Analyst Payroll FinOps

Role overview

Core payroll responsibilities

• Own payroll operations for Tax, Banking, Garnishment, Processing, or Final Pay.
• Process payroll or final pay checks accurately and on time using documented procedures and checklists.
• Review pay-run audit reports, resolve errors before checks are printed or files transmitted, and escalate exceptions.
• Monitor mailboxes and ticket queues; respond within the 24-hour SLA and document actions.
• Apply US payroll policies, controls, confidentiality, approvals, and audit-trail requirements.
• Support ad hoc activities and year-end deliverables; adapt to peak volumes and critical timelines.
• Keep current with payroll calendar and process changes and complete required training.

Governance and improvement

• Own domain policies, controls, audit readiness, documentation, SOPs, checklists, training materials, and periodic reviews.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive actions with HQ/onshore teams, Finance, HR, and vendors.
• Analyze trends and performance metrics; present insights and risk updates to stakeholders and leadership.
• Lead peak-season training, audit new or contract resource quality, and provide coaching feedback.
• Drive reconciliations, tighter controls, and process redesign to reduce overpayments and defects.

Domain-specific duties

• Tax: validate employee tax setup changes against source documentation; triage tax inquiries and support W-2 validations, corrections, and reprints.
• Banking: maintain direct deposits, handle rejects and returns, support funding and file checks and reconciliations, and track ACH exceptions to closure.
• Garnishment: set up deductions from orders, handle agency communications, maintain records, process remittances, and escalate complex cases.
• Processing: perform payroll data entry, validations, and adjustments; review audits, correct basic errors, coordinate dependencies, and support approved off-cycle requests.
• Final Pay: process final pay and PTO or other payouts under state requirements; support manual checks, reissues, reversals, and inquiries with complete approvals and audit trails.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or Human Resources, or equivalent experience.
• FPC, CPP, or payroll certification required.
• 5+ years of payroll experience; excellent knowledge of federal and state laws and end-to-end US payroll and taxation.
• Advanced Excel and strong analytical skills, including trend analysis, reconciliation, and root cause analysis.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management; proven coaching and capability building.
• High integrity and confidentiality; flexibility for extended hours and leadership during critical timelines or BCP.
• Workday or MyTime knowledge preferred.