Consulting Sr Associate, Education & Research- Payroll Specialist

Huron Consulting Services•Chicago, IL

5h•$115,000 - $145,000

About The Position

Huron helps its clients drive growth, enhance performance and sustain leadership in the markets they serve. We collaborate with education organizations to develop strategies and implement solutions that enable the transformative change our clients need to own their future. Together, we empower clients to drive innovation, create sustainable funding streams and deliver better student outcomes. Today, leaders of higher education institutions and academic medical centers are spending too much time reacting to market forces, rather than focusing on the essential priorities that help students, faculty and staff thrive. The most productive path forward requires an intentional approach and innovative thinking, whereby stakeholders across the entire institution rally around a shared vision and embrace the hard work of effecting change. You’ll help our clients to achieve organizational effectiveness, improve student outcomes, implement new technologies and align resources and investments to ensure long-term sustainability. Join our team as the expert you are now and create your future. Huron helps its clients drive growth, enhance performance, and sustain leadership in the markets they serve. In higher education, we partner with colleges and universities to strengthen administrative operations and advance strategic priorities, enabling institutions to operate more effectively in an increasingly complex environment. Together, we help clients optimize internal processes, strengthen compliance, and deliver better outcomes for students, faculty, and staff. Higher education institutions face growing pressure to manage costs, comply with evolving regulatory requirements, and support their workforce efficiently and accurately. Effective payroll operations are critical to institutional stability, yet investing in new systems or technology alone is not enough to drive lasting improvement. Meaningful change requires experienced specialists who can assess current payroll practices, identify risk and inefficiencies, support system implementations, and help institutions design scalable, compliant payroll processes. As a payroll specialist at Huron, you will work directly with higher education clients to stabilize payroll operations today while helping build the foundation for future success. This includes supporting payroll transformations, improving data accuracy and controls, advising on compliance and process design, and partnering with our clients to strengthen workforce operations. Join Huron as the expert you are today and help institutions build resilient, sustainable payroll operations for the future.

Requirements

At least three years of payroll or closely related professional experience
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
Hands-on experience with payroll or HRIS platforms (e.g., Workday, ADP, UKG, Oracle, SAP)
Working knowledge of payroll compliance, wage and hour regulations, and payroll processes
Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to accuracy
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills
Ability to travel up to 50% annually

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education, public sector, or other complex organizations
Prior consulting or advisory experience supporting external clients
Experience with multi-state, unionized, or multi-entity payroll environments
Experience supporting payroll system implementations or process transformations
Experience in benefits, compensation, or broader Total Rewards programs

Benefits

This job is also eligible to participate in Huron’s annual incentive compensation program, which reflects Huron’s pay for performance philosophy.
The job is also eligible to participate in Huron’s benefit plans which include medical, dental and vision coverage and other wellness programs.

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