Senior Payroll Specialist

The Role:

Moderna is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Payroll Specialist to support a broad range of activities within the Payroll function. This role is responsible for managing all aspects of U.S. (multi-entity, multi-state) and Canadian (multi-entity) payroll operations, including coordination of related equity transactions.

The Senior Payroll Specialist will serve as a trusted payroll expert, driving operational excellence, compliance, and continuous process improvement across all U.S. and Canadian payroll activities. The ideal candidate will have advanced proficiency in Workday Payroll, with a proven track record of delivering accurate, timely, and compliant payroll results. Strong attention to detail, integrity in handling sensitive data, and commitment to process optimization, compliance, and data accuracy are essential to success in this role.

• Process and oversee end-to-end payroll for U.S. (multi-entity, multi-state) and Canadian (multi-entity, multi-province) employees, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with all applicable laws and internal policies.

• Leverage ADP Smart Compliance expertise to manage wage and tax compliance and administration across the U.S. and Canada.

• Validate, reconcile, and audit payroll data from multiple systems (Workday and vendor outputs) to ensure data integrity before processing and funding.

• Partner with HR, Benefits, Accounting, and Finance to align payroll processes, support audits, and ensure a seamless employee pay experience.

• Collaborate with Global Compensation and Global Mobility teams to support expatriate shadow payroll, cross-border reporting, and payroll-impacting events (transfers, relocations, and repatriation).

• Coordinate with HR, Finance, and Legal to fulfill documentation and compliance requests, and assist with ad-hoc payroll-related reporting.

• Monitor the payroll inbox and resolve employee inquiries, including timesheet validation, in a timely and professional manner.

• Work closely with outsourced payroll providers and vendors to ensure service quality, compliance, and adherence to SLAs.

• Manage state and provincial agency correspondence and remain current on wage, tax, and reporting regulations to ensure ongoing compliance.

• Support quarter-end and year-end payroll activities, including reconciliations, adjustments, and preparation of tax documents (e.g., W-2s, T4s, RL-1, ROE).

• Assist with quarterly and annual audits and maintain accurate payroll documentation in compliance with SOX and internal controls.

• Maintain and update payroll procedures and SOPs to ensure audit readiness and consistency with corporate policies.

• Collaborate with HRIS and IT to test and implement Workday payroll configuration changes, integrations, and system updates.

• Contribute to process improvement initiatives, driving efficiency, accuracy, and scalability within payroll operations.

• Serve as a subject matter expert in payroll systems, compliance, and best practices to enhance governance and employee experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on payroll experience
  , including U.S. (multi-entity, multi-state) and Canadian (multi-entity, multi-province) payrolls, with demonstrated technical expertise and strong regulatory knowledge.

• Proficiency in Workday Payroll for end-to-end processing and ADP Smart Compliance for wage and tax compliance across the U.S. and Canada.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with a high level of attention to detail.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and general payroll reporting and reconciliation tools.

• Effective communication and collaboration skills, with experience working cross-functionally with HR, Finance, and external vendors.

• Proven ability to process and reconcile complex payrolls accurately and on time.

• Strong understanding of U.S. federal, state, and Canadian provincial payroll regulations, tax compliance, and reporting requirements.

• Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive employees and compensation data with the highest degree of integrity and confidentiality.

• Work authorization in the United States without the need for future sponsorship.