Senior Payroll Specialist

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Payroll Specialist based in United States.

This role offers the opportunity to take full ownership of U.S. payroll operations within a fast-moving, international organization. You will independently manage payroll processing, contractor payments, EOR payroll support, and related compliance activities. Working closely with Finance, HR, Accounting, employees, and external payroll partners, you will ensure people are paid accurately and on time. The position combines detailed payroll administration with reconciliation, issue resolution, process improvement, and audit readiness. You will serve as a trusted point of contact for sensitive payroll questions while maintaining strong controls and accurate employee data. This is a hands-on individual contributor role with significant ownership and direct impact on a critical business function.

Accountabilities:

• Own regular and off-cycle U.S. payroll processing through Rippling, ensuring accurate and timely execution.
• Validate payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, deductions, reimbursements, and other adjustments.
• Administer and reconcile contractor payments and coordinate payroll and bonus processing for employees supported through EOR partners.
• Validate EOR payroll calculations and reconcile invoices and statements against internal payroll records.
• Manage multi-state payroll requirements, including tax withholding, final pay, state registrations, tax notices, filings, and reconciliations.
• Administer benefits deductions, garnishments, retirement contributions, and other payroll-related deductions.
• Maintain accurate payroll and employee data in Rippling and troubleshoot configurations, workflows, reports, and records.
• Investigate payroll discrepancies, identify root causes, and independently drive issues through resolution.
• Act as the primary point of contact for employee payroll questions, providing clear and professional support on sensitive matters.
• Support payroll audits, employee census requests, benefits reviews, and insurance-related processes.
• Manage year-end payroll activities, including W-2 and 1099 processing, annual reconciliations, and related tax requirements.
• Maintain payroll SOPs and controls while identifying opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, reliability, and audit readiness.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of payroll experience, including at least 3 years of direct U.S. payroll administration.
• Hands-on experience processing payroll through Rippling.
• Strong experience managing multi-state U.S. payroll; California and/or New York payroll experience is strongly preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of U.S. payroll taxes, wage deductions, federal and state requirements, final pay, and off-cycle payroll processing.
• Proven ability to independently investigate and resolve complex payroll discrepancies.
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills, particularly for payroll reconciliations, analysis, and reporting.
• Strong numerical reasoning and exceptional attention to detail.
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Excellent communication and customer-service skills, particularly when handling confidential and sensitive employee payroll questions.
• Ability to work independently, manage recurring deadlines, and take full ownership of responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with payroll tax registrations, notices, agency correspondence, 401(k), workers’ compensation, or payroll tax audits is a plus.
• Experience with EOR payroll, contractor payments, employee census requests, benefits reconciliations, and year-end W-2/1099 processing is preferred.
• Experience supporting a U.S.-based organization from LATAM or working in a startup/high-growth environment is advantageous.
• A strong continuous-improvement mindset and willingness to investigate problems rather than simply follow existing processes.

Benefits:

• Annual compensation of $30,000-$40,000 USD.
• Fully remote position.
• Requirement to maintain at least 5 hours of daily overlap with U.S. Pacific Time business hours.
• Opportunity to own a critical operational function with direct impact on employees across the organization.
• Significant autonomy in managing payroll processes, controls, reconciliations, and improvements.
• Close collaboration with senior Finance and HR stakeholders.
• Opportunity to build and improve scalable payroll processes in a fast-paced, growing environment.
• Hands-on exposure to U.S. multi-state payroll, contractor payments, EOR administration, and payroll compliance.