Specialist, Time & Attendance Analyst (Hybrid - Rahway, NJ)

Merck; New Jersey; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck is seeking a Time & Attendance Analyst to ensure accurate, timely payroll processing for US & Puerto Rico non-exempt employees. You will partner with HRBPs, IT, Legal, Total Rewards, and vendors, leveraging T&A and payroll expertise to improve data quality and compliance.

In this hands-on role, you will validate data, resolve discrepancies, lead projects with ADP, and deliver standard and ad hoc analytics to stakeholders, while maintaining SOX controls and process improvements.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll, time & attendance, or HRIS support experience.
• Hands-on payroll and T&A experience preferred.
• Experience with payroll audits and SOX controls.
• Familiarity with ADP/EV6, E-Time, Workday, UKG or similar HRIS.
• Strong MS Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP).
• Knowledge of wage calculations, overtime, and deductions.
• Understanding federal/state labor laws and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Execute end-to-end T&A and payroll validation on biweekly cycles.
• Validate and reconcile time, payroll, and HRIS data; resolve issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring T&A payroll issues.
• Manage T&A projects with ADP and stakeholders.
• Produce T&A data reporting and analytics for stakeholders.
• Develop Payroll Guiding Principles into SOPs for training.
• Maintain SOX controls and audit readiness.
• Use AI-driven analytics and automation to monitor T&A data.

Skills

Audit Readiness

Data Analysis

HR Analytics

HRIS

Microsoft Excel

Payroll

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ADP/EV6

E-Time

Workday

UKG

ServiceNow

Job description

Job Description

The Time & Attendance (T&A) Analyst will be a hands-on role ensuring accurate, timely payroll processing and compliance across our US & Puerto Rico Non- Exempt employee population. This role will partner closely with several cross functional business units such as HRBPs, IT, Legal, Total Rewards and vendor partner teams and report to the HR Operations Associate Director- US/ PR Payroll Support and Global Supplier Manager. The ideal candidate combines payroll and T&A technical expertise with strong customer service and process-improvement skills.

Key responsibilities

• Execute end-to-end time & attendance (T&A) and payroll validation activities on a biweekly payroll cycle, including data gathering, pre-run validation, payroll calculations verification, time sheet approvals coordination, and post-run reconciliations.
• Validate and reconcile time, payroll, and HRIS data; investigate discrepancies; and partner with HR, managers, employees, and ADP to resolve issues.
• Lead root-cause analysis for recurring T&A related payroll issues and drive remediation to improve data quality and process reliability.
• Lead and manage T&A projects with ADP and business stakeholders, ensuring accurate configurations, rules, and workflows for operational efficiency.
• Produce standard and ad hoc T&A data reporting and analytics to support HR, Finance, and business stakeholders.
• Develop standardized Payroll Guiding Principles into SOP's to enable comprehensive training material and support cross functional stakeholders.
• Maintain controls, documentation, reconciliations, and audit readiness in support of SOX and internal audit/ compliance requirements.
• Utilize AI-driven analytics and automation tools to monitor T&A transactions, identify data anomalies, support root-cause analysis, and improve payroll accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Primary contact and subject-matter expert for T&A processes and integrate with broader payroll functions, and finance and business stakeholders.
• Monitor vendor performance for T&A systems and services, and elevate issues related to T&A data integration and SLA compliance.
• Support HRBP Stakeholders to enhance T&A process governance and collaboration between cross functional business units
• Align stakeholders on T&A related policy, Union/ CBA, and regulatory changes to support system enhancements and process improvements.
• Participate in T&A system implementations, upgrades, and enhancements; assist with requirements, testing (including user acceptance testing), and post-deployment support.
• Hands on support to manage expectations, provide timely updates, and elevate risks or unresolved issues as needed.
• Translate complex T&A related payroll issues into clear business language for operational and technical teams.
• Knowledgeable in T&A related regulatory requirements and compliance initiatives to ensure accurate T&A processes aligned with policy and requirements.

Education

Bachelor's Degree, current pursuit of degree completion, or equivalent relevant work experience.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of payroll, time & attendance, or HRIS support experience; hands-on experience with payroll and T&A preferred.
• Audit and controls: Experience supporting payroll audits, SOX controls, or internal control frameworks
• Experience with some payroll and HRIS systems (e.g., ADP/EV6, E-Time Workday, UKG, ServiceNow).
• MS Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic formulas).
• Knowledge: Working knowledge of payroll and T&A concepts including wage calculations, overtime rules, deductions.
• Compliance and confidentiality: Demonstrated understanding of federal/state/provincial labor laws and best practices for enabling T&A processes.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to explain T&A and payroll calculations.
• Attention to detail: High level of accuracy in data entry, reconciliation, and reporting.
• Problem solving: Ability to identify, investigate, and resolve payroll and T&A exceptions and discrepancies.
• Time management: Ability to work to strict payroll deadlines and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced technical skills: Advanced Excel skills (macros, Power Query), experience with SQL or data analysis tools, and familiarity with HRIS/payroll integrations/ and E Time.
• Systems experience: Direct experience implementing or supporting major payroll/ T&A system upgrades, integrations, or migrations.
• Analytical skills: Strong ability to produce and interpret payroll analytics and ad-hoc reporting to inform process improvements.
• Stakeholder management: Demonstrated experience collaborating across HR, Finance, IT, and external vendors.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and confidentiality.
• Effective problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.

Required Skills

Audit Readiness, Data Analysis, HR Analytics, Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Microsoft Excel, Pay