Payroll Specialist

Carney, Sandoe & Associates is a leading education recruitment organization has partnered with an independent school in Atherton, California seeking their next Payroll Specialist.

Responsible for the accurate and timely processing of biweekly payroll and maintenance of payroll-related employee data. Ensures payroll practices are administered in accordance with applicable California and federal wage-and-hour requirements, school policies, and internal controls, while providing payroll guidance and support to employees, managers, Human Resources, and Finance.

• Own the end-to-end biweekly payroll process, ensuring payroll is processed accurately and on time from collection of inputs through review, reconciliation, transmission, validation, and payroll close.
• Manage payroll workflow and deadlines, coordinate required inputs from Human Resources, managers, timekeeping systems, and external providers, and proactively research and resolve exceptions before payroll is finalized.
• Review and audit timekeeping and payroll inputs, including regular and overtime hours, meal period premiums, holidays, stipends, supplemental pay, deductions, paid and unpaid leave, and Wellness/Sick Leave usage during leaves of absence.
• Maintain accurate payroll-related employee data and system configurations in the HRIS and timekeeping systems, process approved changes, monitor interfaces and imports, perform routine audits, and resolve data discrepancies that may affect pay.
• Administer payroll in accordance with applicable California, federal, and local wage-and-hour requirements, including FLSA, overtime and regular-rate rules, meal and rest period premium pay, wage statements, final pay, deductions, garnishments, recordkeeping, and taxation of applicable employer-paid benefits.
• Process and review off-cycle and manual payments, retroactive adjustments, final pay, garnishments and levies, and other payroll corrections or special payments as needed.
• Reconcile payroll each cycle, validate payroll registers and confirmed reports, investigate variances, and partner with Finance on payroll journal entries, accruals, account reconciliations, and general ledger tie-outs.
• Coordinate with Human Resources on payroll-impacting employee changes and leaves of absence, including compensation changes, employment status changes, paid and unpaid time, and benefit deductions; benefit plan administration remains the responsibility of the HR Generalist.
• Support quarterly and year-end payroll activities, including W-2 review, taxable fringe benefit processing, payroll tax reconciliations, required filings or notices, unclaimed payroll checks, and coordination with payroll providers and Finance, as applicable.
• Maintain complete and accurate payroll records, internal controls, calendars, procedures, reports, and supporting documentation, and provide information for audits, compliance reviews, and ad hoc operational or financial reporting.
• Respond to employee and manager payroll questions promptly and professionally, research and resolve payroll issues, communicate required actions clearly, and escalat[e]? complex or sensitive matters as appropriate.
• Identify and implement opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, controls, reporting, and system workflows, including automation of payroll inputs and participation in HRIS, timekeeping, and payroll system enhancements or implementations.
• Demonstrate strong ownership and accountability for payroll operations by independently driving work from issue identification through resolution, proactively addressing gaps, and taking on related responsibilities necessary to achieve accurate and timely outcomes.

• Three to five years of progressively responsible payroll experience, including hands-on experience processing California payroll. An equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities may be considered.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of California and federal payroll and wage-and-hour requirements, including FLSA, overtime, regular rate of pay, meal and rest period premium pay, timekeeping, wage statements, final pay, payroll deductions, and payroll recordkeeping.
• Experience using an HRIS/payroll and timekeeping system, including maintaining payroll-related employee data, running audits and reports, and troubleshooting payroll-related system issues.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to identify…