Payroll Specialist - North America

Worldpac, a leading provider of automotive parts, is seeking an experienced, analytical, and detail-oriented Payroll Specialist – North America to join our Human Resources team in Oak Brook, IL.

This role is responsible for supporting and executing accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The successful candidate will bring broad, hands‑on payroll expertise and a strong understanding of the payroll lifecycle—from payroll inputs and processing through tax withholding, garnishments, reconciliations, audits, quarterly filings, and year‑end reporting.

This is an ideal opportunity for a payroll professional who enjoys working with numbers, investigating discrepancies, strengthening payroll controls, and serving as a knowledgeable resource to employees and business partners. The Payroll Specialist will partner closely with Human Resources, Accounting, and external payroll providers to ensure payroll is accurate, compliant, well‑controlled, and continuously improved.

While Workday experience is preferred, deep knowledge of payroll fundamentals, compliance, reconciliation, auditing, and end‑to‑end payroll processing is more important than expertise in any one payroll system.

The Payroll Specialist will process and support bi‑weekly payroll for North American employees while ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, local, Puerto Rico, and Canadian payroll requirements. This position will perform detailed payroll reviews, reconciliations, audits, and variance analyses; research and resolve payroll discrepancies; support tax and garnishment processes; and maintain the integrity of payroll data and related systems.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working independently, investigating issues from beginning to end, identifying potential payroll errors or over payments, and communicating payroll concepts clearly to both payroll and non‑payroll professionals.

• Process and oversee bi‑weekly payroll for employees across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada, ensuring payroll is accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable federal, state, local, and international requirements.
• Review, audit, and validate payroll before and after processing, including earnings, deductions, taxes, garnishments, benefits, timekeeping, and employee changes; identify potential errors, over payments, and unusual transactions.
• Perform payroll reconciliations and variance analysis by balancing payroll registers, funding, wages, taxes, deductions, and third‑party provider results to ensure financial and payroll records are accurate.
• Manage payroll tax and garnishment activities, partnering with ADP and other providers to validate tax with holdings, filings, remittances, garnishments, and net pay, and investigate and resolve discrepancies and tax notices.
• Support quarterly and year‑end payroll processes, including wage and tax reconciliations, quarterly filings, W‑2 balancing and validation, taxable wage reviews, and resolution of discrepancies to ensure accurate reporting.
• Research and maintain compliance with payroll laws and regulations, including IRS guidance, IRS Circular E, federal, state, local, Puerto Rico, and Canadian requirements, and assess changes that may impact payroll.
• Maintain and troubleshoot payroll systems, including Workday and ADP, by investigating data or processing issues, supporting configurations and testing, and participating in system upgrades or implementation projects.
• Partner with HRIS, HR, Accounting, and external payroll providers to resolve payroll issues, explain payroll results and calculations, support audits, and ensure accurate and timely processing of employee and financial transactions.
• Pro…