Payroll Analyst

Manulife • Boston, MA

11h • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Senior Payroll Analyst supporting John Hancock within our U.S. Payroll team, you will take ownership of delivering high-volume , multi-state, multi-EIN payroll with precision, agility, and strong analytical oversight. You will navigate one of the most complex payroll environments in the company—spanning equity programs, deferred compensation, executive payroll, multi-jurisdiction taxation, and large-scale reconciliations. This role also plays a key part in modernizing payroll through AI-enabled analysis, automation opportunities, and digital optimization . You’ll develop deep technical expertise, solve high-impact challenges, and help shape payroll operations that are more accurate, efficient, and insight-driven. Position Responsibilities: Independently process and audit biweekly and weekly U.S. payrolls across 50+ states, multiple legal entities, and six federal EINs, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance. Review and validate all payroll changes including new hires, terminations (voluntary/involuntary), promotions, transfers, incentive pay, overtime, LOAs (STD, LTD, paid/unpaid), garnishments, overpayments, and recovery transactions. Execute payroll transactions for RSUs, DSUs, GSOPs, other equity compensation programs, deferred compensation, retirement plans (401k, pension), Board of Director, and executive payrolls. Perform gross-to-net calculations , reconcile net pay, taxes, and third party remittances, ensuring complete accuracy. Create and process off-cycle payrolls, on demand checks, EFT adjustments, and other special payments as required. Support payroll operations in Workday , integrated with enterprise payroll systems such as ADP GlobalView, SAP, or Ceridian , including performing manual corrections when integration errors occur. Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve inbound payroll interfaces including PECI and other third party vendor file feeds . Prepare and upload batch files and conduct large volume data audits to ensure data integrity across systems. Build and analyze custom reports, reconciliations, and large-file analytics to identify anomalies, validate data completeness, and uncover emerging trends. Perform reasonableness checks across payroll results to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. Support internal and external audits, ensuring complete documentation, walkthrough support, and control adherence. Contribute to year end processes including W-2, W-2c, amended filings , and reconcile year end data for compliance accuracy. Research and implement legislative changes impacting payroll at the federal or state level. Respond to, track, and resolve payroll tax notices from the IRS and state agencies. Maintain and update payroll SOPs , ensuring they reflect current practices, controls, and regulatory expectations. Independently analyze and resolve complex or escalated payroll issues, using strong judgment, critical thinking, and compliance awareness. Partner across the Payroll team to validate analysis, stress test decisions, and ensure accurate outcomes for non standard or sensitive scenarios. Use AI tools to accelerate root cause analysis, enhance reconciliations, improve documentation, streamline research, and strengthen overall payroll review accuracy. Champion continuous improvement , identifying automation opportunities, control enhancements, and technology enabled ways to simplify and modernize payroll delivery.

Requirements

• 4–6 years of end to end U.S. payroll experience in a high volume, multi state environment.
• Strong proficiency in multi-state taxation, wage laws, complex jurisdictions, and high volume compliance.
• Experience with Workday and enterprise payroll systems such as ADP GlobalView or SAP.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research, analyze, troubleshoot, and resolve complex payroll issues.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, formulas, and working with large datasets.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem solving capabilities with high attention to detail.
• Ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively across the team.

Nice To Haves

• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or working toward certification.
• Experience supporting equity compensation , deferred compensation, or executive payroll.
• Exposure to payroll automation tools, AI assisted workflows, or intelligent data analysis platforms.
• Experience in financial services or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience processing Canada payroll.

Responsibilities

• Independently process and audit biweekly and weekly U.S. payrolls across 50+ states, multiple legal entities, and six federal EINs, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
• Review and validate all payroll changes including new hires, terminations (voluntary/involuntary), promotions, transfers, incentive pay, overtime, LOAs (STD, LTD, paid/unpaid), garnishments, overpayments, and recovery transactions.
• Execute payroll transactions for RSUs, DSUs, GSOPs, other equity compensation programs, deferred compensation, retirement plans (401k, pension), Board of Director, and executive payrolls.
• Perform gross-to-net calculations , reconcile net pay, taxes, and third party remittances, ensuring complete accuracy.
• Create and process off-cycle payrolls, on demand checks, EFT adjustments, and other special payments as required.
• Support payroll operations in Workday , integrated with enterprise payroll systems such as ADP GlobalView, SAP, or Ceridian , including performing manual corrections when integration errors occur.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve inbound payroll interfaces including PECI and other third party vendor file feeds .
• Prepare and upload batch files and conduct large volume data audits to ensure data integrity across systems.
• Build and analyze custom reports, reconciliations, and large-file analytics to identify anomalies, validate data completeness, and uncover emerging trends.
• Perform reasonableness checks across payroll results to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring complete documentation, walkthrough support, and control adherence.
• Contribute to year end processes including W-2, W-2c, amended filings , and reconcile year end data for compliance accuracy.
• Research and implement legislative changes impacting payroll at the federal or state level.
• Respond to, track, and resolve payroll tax notices from the IRS and state agencies.
• Maintain and update payroll SOPs , ensuring they reflect current practices, controls, and regulatory expectations.
• Independently analyze and resolve complex or escalated payroll issues, using strong judgment, critical thinking, and compliance awareness.
• Partner across the Payroll team to validate analysis, stress test decisions, and ensure accurate outcomes for non standard or sensitive scenarios.
• Use AI tools to accelerate root cause analysis, enhance reconciliations, improve documentation, streamline research, and strengthen overall payroll review accuracy.
• Champion continuous improvement , identifying automation opportunities, control enhancements, and technology enabled ways to simplify and modernize payroll delivery.

Benefits

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well being and inclusion are more than just words.
• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.
• health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans
• retirement savings plans (including pension/401(k) savings plans and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources
• generous paid time off program in the U.S. includes up to 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 150 hours of vacation, and 40 hours of sick time (or more where required by law) each year, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed