Payroll Specialist

Argonne National Laboratory • Lemont, IL

30d • $60,750 - $94,770 • Remote

About The Position

Argonne’s Financial Management and Procurement Services organization (FMPS) is seeking a Payroll Specialist to join their team. The Payroll Specialist supports the accurate and timely processing of payroll for the Laboratory. This role performs payroll processing, data maintenance, reconciliations, and reporting activities in accordance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws; Department of Energy guidelines; Argonne policies and procedures; and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). This position works collaboratively with Human Resources, Benefits, Accounting, and other internal teams to support day-to-day payroll operations.

Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree (in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field) and 2+ years of experience, or equivalent.
• Experience processing payroll with a working knowledge of payroll regulations and wage and hour requirements.
• Familiarity with payroll and timekeeping systems (Workday, Dayforce/Ceridian, ADP Vantage, or similar platforms preferred).
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work accurately with numerical data.
• Basic to intermediate analytical skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and meet established deadlines.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.

Nice To Haves

• 3+ years of payroll or related accounting experience.

Responsibilities

• Enter, review, and maintain employee payroll data including earnings, deductions, tax withholdings, and direct deposit information.
• Review timekeeping entries and perform pay-period validations.
• Assist with payroll processing activities to ensure accuracy and timely completion.
• Reconcile payroll data and research discrepancies as needed.
• Prepare payroll-related journal entries and support general ledger reconciliation activities.
• Generate routine payroll reports related to earnings, deductions, taxes, and benefits.
• Assist with employee leave accrual tracking and related calculations.
• Provide support for year-end payroll activities, including review and validation processes.
• Respond to payroll-related inquiries from employees and management in a professional and timely manner.
• Maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive payroll and employee information.
• Process, validate, and reconcile payroll-related data imports and integrations between Workday and ADP, including file transfers, interface balancing, error identification, and resolution to ensure accuracy and completeness of transferred data.

Benefits

• comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.
• Click here to view Argonne employee benefits!
• As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation.
• Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment.
• Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.
• Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A.
• You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department.
• All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis.
• Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

What This Job Offers

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