Payroll Analyst

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Payroll Analyst I is an entry-level individual contributor responsible for full-cycle payroll processing for assigned populations, entities, or states, and for providing Tier 2 payroll support. This role performs pay calculations, owns reconciliations, supports payroll tax compliance and reporting, and resolves employee and manager cases escalated from Tier 1 through the ServiceNow ticketing platform. The Payroll Analyst I works with limited supervision, serves as a subject matter resource for assigned areas, contributes to process improvement initiatives, and provides guidance and training to less experienced team members.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own end-to-end payroll processing for assigned employee populations, legal entities, or states/countries across multiple pay frequencies.
• Perform complex calculations, including retroactive pay, prorations, severance, relocation, equity compensation, imputed income, gross-ups, and taxable fringe benefits.
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger, validate funding requirements, and research and clear variances prior to close.
• Review and validate quarterly and annual tax filings and unemployment returns; partner with the tax service provider to resolve agency notices.
• Administer multi-state and local tax setup, including reciprocity agreements and remote-work tax implications; audit benefit deductions, retirement contributions, and leave accruals.
• Own the Tier 2 ServiceNow queue: resolve escalated pay, tax, garnishment, and deduction cases within SLA, with complete documentation.
• Determine and execute case resolution via off-cycle payment, adjustment, or upstream fix; identify recurring themes and recommend process improvements.
• Serve as subject matter resource for assigned states/entities; prepare payroll journal entries and support internal, external, and SOX audits.
• Participate in UAT for system releases; prepare payroll funding files and support Treasury with settlement confirmation.
• Process assignment-related pay elements for globally mobile employees; validate pay transparency and pay equity data extracts.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 1-3 years of progressive multi-state/country payroll processing experience.
• Solid knowledge of federal, state, and local wage and hour law, payroll taxation, garnishment administration, and year-end requirements.
• Demonstrated experience operating a major payroll platform through the full payroll cycle.
• Intermediate Excel skills, including pivot tables, advanced lookups, conditional formulas, and reconciliation of large data sets.
• Experience reconciling payroll to the general ledger and researching wage and tax variances.
• Experience resolving escalated cases in a service management platform (ServiceNow strongly preferred); proven track record maintaining confidentiality.

KEY SKILLS

• Tier 2 case ownership in ServiceNow, including research, resolution documentation, and SLA management
• Analytical and research skills for resolving complex pay and tax discrepancies
• Reconciliation discipline and an audit-oriented mindset
• Ability to prioritize and deliver against competing deadlines
• Clear communication, including translating regulatory requirements into plain language
• Ownership, accountability, and process improvement orientation
• Cross-functional partnership and mentoring of less experienced colleagues

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
• Hands-on experience with Oracle, ADP, UKG, Dayforce, SAP, or other leading payroll systems.
• Experience administering equity compensation (RSUs, options, ESPP) or mobility/expatriate payroll.
• Experience with union environments, collective bargaining agreements, or multi-EIN structures.
• Exposure to Germany and EMEA payrolls; ability to build custom reports or queries within a payroll or HCM system.

SALARY

• Base salary: 1700 EUR gross/monthly
• Annual bonus: 10%
• Base salary can be higher depending on the candidate's experience

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