Senior Specialist, Payroll

GHJ is looking for a Senior Specialist, Payroll WHY we get up in the morning

At GHJ we help our people and clients pursue their passions, build thriving businesses, and create a better future.

We believe that collaboration is the foundation for success. We work as a business advocate for our clients – providing personalized service and building long-term relationships to help position our clients for the future.

We are deeply committed to our core values of Bright Minds, Brave Hearts and Bold Actions and incorporate them into every aspect of our business. By living these values, we are able to meet our strategic objectives of Remaining Fiercely Independent (financial success), Meeting client demands/needs (client success), Reinforcing and expanding cultural distinction (people success).

The Senior Specialist, Payroll is responsible for accurate, timely and compliant execution of GHJ’s payroll operations. Reporting to the Manager, People Operations & Total Rewards, this role owns the day-to-day payroll processing and serves as GHJ’s subject matter expert for Dayforce Payroll and payroll tax administration.

GHJ utilizes Dayforce as its HRIS and payroll platform and partners with PuzzleHR for managed payroll services. This role requires someone with a strong grasp of the processes, controls and systems knowledge needed to accurately and effectively process payroll.

This role requires someone who understands payroll beyond the mechanics of processing a payroll cycle. The Senior Specialist will be expected to identify and resolve discrepancies, understand how Dayforce configuration impacts payroll and taxation, navigate multi-state payroll requirements and partner with People, Finance, Dayforce and other external partners to resolve complex payroll issues.

The Senior Specialist, Payroll owns the day-to-day execution and administration of GHJ’s compensation programs, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and a positive employee experience across payroll and compensation.

• Partner with PuzzleHR to execute accurate and timely processing of bi-weekly payrolls for ~300 employees and weekly payrolls for ~10 people via Dayforce Payroll.
• Manage the full payroll cycle, including pre-processing audits, payroll calculations, preview review, reconciliation, final submission and post-payroll validation.
• Review and validate timekeeping, time-off, earnings, deductions and employee payroll data prior to payroll processing.
• Process employee pay changes, bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay, supplemental payments, deductions, and other payroll adjustments.
• Calculate and process separation pay and off-cycle payments accurately and in accordance with applicable state and federal requirements.
• Maintain employee payroll records, including pay changes, deductions, and direct deposit updates.
• Manage employee PTO/FTO and sick time balances and resolve discrepancies affecting payroll.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee inquiries, identifying root causes and implementing appropriate corrections.
• Maintain payroll calendars, procedures, controls and documentation to support consistent and accurate payroll processing.
• Annual compensation market analysis and review, including managing and updating internal compensation structure.
• Manage compensation portion of annual and mid-year performance process.

• Serve as a primary point of contact with PuzzleHR and Dayforce Payroll developing a strong understanding of systems configuration, payroll calculations, taxation and related workflows.
• Troubleshoot payroll issues and partner directly with PuzzleHR and Dayforce support to resolve system or configuration-related problems.
• Partner with Dayforce Tax and PuzzleHR to review and validate employee federal, state, and local tax setup and investigate discrepancies.
• Review and reconcile quarterly and annual payroll tax filings and year-end reporting, including W-2’s and other required payroll reporting.
• Support testing and validation of Dayforce configuration changes, releases and enhancements that impact payroll or payroll taxation.
• Maintain current…