Union Payroll Specialist

SPS New England, Inc.; Salisbury (MA); On-site; USD 48,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

SPS New England, Inc. in Salisbury, MA, seeks a detail-oriented Union Payroll Specialist to ensure accurate weekly payroll across multiple construction projects.

You will work with the Payroll Manager and team on in-house processes for a unionized workforce. Responsibilities include processing ~500 employees weekly, handling certified payroll, prevailing wage, and Davis-Bacon requirements, maintaining records, deductions, and reconciliations.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience processing high-volume weekly payroll.
• Union payroll exposure; Davis-Bacon, prevailing wage, and certified payroll.
• In-house payroll processing experience.
• Knowledge of union collective bargaining agreements and wage requirements.
• Proficiency in Excel; advanced Excel skills a plus.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and confidentiality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for ~500 employees in a unionized construction environment.
• Manage certified payroll reporting and union requirements.
• Maintain employee records, prevailing wage rates, and union rates.
• Handle deductions, garnishments, benefits with HR.
• Manage leave balances, accruals, and time-off validations.
• Respond to payroll inquiries and resolve discrepancies.
• Coordinate payroll tax and union benefit remittances; reconcile liabilities.
• Support payroll audits, tax filings, and benefit reporting.
• Reconcile payroll GL accounts and investigate variances.
• Collaborate with payroll, project managers, and accountants for labor data.

Skills

Payroll processing

Union payroll

Excel

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Viewpoint Vista

Job description

We’re seeking a detail-oriented Union Payroll Specialist to support accurate and timely payroll processing across multiple Construction projects. This role works closely with the Payroll Manager and payroll team to support dynamic in-house payroll processes and ensure payroll accuracy and compliance across a unionized workforce.

Responsibilities

• Process weekly payroll for approximately 500 office and field employees in a unionized construction environment.
• Manage certified payroll reporting and ensure compliance with state, federal, municipal, and union requirements.
• Maintain accurate employee records, prevailing wage rates, and union wage rates.
• Handle deductions, garnishments, and benefits contributions in coordination with HR.
• Manage employee leave balances and accruals, including processing time-off requests, validating reported hours, reconciling accrual and usage balances, researching discrepancies, and ensuring accurate payroll payments in accordance with company policy and Massachusetts Earned Sick Time requirements.
• Respond to employee payroll inquiries and resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Coordinate payroll tax and union benefit remittances, reconcile payroll liabilities to accounts payable records, and ensure timely and accurate payment processing.
• Support payroll audits, tax filings, and union benefit reporting.
• Reconcile payroll-related general ledger accounts, investigate variances and discrepancies, and work with Payroll and Accounting teams to ensure accurate financial reporting.
• Collaborate with payroll team, project managers, and accountants to obtain accurate labor data and align payroll activity with job costing systems.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience processing high-volume weekly payroll.
• Construction payroll experience, including exposure to union payroll, Davis-Bacon, prevailing wage, and certified payroll requirements, strongly preferred.
• In-house payroll processing experience
• Strong working knowledge of union collective bargaining agreements and their application to payroll calculations, pay rates, premiums, classifications, and location-specific wage requirements.
• Ability to independently reconcile payroll-related accounts, investigate discrepancies, and resolve issues accurately and promptly.
• Proficiency in payroll software (Viewpoint Vista experience preferred).
• Proficiency in Excel is a must; advanced Excel skills are a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing deadlines.
• High attention to detail and confidentiality.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Pay Range: $35-$45/ hourdepending on payroll and/or Construction industry experience.