Senior Payroll Specialist

What Impact You’ll Have

We’re looking for a Senior Payroll Specialist to own payroll for a growing group of government contracting companies. You’ll run multi-state, multi-entity & multi-pay date payroll from start to finish, administer timekeeping, and help shape our processes as we grow. This is a high-autonomy role: you’ll manage your own desk, set your priorities around the payroll calendar, and make decisions without waiting to be told what’s next. If you know GovCon payroll well, enjoy getting the details right, and want real ownership instead of a narrow piece of the process, this role is for you. 

What You’ll Be Owning

• Own payroll from start to finish. Process payroll for multiple entities and states in ADP Workforce Now, from data prep and audit through approval and transmission. 
• Work independently. Manage your payroll calendar/deliverables and workload with minimal oversight, spot issues before they’re raised, and see them through to resolution. 
• Catch problems before they reach a paycheck. Audit master data changes, earnings, taxes and benefit deductions. Reconcile variances between ADP, benefit providers and 401(k) files before each payroll goes out. 
• Run timekeeping. Serve as a primary Unanet timesheet administrator. Monitor submissions, enforce deadlines, run floor checks, and make sure labor is charged and distributed correctly, in line with DCAA requirements. 
• Keep us compliant. Apply federal, state and local payroll and wage-and-hour rules across multiple states. Produce recurring reports and support internal, external and government audits. 
• Partner across the company. Work with HR, Finance, Accounting and employees as the go-to person for payroll questions. 
• Handle adjustments and special payments. Process off-cycle checks, retro pay, corrections, garnishments and final pay accurately and within state deadlines. 
• Support quarter-end and year-end. Help with tax reconciliations, W-2 review, and year-end close for each entity. 
• Answer employee pay questions. Respond to employee questions about pay, taxes, deductions and timesheets quickly and accurately, and resolve issues before they escalate. 

What You Must Have

• 5+ years of hands-on payroll experience, including multi-state, multi-entity & multi-pay date processing 
• A self-starter who works well independently: you research answers, use available resources, and solve problems without needing step-by-step direction 
• Government contracting experience, including timekeeping and labor charging under DCAA requirements (required) 
• Hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now and Unanet or a similar GovCon timekeeping system (Unanet preferred) 
• Strong knowledge of multi-state payroll tax, wage-and-hour rules, and retirement plan deductions 
• A track record of meeting fixed payroll deadlines with little to no supervision 
• Strong Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, reconciliations) 
• CPP or FPC certification preferred 

What Success Looks Like 

• You don’t wait for direction. You know what’s due, what’s at risk, and what needs attention, and you act on it. 
• Payrolls go out accurately and on time, with variances resolved before processing starts. 
• Timesheet deadlines are met because you follow up early and hold people to them. 
• You solve problems at the root and document the fix so they don’t come back. 
• You stay calm and organized as we add companies and complexity.