Payroll Analyst

Job Description

Job Description

Job Summary

The Payroll Analyst ensures accurate, timely payroll processing and robust payroll accounting across the U.S. and Canada. This role owns payroll reporting and analytics, month-end close activities (journal entries, GL reconciliations), tax and statutory reconciliations, and audit readiness. You'll partner closely with HR, Accounting / Finance, and external providers to maintain compliant, well-controlled payroll operations (multi-state U.S. and multi-province Canada), with a special focus on data integrity, variance analysis, and continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Controls

Execute end-to-end payroll cycles (hourly / salary, regular / off- cycle / bonus / stock), ensuring accuracy and on-time delivery for U.S. and Canada.

Maintain strong internal controls and develop standardized procedures and checklists.

Perform data validations (gross-to-net, deductions, garnishments), resolve discrepancies, and document root causes / corrections.

Reporting & Analytics

Build recurring and ad-hoc payroll reports (headcount, labor cost, taxes, overtime, bonus, accruals, KPIs).

Provide variance analysis (period-over-period, plan vs. actual), highlight trends, and recommend process improvements.

Accounting & Month-End Close

Prepare payroll journal entries (wages, taxes, benefits, bonus, 401(k) / RRSP, accruals).

Reconcile payroll-related GL accounts and support close deadlines.

Coordinate with Accounting on flux analysis and deliverables for internal / external audits.

Tax & Statutory Reconciliations

Reconcile and remit U.S. federal / state / local payroll taxes and unemployment; support quarter / year-end filings (941, 940, W-2).

For Canada : ensure accurate CPP / QPP, EI, and income-tax withholdings; remit per CRA / RQ schedules; prepare year-end reconciliations and T4 / T4A slips and summaries; support Records of Employment (ROE).

Compliance, Audits & Projects

Stay current on U.S. and Canadian payroll legislation and system changes; translate changes into processes, system updates, and communications.

Support payroll systems testing (e.g., Workday / UKG / ADP) for releases, new earnings / deductions, and integrations.

Lead or contribute to payroll improvement projects.

Qualifications

Required

3+ years of payroll experience with significant exposure to Canadian payroll (multi-province) and U.S. multi-state processing.

Strong payroll accounting skills : journal entries, GL reconciliations, accruals, and month-end close.

Experience with tax / statutory reconciliations and year-end processing (U.S. and Canada—T4 / T4A).

Advanced Excel / Google Sheets (lookups, pivots), comfort with large datasets and reconciliation tools.

Experience with at least one enterprise HR / Payroll platform (e.g., Workday, UKG, ADP).

Preferred

Canadian Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation (or in progress) from the National Payroll Institute; U.S. FPC / CPP a plus.

Experience supporting audits / SOX controls and multi-entity, multi-currency environments.

Familiarity with BI / reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and SQL basics for data validation.

Success Metrics (KPIs)

Payroll accuracy rate and on-time completion (≥99.5%).

Timely tax / statutory remittances and zero penalties (U.S. / Canada).

Month-end close timeliness and reduced reconciling items.

Clean audit results with strong control compliance.

Reporting cadence met; actionable insights delivered to Finance / HR each cycle.

Tools You May Use

HR / Payroll : Workday, UKG, ADP (or similar)

Accounting : ERP / GL (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite), Blackline (or similar)

Analytics : Excel / Sheets; optional BI tools (Power BI, Tableau)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field; equivalent experience considered.

Work Environment

Hybrid position with 4 days in office, 1 day work from home.

Standard working hours with occasional additional hours as necessary.