Payroll Specialist

At Texas Chiller Systems, we take pride in serving our customers with excellence and supporting our employees with the same care and attention. Headquartered in San Antonio, we were built on a foundation of strong values that guide how we work, lead, and serve, always putting people first and striving to exceed expectations for our team and our customers in every interaction.

We’re hiring a Payroll Specialist to join our team! This role is responsible for processing accurate and timely weekly and semi-monthly payroll for our union and non-union employees across multiple trades and locations. You’ll support payroll requirements such as collective bargaining agreements, certified payroll, prevailing wage projects, federal contracts, deductions, fringe benefits, and labor allocation. You’ll also partner with HR, Finance, Operations, and project teams to improve processes, strengthen payroll accuracy, and help create efficient systems that support our growing organization.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Processes accurate and timely weekly and semi-monthly payroll for union and non-union employees across multiple departments, trades, locations, and pay groups.
• Reviews and validates time records, job and cost codes, pay rates, classifications, overtime, shift differentials, travel pay, subsistence, per diem, bonuses, reimbursements, deductions, and other payroll inputs before processing.
• Interprets and applies multiple collective bargaining agreements, including requirements related to wages, overtime, premiums, union dues, assessments, fringe benefits, employer contributions, travel, and jurisdictional rules.
• Maintains current union wage rates, classifications, fringe benefit schedules, deduction requirements, and jurisdictional information within the payroll and related systems.
• Prepares and submits certified payroll reports for federal, state, municipal, and other prevailing wage projects within required formats and deadlines.
• Verifies that employees are paid according to the correct classification, wage determination, collective bargaining agreement, project requirement, and applicable federal or prevailing wage obligation.
• Prepares, reconciles, and submits union remittance reports and supporting information for benefit funds, dues, assessments, and employer contributions.
• Partners with project managers, service leaders, field supervisors, and employees to resolve missing time, incorrect coding, classification discrepancies, rate issues, and other payroll exceptions.
• Calculates and processes payroll adjustments, retroactive pay, corrections, garnishments, paid time off, final pay, reimbursements, and other special payroll transactions.
• Reconciles payroll registers, payroll taxes, benefit deductions, union contributions, general ledger entries, and labor-cost information to identify and correct discrepancies.
• Maintains accurate and confidential payroll records, employee authorizations, tax documentation, certified payroll support, and audit-ready files.
• Responds to employee and manager payroll questions professionally, accurately, and within established service expectations.
• Supports internal, external, union, government, benefit, and certified payroll audits by gathering documentation and resolving findings.
• Develops and maintains payroll procedures, process maps, calendars, checklists, controls, and standard work to promote consistency and business continuity.
• Identifies recurring payroll errors, manual processes, system limitations, and workflow gaps and recommends practical solutions that improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Partners with Human Resources, Finance, Operations, and Information Technology on system improvements, testing, automation, data integrity, and payroll reporting.

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED required; additional payroll, accounting, finance, or business education preferred
• 3+ years of payroll processing experience, preferably in construction, commercial HVAC, mechanical services, plumbing, electrical, refrigeration, or another skilled-trades environment
• Experience processing recurring, high-volume payroll with strict weekly and semi-monthly deadlines
• Experience with union payroll, collective bargaining agreements, certified payroll, prevailing wage projects, or federal contracts strongly preferred
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, filters, lookups, reconciliations, and data analysis
• Experience working with payroll, timekeeping, ERP, or accounting systems
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities
• Demonstrates sound judgment, strong business ethics, attention to detail, and discretion when handling confidential information

Required Skills:

• Accurate payroll calculation, validation, processing, and reconciliation
• Ability to interpret collective bargaining agreements, wage determinations, payroll policies, and contract requirements
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root-cause identification skills
• Advanced attention to detail in payroll records, reporting, documentation, and data entry
• Process improvement, standard-work development, and workflow documentation
• Understanding of labor costing, job coding, and the relationship between payroll and project accounting
• Professional written and verbal communication with employees, leaders, union representatives, and external partners
• Time management and the ability to meet fixed payroll and reporting deadlines

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with COINS or a comparable construction ERP and payroll system
• Experience preparing certified payroll reports, including federal or electronic certified payroll reporting
• Knowledge of Davis-Bacon requirements, prevailing wage determinations, and fringe benefit calculations
• Experience preparing union remittances and reconciling benefit fund contributions
• Experience implementing payroll controls, process automation, system enhancements, or reporting improvements
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), or similar credential

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a computer
• Ability to communicate effectively by phone, email, and computer systems throughout the day

Job Type:

Full-time, non-exempt

Texas Chiller Systems is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing all employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We celebrate diversity and welcome applicants from every background and life experience.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by persons assigned to this job. These statements are not to be translated as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel in this position. All team members may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time as needed.