Payroll Specialist

French & Parrello•Wall Township, NJ

8d•$76,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

French & Parrello Associates (FPA), a multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm with offices throughout New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts, is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to join our Accounting Department in our Wall Township headquarters. The Payroll Specialist will be responsible for managing full-cycle, multi-state biweekly payroll for more than 300 employees while ensuring accuracy, compliance, confidentiality, and timely processing. This role requires a detail-oriented payroll professional with advanced experience in ADP Workforce Now, Deltek Vision/Vantagepoint, and payroll administration within a professional services environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong technical payroll expertise, exceptional organizational skills, and the ability to independently manage recurring payroll deadlines. This position plays a critical role in supporting FPA’s employees by ensuring accurate compensation, benefit deductions, reporting, and payroll records while partnering with Accounting, Human Resources, and leadership teams to maintain efficient and compliant payroll operations. FPA’s Accounting Department supports a growing, employee-owned engineering and consulting organization with more than 300 employees across multiple offices and disciplines. Our team manages complex payroll processes that support a project-based professional services environment, including multi-state payroll administration, employee compensation changes, benefit processing, time tracking integration, and compliance reporting. The Payroll Specialist will have the opportunity to manage payroll operations within a dynamic organization where accuracy, confidentiality, and process improvement are essential. This role will support employees across engineering, administrative, and technical disciplines while working with integrated systems including ADP Workforce Now and Deltek Vantagepoint. The position provides the opportunity to contribute to the continued growth and success of FPA by ensuring employees are paid accurately and payroll processes are executed efficiently from onboarding through year-end reporting.

Requirements

Minimum of 5 years of full-cycle, multi-state payroll processing experience.
Advanced hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now, including payroll processing, payroll grids, QuickCalc, and reporting functions.
Experience with Deltek Vision or Deltek Vantagepoint, particularly time and expense integration with payroll.
Advanced Excel skills with the ability to analyze and reconcile payroll data.
Strong understanding of payroll tax withholding, benefits deductions, garnishments, 401(k) administration, and payroll compliance.
Experience processing payroll within a professional services, consulting, architecture, engineering, or project-based environment preferred.
Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy with the ability to manage high-volume payroll processing.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize deadlines and work independently.

Nice To Haves

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
Experience supporting payroll across multiple states, including New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts.
Experience with year-end payroll processing and W-2 preparation.
Familiarity with commuter benefit programs and pre-tax deduction administration.
Experience working within an employee-owned or professional services organization.

Responsibilities

Process full-cycle, multi-state biweekly payroll in ADP Workforce Now for 300+ employees.
Import and reconcile timesheet data from Deltek Vantagepoint into ADP Workforce Now, ensuring accuracy between systems.
Review Deltek time analysis reports, including straight time and overtime reporting, prior to payroll processing.
Calculate and process straight time over 40 hours for eligible salaried engineering staff while maintaining supporting documentation.
Manage payroll grid entries, including earnings codes, deductions, leave adjustments, commuter benefits, and other payroll-related corrections.
Process benefit deductions, 401(k) contributions, garnishments, and payroll adjustments accurately and timely.
Review payroll registers, statistical summaries, and payroll reports to identify and resolve discrepancies.
Process off-cycle payroll payments, bonuses, and net-to-gross calculations as needed.
Manage manual check processing, direct deposit setup, and coordination with Accounting for payroll-related activities.
Maintain organized payroll documentation, including employee changes, compensation updates, new hires, separations, and leave adjustments.
Ensure compliance with federal and multi-state payroll regulations, tax requirements, wage and hour laws, and recordkeeping standards.
Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 preparation, reconciliations, and reporting.
Utilize advanced Excel functions to analyze payroll data and resolve discrepancies.
Maintain strict confidentiality of employee compensation and personal information.