Payroll Specialist

TruGrid • Houston, TX

10d

About The Position

TruGrid is hiring a detail-oriented, highly organized Payroll Specialist to serve as the primary field payroll liaison among operations teams, employees, union representatives, and third-party labor vendors. The role manages complex payroll activities, emphasizing prevailing wage compliance, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) reporting, certified payroll support, and coordination with external labor providers. The position is suited to someone experienced in construction, industrial, energy, manufacturing, or field-service environments where multi-state payroll, government compliance, and contractor labor management are important.

The Payroll Specialist works with project managers, superintendents, HR, accounting, legal, field leadership, labor vendors, and client representatives. Responsibilities include reviewing field timekeeping and payroll records, supporting labor compliance and reporting, coordinating vendor payroll submissions and documentation, maintaining payroll and employee records in payroll and ERP systems, and assisting with audits, reconciliations, and month-end reporting. The role also identifies process improvements that can increase payroll accuracy and compliance efficiency.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of related payroll processing experience in multi-state processing.
• At least 5 years of payroll experience in construction, industrial, energy, manufacturing, or field operations environments.
• Heavy experience with prevailing wage, certified payroll, and labor compliance reporting.
• Experience coordinating with third-party labor vendors or staffing agencies.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work across field and corporate teams.
• Strong customer-service skills and a commitment to excellent customer service.
• Solid skills using Excel applications, including Power Pivot and tables.
• Ability to leverage technology to continuously improve payroll systems, services, and processes.
• Demonstrated strong oral and written communication skills across all levels of an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with other accounting functions and aligned departments.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of IRA labor compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary point of contact for field payroll inquiries and escalations.
• Partner with project managers, superintendents, HR, accounting, legal, and field leadership to support accurate payroll processing and labor compliance.
• Review and reconcile field timekeeping records, per diem tracking, shift differentials, and job coding allocations.
• Conduct payroll audits to identify discrepancies, missing documentation, and compliance risks.
• Administer payroll processes for prevailing wage projects in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Prepare, review, and maintain certified payroll reports and supporting documentation.
• Monitor wage determinations, fringe benefit calculations, and labor classifications.
• Coordinate corrections to payroll discrepancies, restitution payments, and compliance findings when necessary.
• Support IRA labor compliance requirements, including prevailing wage and apprenticeship reporting.
• Maintain documentation for IRA tax incentive eligibility and labor standard verification.
• Track apprentice ratios, labor classifications, and compliance records for qualifying projects.
• Collaborate with internal parties and external auditors during project reviews or audits.
• Ensure payroll reporting aligns with applicable federal and client reporting requirements.
• Serve as the main liaison for third-party field labor and staffing vendors.
• Coordinate payroll submissions, invoicing support, worker verification, and compliance documentation from labor providers.
• Review vendor labor reports for accuracy, prevailing wage adherence, and contractual compliance.
• Resolve payroll disputes or timekeeping issues involving subcontracted or contingent labor.
• Maintain working relationships with external labor partners and client representatives.
• Generate payroll and labor compliance reports for management and project teams.
• Maintain accurate employee and payroll records in payroll and ERP systems.
• Assist with audits, reconciliations, and month-end reporting activities.
• Recommend process improvements to enhance payroll accuracy and compliance efficiency.

What This Job Offers

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