Senior Payroll Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

CLIENT HIGHLIGHT

The Client you will be working for is a Global Leader in design, engineering, and delivery of facilities for high-tech industries. This opportunity will give you the chance to grow your career and contribute to engineering excellence for the high-tech markets of the future, including semiconductors, batteries, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and data centers.

LOCATION

Richardson, TX

COMPENSATION

$35-40 per hour

SCHEDULE

On-site : Monday-Friday (40 hours per week)

7 : 30 AM – 4 : 30 PM CST

Must be willing to adhere to a flexible schedule (early mornings, extended hours as needed)

Hybrid option available after training : 3 days in office / 2 days from home

CONTRACT LENGTH

6 months, with strong potential for extension into next year

POSITION OVERVIEW : Senior Payroll Specialist

The Senior Payroll Specialist is responsible for leading accurate and timely payroll processing across a rapidly expanding U.S. workforce, including union, non-union, contract, salaried, and hourly employees. This is a highly technical payroll role requiring deep expertise in system integrations, multi-state compliance, and HRIS / payroll data management—not just “pushing the button” to process payroll.

This role will be a key contributor to large-scale payroll integrations as the company doubles its U.S. headcount (expanding from ~2,000 employees across 3 payrolls to 6–7 payrolls). The specialist will work closely with HR, IT, Finance, Legal, Tax, and Operations, as well as global contacts in Europe and Asia, to ensure seamless and compliant payroll operations.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead biweekly and weekly payroll processing across multiple entities and states, ensuring compliance with complex state-specific rules (e.g., California, Vermont) and union agreements (25+ CBAs).
• Manage payroll for both U.S.-based and global shadow employees, addressing varying wage requirements.
• Oversee payroll integrations during company acquisitions, including system testing, parallel runs, and exception management.
• Review, interpret, and validate data flowing through interfaces and scripts across multiple HRIS and payroll systems.
• Partner with IT on system integrations, middleware, and interface builds (e.g., timeclock changes, new union setups).
• Audit systems and reconcile data to ensure accuracy and integrity of payroll inputs and outputs.
• Serve as first-line support for employee inquiries, ticket resolution, and troubleshooting timecard or payroll discrepancies.
• Process new hire documents, terminations, and personal change notices (PCNs).
• Generate payroll-related reports and reconciliations, including per diem and expense-related payroll adjustments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Legal, HR, IT, Tax, Finance, and Operations) on payroll-related matters.
• Communicate effectively with global contacts in Germany, Singapore, Northern Europe, and North America.
• Contribute to payroll process improvements by identifying creative solutions and thinking outside the box.
• Provide back-up coverage for team members and cross-train across all payroll functions.

QUALIFICATIONS

PREFERRED BACKGROUND

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS ROLE