Sr. Payroll Tax Analyst

JAB Recruitment; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

JAB Recruitment is seeking a Sr Payroll Tax Professional based in Houston, Texas, to lead and manage payroll tax compliance and operations. This hybrid role involves working 2-3 days onsite and requires a strong background in US payroll taxes along with ERP implementations.

The ideal candidate will oversee all functions related to payroll tax filings, employee support, and process improvements, ensuring accurate management of payroll tax regulations across jurisdictions. This position offers the opportunity for contract conversion based on performance.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in payroll tax compliance and management.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations.
• Experience with payroll systems and ERP implementations.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute all US payroll tax activities including federal, state, and local filings.
• Act as the go-to expert for payroll tax matters.
• Respond to employee payroll tax queries and manage complex cases.

Skills

US payroll tax compliance

ERP implementation knowledge

ADP SmartCompliance

Employee support and advisory

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field

Job description

Contract with opportunity for conversion based on performance and internal approvals

Hybrid: 2-3 days onsite

Hours: M - F, 7am to 4pm or 8am to 5pm

Job Description

• The Sr Payroll Tax Professional is the subject matter expert for US payroll taxes, responsible for end-to-end ownership of payroll tax compliance, reporting, and governance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• This role plays a key part in the organization’s ERP transformation, ensuring payroll tax requirements are clearly defined, tested, and embedded into new systems and processes.
• The position goes beyond processing. Reporting to the US Payroll Manager and acting as a key support, the role drives tax accuracy, leads training and capability building within the payroll team, supports complex employee scenarios (including expatriates and gross-ups), and acts as the primary point of contact for employee tax queries.

Responsibilities

Payroll Tax Ownership & Compliance

• Own and execute all US payroll tax activities including federal, state, and local filings (941, 940, W-2, W-3)
• Manage quarterly and year-end processes, amendments, and corrections
• Ensure compliance across all jurisdictions
• Reconcile payroll tax balances and align with General Ledger
• Manage tax notices and agency correspondence
• ADP SmartCompliance

Subject Matter Expertise & Advisory

• Act as the go-to expert for payroll tax matters
• Provide guidance on complex scenarios and regulatory changes
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of tax legislation

Employee Support & Complex Cases

• Respond to employee payroll tax queries
• Manage expat taxation, gross-ups, and multi-state taxation issues
• Partner with HR, Employment Tax and Global Mobility teams

Training & Capability Building

• Train and upskill payroll team members
• Develop SOPs and training materials
• Act as escalation point for tax-related issues

ERP & Transformation

• Act as payroll tax SME for ERP implementation (e.g., Oracle Fusion, PeopleSoft)
• Define tax requirements and ensure accurate system configuration
• Support testing, validation, and issue resolution
• Partner with project teams to ensure compliant payroll tax processes in the new system

Process Improvement & Controls

• Drive continuous improvement in processes and controls
• Perform audits and enhance documentation