Payroll Associate

Position Summary:

Administration and processing of payrolls for the Company; work through and with payroll staff of the Company’s plants to ensure efficient, accurate, and timely payrolls for all employees.  Provide guidance and direction to the Company in all matters dealing with payroll administration, processing requirements, reporting and payroll tax requirements, and accounting requirements. 

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Process and review payroll data, including new hires, terminations status changes, timecards and deductions. Will be in charge of processing end-to-end payroll operations for weekly or bi-weekly payrolls. Validate and reconcile payroll reports to ensure accuracy before disbursement.
• Respond to employee inquiries regarding pay, deductions, and timekeeping issues. Serve as the initial point of contact for all inquiries and investigations.
• Run appropriate queries/reports to balance and verify data with each pay period between ADP reports and Workforce Management. 
• Prepare and post monthly general ledger entries for staff accountants.  Prepare manual checks as required for employee terminations or payroll adjustments.  Verify and balance all payroll registers for 11 pay groups in an excel spread sheet for journal entry.
• Prepare special entries for fiscal year-end.  Complete special projects and assignments as directed by Payroll Manager/Director, such as 401k reconciliation for quarterly and year-end.
• Responsible for vacation accrual maintenance and distribution for hourly employees.  In charge of making timely 401(k) transmittal deposits.  
• Coordinate with HR, Finance and Benefits teams to ensure proper flow of payroll-related information, as we work with other departments to provide ad hoc reporting.
• Monitor and stay up to date with any CBA updates for pay groups with union employees, as well as coordinating any changes/calculations/deductions that will need updating in the corresponding systems due to these updates.
• Work with staff Accountants to meet payroll postings (i.e. cash taxes, garnishments, gift cards and 401k reconciliation).  Research discrepancies in payroll postings to take corrective action to achieve compliance and accuracy to W-2’s.
• Monitor compliance with federal, state and local wage and hour laws.

Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED is required.
• 6+ months of financial or accounting or payroll experience is required.
• Ability to travel up to 5%.
• 3+ years of payroll administration experience is a bonus.
• HR knowledge is desired.
• Prior experience with multi-state payroll or union payroll is a plus.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft office suite, specifically Excel and Payroll/HRIS systems (ADP, UKG or similar).
• Strong understanding of payroll regulations, tax withholdings and wage/hour compliance.
• Detail oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Excellent communication and customer service skillset.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality.
• Problem-solving mindset with the ability to meet deadlines.