll regulations and tax compliance.

Responsibilities

• Manage U.S. and Puerto Rico payroll operations ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Oversee payroll production schedules and critical processing activities.
• Maintain SOX controls, documentation, audits, and governance for payroll processes.
• Partner with ADP to ensure SLAs, governance, and issue resolution.
• Drive payroll transformation initiatives including automation and AI anomaly tooling.
• Support year-end processing, tax filings, garnishments, and reporting.

Skills

Adaptability

Certified Payroll

Credit Management

Credit Risk Assessment

Financial Accounting Controls

Payroll Analysis

Payroll Management

Payroll Processing

Payroll Reports

Payroll Tax Compliance

People Management

Preparation of Financial Reports

Process Improvement Engineering

Team Coordination

Vendor Coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Introduction

The Payroll Senior Specialist is responsible for ensuring the accurate, timely, and compliant delivery of payroll services across the United States and Puerto Rico. This role serves as the primary operational Senior Specialist for payroll processing, compliance, governance, vendor management, employee support, and continuous process improvement. The Payroll Senior Specialist works closely with Human Resources, Finance, Tax, Legal, Internal Audit, Global Mobility, and ADP to ensure payroll operations comply with all federal, state, local, and Puerto Rico regulations. The role is responsible for service delivery, maintaining a strong controls environment, supporting mergers and acquisitions, driving process automation, and fostering strong stakeholder relationships. This position serves as a key liaison with ADP and provides expertise for payroll operations, tax compliance, garnishment administration, payroll accounting support, year-end activities, and payroll transformation initiatives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Responsible for all U.S. and Puerto Rico payroll operations, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing.
• Oversee payroll production schedules, operational calendars, and critical payroll processing activities.
• Control payroll escalations and ensure timely resolution of complex payroll issues and employee inquiries.
• Serve as the operational Senior Specialist for activations and escalations impacting employee pay.
• Ensure payroll processes are executed in compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and established service levels.
• Promote knowledge sharing across the payroll organization.

Vendor Governance & Service Delivery

• Serve as the primary relationship Senior Specialist and operational liaison for ADP payroll services.
• Partner with ADP to ensure payroll processing activities are performed accurately, efficiently, and in accordance with established service-level agreements (SLAs).
• Oversee ongoing governance reviews with ADP to monitor operational performance, compliance obligations, issue management, and service improvements.
• Monitor and report monthly and quarterly ADP performance metrics, SLA attainment, operational statistics, and service trends.
• Work with ADP to identify opportunities for automation, standardization, and continuous process improvement.
• Utilize AI-driven analytics and automation tools to monitor payroll transactions, identify data anomalies, support root-cause analysis, and improve payroll accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Escalate service delivery, compliance, processing, or operational concerns to ADP leadership and internal stakeholders as appropriate.
• Collaborate with ADP regarding system enhancements, payroll projects, legislative updates, and changes in payroll regulations.
• Review, reconcile, and monitor all ADP-related invoices and vendor charges and elevate concerns.
• Partner with ADP to research and resolve complex payroll issues, historical payroll activities, corrections, and employee escalations.

Payroll Compliance, Tax & Regulatory Management

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, local, and Puerto Rico payroll regulations and reporting requirements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and collaborate with ADP to ensure timely implementation of required payroll updates.
• Partner with Tax, Legal, Finance, Internal Audit, and ADP Tax Services to support payroll compliance and risk mitigation.
• Own end to end payroll processes and controls to ensure SOX-compliant by maintaining accurate documentation, supporting internal and external audits, addressing control deficiencies, while strengthening audit readiness and compliance.
• Own and respond to payroll-related audits, regulatory inquiries, government agency requests, subpoenas, and information demands.
• Ensure payroll tax withholding, reporting, filing, remittance, corrections, and reconciliation processes are completed accurately and timely.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders regarding employee taxation matters, including international assignments, relocations, employee incentive plans, and other complex compensation arrangements.
• Maintain a strong compliance framework supporting payroll processing, taxation, garnishments, wage payments, and related reporting requirements.

