Senior Payroll Analyst New

Job Description

• Driven to achieve
• We keep each other safe
• Our leaders serve and develop our people.
• Resilient to our core
• If you are here, you are family.

• Prepare, review, and post all payroll-related monthly journal entries, including gross wages, employer taxes, benefits, bonuses, PTO accruals, and deferred compensation.
• Reconcile payroll accounts to the general ledger monthly, investigating and resolving variances in a timely manner.
• Partner with the Accounting team to support month-end and year-end close, ensuring payroll entries are complete and accurate within established deadlines.
• Maintain and update payroll accrual schedules, ensuring proper cut-off of wages and benefits expenses across reporting periods.
• Assist in the preparation of balance sheet reconciliations for all payroll-related accounts (wages payable, tax withholdings, garnishments, benefit liabilities).

• Conduct period-over-period payroll variance analysis, identifying and documenting drivers of change in headcount, compensation, and employer costs.
• Develop and maintain payroll reporting dashboards and metrics for Finance and HR leadership.
• Analyze payroll data to support labor cost forecasting, budget preparation, and department-level allocations.
• Collaborate with FP&A on headcount and compensation planning, providing payroll actuals and trend data as needed.
• Respond to ad hoc data requests from Finance, HR, and Operations leadership with clear, well-documented analysis.
• Audit payroll system interfaces and integrations (HRIS, time and attendance, benefits) to ensure data integrity across platforms.
• Monitor and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations, including wage and hour laws.
• Support W-2, ACA, and other year-end filings, auditing outputs before submission.
• Document and maintain payroll audit procedures, controls, and findings in accordance with SOX or internal control frameworks as applicable.

• Identify gaps in payroll processes and controls; develop and implement improvements to reduce risk and increase efficiency.
• Train and provide technical guidance to junior payroll staff.
• Partner with HR, Benefits, and IT on system implementations, upgrades, and integrations that impact payroll.
• Promote a business partner and ownership mindset to the team to prioritize customer service excellence, adaptability and resilience to change and continuous improvement.
• Other tasks as assigned.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for internal and external payroll audits, coordinating documentation requests and walkthroughs.
• Perform regular self-audits of payroll data, including new hire/termination accuracy, rate changes, garnishment calculations, and tax withholding configurations.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field is preferred.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation is highly preferred; FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) considered for candidates with strong accounting backgrounds.
• 5+ years of progressive payroll experience, with demonstrated growth in analytical and accounting responsibilities over time.
• 2+ years of direct experience preparing and reviewing payroll journal entries, account reconciliations, and supporting monthly close activities.
• Hands-on experience with at least one enterprise payroll or HCM platform such as Workday, ADP Workforce Now, Ceridian Dayforce, UKG Pro, or similar.
• Experience working within a general ledger or ERP environment (e.g., NetSuite, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage) to post and reconcile payroll transactions.
• Prior experience conducting or supporting payroll audits " whether internal, external, workers' compensation, or 401(k) plan audits.
• Demonstrated experience processing multi-state payroll, including knowledge of state income tax, SUI, and local tax compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Background in a mid-to-large organization (500+ employees) preferred; multi-entity or multi-currency experience is a plus.
• Experience using or willingness to learn approved AI/LLM and automation tools is a plus.
• Must be flexible and adaptable to the ever-changing market and Lazer Logistics objectives and goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong ethical and integrity code.
• Ability to collaborate and work well in a fast-paced/dynamic team environment.
• Commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion with team and vendors.
• Ability to seek and navigate through challenges by maintaining optimism, respect, and dedication to Lazer Logistics' overall purpose and core values.