Payroll Operations Coordinator, Penn GSE

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

23d • $24 - $28 • Onsite

About The Position

The Payroll Operations Coordinator manages and executes payroll processes for weekly and monthly paid populations and ensures compliance with hiring practices within the GSE. This role ensures accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations while supporting program and departmental stakeholders, along with suggesting process improvements. The position operates with a hands-on focus and collaborates closely with HR, Finance, and departmental stakeholders.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree and 2-3 years of payroll or financial operations experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong attention to detail and compliance knowledge
• Strong communication and organizational skills

Nice To Haves

• Three to five years of payroll or financial operations experience
• Experience with Workday
• Experience in higher education payroll
• Knowledge of grant-funded payroll processes

Responsibilities

• Oversees end-to-end payroll processing for both weekly and bi-weekly employee populations, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely execution of all payroll cycles.
• Responsible for reviewing and approving a broad range of payroll transactions — including new hires, terminations, compensation adjustments, retroactive pay, job changes, period activity payments, and one-time payments — while also monitoring leave compensation to ensure proper handling.
• Serves as a key system administrator within Workday, performing thorough reviews, submissions, and approvals across multiple functional roles, including Budget Partner, HR Requisitioner, HR Manager, and Academic Partner, to support seamless cross-functional collaboration and adherence to all payroll deadlines.
• Ensures compliance regarding federal I-9 and employment eligibility requirements by guiding new hires and supervisors through the onboarding process, reviewing required documentation, and supporting adherence to institutional hiring policies and procedures.
• Maintains compliance across all payroll operations, ensuring adherence to University policies as well as applicable federal and state regulations governing labor, compensation, and hiring practices.
• Supports internal and external audits by maintaining thorough and accurate documentation, serving as a reliable resource for compliance verification and reporting.
• Proactively monitors regulatory requirements and internal controls to help mitigate risk and uphold the integrity of the University's payroll function.
• Responsible for the ongoing monitoring of payroll reports to ensure accuracy and consistency across all pay cycles.
• Performs regular reconciliations and processes payroll reallocations as needed to correct discrepancies and maintain the integrity of payroll data.
• Serves as a primary point of contact for payroll-related inquiries, providing timely and accurate resolutions to employee and stakeholder concerns.
• Manages hiring requests coordinated through temporary staffing agencies, ensuring a smooth and efficient process from requisition through onboarding.
• Provides dedicated support for international employment needs, including the preparation and completion of J-1 and H-1B visa applications in accordance with federal requirements.
• Oversees the onboarding process for Visiting Scholars, ensuring a seamless and compliant transition into the University's payroll and administrative systems.

Benefits

• Excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families
• Generous retirement benefits
• Wide variety of professional development opportunities
• Supportive work and family benefits
• Wealth of health and wellness programs and resources
• Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits
• Flexible spending accounts for health care and dependent care expenses
• Tuition assistance for employees, spouses, and dependent children
• Retirement plans (Basic, Matching, and Supplemental) with pre-tax or Roth options
• Substantial amount of time away from work
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Wellness and Work-life Resources
• Professional and Personal Development resources
• Access to a wide range of University resources, cultural and recreational activities
• Discounts on arts and entertainment, transportation, mortgages, new cars, cellular phone service, movie tickets, and theme parks
• Flexible work options
• Penn Home Ownership Services (forgivable loan for eligible employees)
• Adoption Assistance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level