Sr Specialist Payroll FinOps

Job Description Summary:

Senior Specialist supports day-to-day payroll execution with high accuracy and timeliness, ensuring compliance with federal and state requirements. The role manages assigned cases within SLA, follows defined procedures, and supports coverage during critical timelines.

Primary Function:
Responsible for executing assigned payroll activities with 100% accuracy and timeliness, following established SOPs and controls. Builds functional knowledge, partners with SMEs to learn processes, and maintains a positive relationship with internal teams.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
• Process payroll and/or final pay checks accurately and ensure pay is delivered on time, following documented procedures and checklists.
• Work pay run audit reports; research and resolve errors/issues before checks are printed or files are transmitted; escalate exceptions as required.
• Monitor payroll mailboxes and ticket queues; respond to requests/forms within the 24 hour SLA; document actions clearly and professionally.
• Apply US payroll policies, internal controls, and compliance requirements (confidentiality, approvals, audit trail) during daily execution.
• Support ad-hoc activities and year-end deliverables as assigned; adapt to peak volumes and critical timelines.
• Maintain current understanding of payroll calendar updates and process changes, complete required training on time.

Additional responsibilities:
• Escalate exceptions, unclear requests, or policy conflicts to the Lead/Analyst with sufficient context and evidence.
• Identify recurring errors or documentation gaps and suggest updates to SOPs/checklists.
• Meet individual quality and productivity targets; participate in calibrations and quality reviews.

Tax:
• Support employee tax setup changes and validations per workflow; ensure changes align to source documentation.
• Assist with tax-related inquiries and ticket triage; resolve routine items and route complex items to SMEs/partners.
• Support year-end activities such as W-2 validations, corrections workflows, and reprint requests per process.

Banking:
• Support direct deposit maintenance and reject/return handling per workflow; ensure corrections are completed within required timelines.
• Assist with payroll funding/file checks and basic reconciliations per checklist; escalate discrepancies promptly.
• Log and track ACH rejects, reversals, and high-risk exceptions to closure. Garnishment
• Set up and maintain garnishment/levy deductions based on received orders and established decision trees.
• Process routine agency communications and documentation within SLA; maintain required records.
• Support remittance processing and exception handling per controls; escalate complex scenarios.

Processing:
• Execute standard payroll processing steps (data entry, validations, adjustments) according to the payroll calendar.
• Run and review assigned audits; correct basic errors and coordinate dependencies with upstream partners.
• Support off-cycle processing requests as directed; ensure documentation and approvals are complete. Final Pay
• Process final pay checks including PTO/other payouts per state requirements and documented guidance; escalate exceptions promptly.
• Support manual check requests, reissues, and reversals; ensure approvals and audit trail are complete.
• Respond to final pay inquiries from HR/field teams using templates and policy references.

Reporting:
Reports to: Manager, Payroll Operations.