Payroll and Time Tracking Analyst

Payroll and Time Tracking Analyst

Department of Human Resources – City of Worcester

The City of Worcester seeks qualified applicants for the position of Payroll and Time Tracking Analyst within the Payroll Division of the Human Resources Department. Under the direction of the Director of Payroll and Time Tracking, this position leads and performs complex payroll processing and analysis using the Workday Human Capital Management (HCM) and Payroll system. The Analyst serves as a subject matter expert in Workday Payroll, municipal payroll regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable state and federal laws, and is the primary liaison among HR, Finance, and departmental stakeholders to ensure accurate and timely pay for all employees.

Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

• Lead and execute end‑to‑end payroll processing in Workday for multiple employee groups, including weekly, biweekly, semi‑monthly, monthly, and supplemental payrolls.
• Validate gross‑to‑net calculations and manage retroactive adjustments.
• Research and resolve complex payroll discrepancies and corrections.
• Serve as a Workday Payroll subject matter expert (SME), maintaining pay components and assisting with testing, troubleshooting, and continuous system improvements.
• Maintain and run Workday payroll reports, custom reports, calculated fields, and dashboards to support operational and compliance needs.
• Assist with payroll configuration review, testing, and validation related to upgrades and enhancements.
• Assist with payroll‑related integrations, including time tracking, benefits, absence, and finance.
• Audit for payroll compliance with federal, state, and local laws, including tax regulations, union agreements, wage and hour laws, and reporting requirements.
• Support audits by internal and external entities and respond to initial payroll‑related inquiries.
• Conduct detailed payroll reconciliations and variance analyses, providing feedback.
• Prepare and run custom payroll reports to analyze payroll data, identify trends, and discrepancies.
• Work with departments to review and correct any discrepancies found.
• Assist with W‑2, ACA reporting, and year‑end balancing.
• Serve as the secondary escalation point for payroll, time tracking, and benefits issues.
• Provide guidance to team members and departmental HR contacts on payroll processes and Workday functionality.

• Knowledgeable in Workday Payroll end‑to‑end processing or similar software.
• Ability to process payroll across multiple employee groups and all pay frequencies.
• Knowledgeable in gross‑to‑net payroll calculations, retroactive pay adjustments, and payroll accounting concepts.
• Knowledgeable of federal, state, and local payroll laws, including wage and hour regulations, tax rules, and union contract requirements.
• Knowledgeable of payroll compliance and audit standards, including internal controls and documentation practices.
• Knowledgeable in payroll‑related integrations, including time tracking, benefits, absence management, and finance.
• Experience in year‑end payroll processes, including W‑2, ACA reporting, and year‑end balancing.
• Reconciliation and variance analysis methodologies for payroll data.
• Ability to perform comprehensive testing and quality assurance for Workday upgrades, enhancements, configuration changes, payroll integrations, and system updates.
• Skilled in data analysis and reporting, including developing and interpreting custom payroll reports.
• Skilled in audit preparation.
• Experience with cross‑functional department collaboration.
• Excellent communication skills to explain payroll processes and system functionality to employees of all levels.
• Skilled in time management and prioritization, especially when managing multiple payroll cycles and deadlines.
• Ability to identify trends, discrepancies, and root causes through detailed payroll data analysis.
• Ability to serve as an escalation point for payroll, time tracking, and benefits issues.
• Ability to train and support payroll team members and departments on Workday processes and best practices.
• Attention to detail while managing complex calculations and compliance requirements.
• A…