Year-End & Quarter-End Payroll Administration

• Serve as the primary point of contact with Payroll Supplier for all quarter-end and year-end payroll activities.
• Responsible for annual payroll year-end planning activities with Payroll Supplier and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure accurate and timely completion of payroll tax filings, W-2 reporting, 1099 reporting, wage reconciliations, and year-end employee communications.
• Coordinate payroll adjustments, tax balancing, reconciliations, and audit reviews necessary to support year-end processing.
• Partner with internal Tax, Finance, and accounting teams to support regulatory reporting obligations and compliance requirements.

Internal Controls, Payroll Accounting & Governance

• Maintain and strengthen payroll internal controls and governance processes.
• Monitor payroll controls to ensure accurate calculation and processing of wages, taxes, garnishments, deductions, benefits, and other payroll transactions.
• Oversee and own all payroll audits, management reporting, control reviews, and exception reporting activities.
• Ensure payroll-related documentation, reconciliations, approvals, and audit evidence are maintained and readily available.
• Review payroll audit reports and identify risks, corrective actions, and process improvements.
• Ensure appropriate controls exist and are monitored for payroll processing, tax compliance, garnishments, payroll accounting, and general ledger integrations.

Payroll Accounting, Garnishments & Financial Oversight

• Provide oversight of payroll accounting activities, payroll-to-general ledger processes, reconciliations, and financial reporting support.
• Serve as escalation and backup approver for ADP-managed wage garnishment administration and issue resolution.
• Serve as backup approver for payroll general ledger reconciliation activities, banking transactions, and payroll account balancing processes.
• Support accounting, tax, garnishment, escheatment, and vendor administration activities as required.
• Review payroll financial controls and ensure appropriate governance and compliance standards are maintained.

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Management

• Partner with HR, Compensation, Benefits, Global Mobility, Tax, Legal, Finance, Accounting, and external service providers to support payroll operations.
• Provide subject matter expertise regarding legal entity creations, dissolutions, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and organizational restructuring activities.
• Responsible for integration and separation activities associated with M&A transactions.
• Collaborate with cross functional business units to ensure successful completion of payroll-related initiatives, projects, and operational deliverables.

Process Improvement & Transformation

• Drive payroll transformation initiatives focused on automation, AI driven anomaly tool frameworks, scalability, and enhanced employee experience.
• Evaluate existing payroll processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, controls, service quality, and compliance.
• Oversee and deliver implementation of new payroll processes, leveraging AI technologies, operational models, and enhancement initiatives.
• Partner with ADP and internal stakeholders to implement payroll process improvements and leverage industry best practices.
• Develop and maintain payroll Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, knowledge articles, and process documentation.
• Ensure payroll procedures remain current, documented, and compliant with internal and external requirements.

Education

Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree, or currently in pursuit of degree completion in human resources, business or a related discipline.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years’ experience (with Masters’ degree, minimum experience is 4 years)
• Experience supporting U.S. and Puerto Rico payroll operations.
• Demonstrated experience operating within an outsourced payroll environment.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, local, and Puerto Rico payroll regulations and tax compliance requirements.
• Experience with ADP payroll services, payroll tax services, garnishment administration, year-end processing, and payroll governance.
• Proven experience supporting vendor relationships, service-level agreements (SLAs), operational governance, and escalation management.
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting, payroll reconciliations, general ledger integrations, and financial controls.
• Experience supporting mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, legal entity changes, and organizational transformations.
• Demonstrated experience owning payroll process improvement, automation, and transformation initiatives.
• High degree of expertise in wage and garnishment administration.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project management skills.
• Ability to deliver on multiple priorities and meet critical deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

MSJR Required Skills

• Adaptability
• Certified Payroll
• Credit Management
• Credit Risk Assessment
• Financial Accounting Controls
• Payroll Analysis
• Payroll Management
• Payroll Processing
• Payroll Reports
• Payroll Tax Compliance
• People Management
• Preparation of Financial Reports
• Process Improvement Engineering
• Team Coordination
• Vendor Coordination

Equal Employment Opportunity

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

Salary

The salary range for this role is $87,300.00 - $137,400.00 This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Location and Work Arrangement

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Employee Information

Employee Status: Regular Relocation: No relocation VISA Sponsorship: No Travel Requirements: 10% Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid Shift: Not Indicated Valid Driving License: No Hazardous Material(s): N/A Job Posting End Date: 10/12/2026

Company Overview

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.