Lead Payroll Analyst

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Remote - TN, TN

6d•$78,000 - $139,360•Remote

About The Position

This role is designed for professionals who thrive on analysis, problem-solving, compliance, and continuous improvement. If you enjoy leveraging payroll data, identifying trends, solving complex challenges, and improving processes, this role provides a unique opportunity to make a broader impact across payroll operations. The Lead Payroll Analyst is responsible for supporting payroll operations through compliance reporting, auditing, analytics, and process improvement initiatives. This position helps ensure accurate and compliant payroll practices, develops reporting and key performance metrics, and collaborates with Human Resources, Finance, and other stakeholders to strengthen payroll processes, internal controls, and employee support services at St. Jude.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in accounting, auditing, finance, or related field of study required.
Minimum Requirement: 5+ years of accounting experience working with a general ledger and related financial information systems.
Experience with accounting standards and regulations (e.g., IRS, US GAAP, Uniform Guidance, hospital regulations) within specific area.
Experience working with cross-functional teams.
Proven performance in earlier role.
Experience supporting payroll operations, compliance reporting, auditing, and payroll-related analysis.
Strong knowledge of payroll regulations and reporting requirements, with the ability to research issues, identify root causes, and recommend solutions.
Advanced Excel and payroll reporting skills, including experience with payroll systems, HRIS platforms, dashboards, KPIs, and operational reporting tools.
Experience working in complex payroll environments; Workday Payroll/Time Tracking experience and the ability to handle confidential information preferred.
Analytical thinking and attention to detail
Problem solving and sound judgment
Written and verbal communication skills
Organization and time management
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
Collaboration and cross-functional partnership
Commitment to confidentiality, accuracy, and service excellence
Continuous improvement mindset
Understanding of the impact of payroll processing on financial statements

Nice To Haves

Master's degree preferred
Experience in healthcare, charitable organizations, higher education, or other complex, multi-state payroll environments strongly preferred
Familiarity with leave administration, employee self-service tools, and payroll-related process improvement initiatives desired.
Professional certification (e.g., such as Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)) preferred

Responsibilities

Oversee coordination of the annual Internal Controls and Financial Statement audits performed by external auditors by preparing audit schedules at varying levels.
Reconcile and analyze complex accounts in compliance with departmental policy while adhering to established deadlines.
Prepare and maintain clear and detailed supporting documentation and financial statements.
Coordinate proactively with cross-functional teams (e.g., principal investigators, research groups, other departments) to prepare monthly, quarterly and annual reports.
Track key metrics for own area, oversee reporting/ dashboards, and highlight issues or gaps to senior management.
Participate in development and implementation of policies and procedures to improve efficiency for own area (e.g., payroll, accounts payable, travel processes).
Ensures payroll compliance by preparing required federal, state, and local filings, managing payroll-related legal requests, evaluating tax implications, and supporting audits, recoveries, and risk mitigation activities.
Performs payroll auditing and analysis by monitoring payroll variances, researching and resolving discrepancies, coordinating internal and external audits, and supporting key financial reconciliations.
Drives process improvement and reporting through payroll metrics, dashboards, workflow enhancements, employee self-service initiatives, industry benchmarking, and participation in cross-functional projects to improve efficiency and service delivery.
Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
Maintains regular and predictable attendance.
Consistently meet job expectations, adhere to policies, and deliver quality work while applying. St. Jude values and principles.
Prepares required statutory reporting and compliance by preparing required filings, managing legal and documentation requests, ensuring compliance for remote and multi-jurisdiction employees, developing audit controls and reporting, and administering payroll recoveries in accordance with applicable laws and institutional policies.
Develops and analyzes payroll audit reports, researches and resolves variances, supports internal and external audits, and assists accountant with key account reconciliations in Blackline.
Participates in cross functional payroll and HR operational improvement initiatives, develops payroll metrics and dashboards, researches industry benchmarks and best practices, reports/ compares key payroll metric against industry, evaluates tools and processes to enhance efficiency, and supports employee self-service and payment solutions to improve the overall employee experience.