Payroll Analyst Contractor

We are looking for a skilled Payroll Analyst to join our team on a contract basis at our Scottsdale, AZ corporate headquarters. This position will provide hands-on support for payroll operations serving approximately 3,500 employees across the U.S. and Canada.

The successful candidate will contribute to payroll processing, compliance activities, audits, reconciliations, reporting, and system-related projects. This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll professional who enjoys solving problems, leveraging technology to improve processes, and making an immediate impact in a fast-paced environment.

• Support bi-weekly payrolls to ensure timely and accurate payment of wages for approximately 3,500 employees across the US and Canada.
• Research and resolve employee inquiries relating to payroll questions and issues, via email, phone and in person.
• Respond to inquiries to internal groups such as HR Shared Services and HR Benefits.
• Partner with Human Resources to maintain payroll system data integrity and ensure accurate calculation of pay rates, taxes, and other payroll-related transactions.
• Develop, analyze, and maintain complex payroll reconciliation workbooks utilizing intermediate to advanced Excel functionality; prepare audit and reconciliation reports, validate payroll results, and research discrepancies.
• Support payroll-related general ledger reconciliations and ensure alignment between payroll and financial reporting.
• Analyze payroll data, trends, and anomalies to identify discrepancies, control gaps, process inefficiencies, and opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.
• Support ongoing federal, state, and local payroll tax compliance and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2, T4, tax reconciliation, and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Support internal, external, SOX, financial, and regulatory audit requests and reporting requirements.
• Support workers' compensation, 401(k), state and local tax, and other payroll-related audits, reviews, and inquiries.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for payroll systems, including troubleshooting system issues, testing enhancements, validating payroll system updates, and supporting process improvements.
• Lead and actively participate in payroll-related projects, including payroll system implementations, integrations, upgrades, testing activities, process improvements, and year-end payroll updates.
• Collaborate with Human Resources, Benefits, Compensation, Finance, Accounting, Tax, IT, and external payroll vendors; facilitate cross-functional discussions to resolve payroll issues, accounting discrepancies, and process improvement opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to streamline payroll processes through automation, standardization, AI-enabled solutions, and best practices while maintaining appropriate controls and data security.
• Document payroll procedures and maintain process documentation to support operational excellence and business continuity.
• Maintain confidentiality of payroll and other information.
• Perform other duties, special projects, and cross-functional initiatives in support of departmental and business objectives as assigned.

Requirements:

• 4+ years proven experience processing payroll in a large, multi-state environment, including pay data entry and data validation.
• Intermediate to Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel required, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, formulas, data validation, filtering, and analysis of large datasets. Strong Excel skills are essential, as Excel is a primary tool used for payroll reconciliations, audits, reporting, and data analysis.
• Experience performing payroll reconciliations, audit support, and payroll data analysis in a complex payroll environment.
• Strong familiarity with Federal, State and Local withholding and unemployment compliance requirements.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) strongly preferred.
• Experience with ADP Vantage strongly preferred. Experience with Workday, UKG/Kronos, Oracle HCM, SAP SuccessFactors, or similar HCM/payroll platforms a plus.
• Self-motivated, analytical, and detail-oriented with strong problem-solving, decision-making, prioritization, and multitasking abilities.
• Experience supporting payroll system implementations, upgrades, integrations, testing, and process improvement initiatives preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to lead meetings, facilitate discussions, present findings, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to apply payroll best practices and a continuous improvement mindset to enhance operational effectiveness and support business objectives.
• Demonstrated interest in leveraging automation, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled tools as part of day-to-day work activities to improve business processes, efficiency, reporting, and decision-making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong team orientation including recognition of the importance of respect, communication, compromise, reliability, knowledge-sharing, and engagement within the team and with other groups.
• Demonstrated commitment to customer service, continuous improvement, and delivering high-quality work in a fast-paced environment.
• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent relevant work experience preferred. 
• Experience with Canadian payroll requirements a plus but not required.