Payroll Specialist

Central States Funds•Chicago, IL

17d•Remote

About The Position

The Payroll Specialist processes weekly payroll for union and non-union hourly and salaried employees, ensuring accurate pay in accordance with collective bargaining agreements, company policies, and applicable wage and hour laws. The role manages payroll changes and deductions, responds to employee inquiries, supports year-end processing, and partners with cross-functional teams on audits, compensation cycles, and related initiatives. The position also performs payroll audits and controls, investigates discrepancies, and supports internal audits. It evaluates payroll workflows, maintains procedures and job aids, uses payroll reporting tools to identify risks and recurring issues, and partners with the HR Payroll Manager on Workday optimization and the transition from UKG to Workday, including testing, integrations, configuration changes, and implementation activities.

Requirements

At least 3 years of progressive payroll experience supporting union and non-union populations, with demonstrated ability to resolve complex pay discrepancies.
Strong knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour laws, and collective bargaining agreements.
Hands-on experience with HRIS payroll platforms, including Workday and UKG.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and payroll reporting tools.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
High attention to detail and ability to manage sensitive and confidential information.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in HR, Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience with system implementations or payroll process redesign.
CPP or FPC certification.
Multi-state payroll experience.

Responsibilities

Process weekly payroll for union and non-union hourly and salaried employees, including wage rates, overtime, shift differentials, premiums, retroactive pay, and other earnings.
Manage payroll changes for hires, terminations, promotions, transfers, and union status updates, including calculation and withholding of union dues, benefit deductions, garnishments, and related items.
Interpret and apply collective bargaining agreements and federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, including FLSA, to payroll processing and employee pay inquiries.
Partner with Total Rewards, Finance, and Pension teams on year-end processing, compensation cycles, audits, retirement transitions, and other cross-functional initiatives.
Respond professionally and confidentially to employee payroll inquiries and serve as a payroll subject matter resource for HR and business leaders.
Complete year-end payroll responsibilities in Workday and UKG.
Perform regular payroll audits to validate pay, deductions, and system configurations.
Review payroll registers, variance reports, and exception reports before payroll submission.
Identify discrepancies, research root causes, and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Support internal audits by providing payroll documentation, reports, and reconciliations.
Evaluate payroll workflows and procedures to identify process improvements and efficiency gains.
Partner with the HR Payroll Manager to optimize Workday configurations, pay rules, and automation, and support system testing, the transition from UKG to Workday, integrations, configuration changes, and updates.
Develop and maintain payroll procedures, job aids, and documentation.
Use HRIS payroll reporting tools to support payroll operations, audits, and compliance requirements, and analyze data to identify risks, inefficiencies, and recurring payroll issues.