Payroll Specialist

Aston Carter•Maple Lake Township, MN

8d•$30 - $35•Hybrid

About The Position

Aston Carter is seeking a skilled Payroll Specialist for a Contract to Hire position based in Maple Lake, MN. This role involves administering and maintaining the electronic timekeeping system, managing employee and payroll data, processing weekly payroll for multiple companies, and ensuring timely completion of all payroll cycles. The specialist will also handle manual checks, generate certified payroll reports, compile union reports, determine payroll liabilities, and respond to customer inquiries. A key part of the role includes performing account balance reviews, reconciling general ledger accounts related to payroll, and preparing journal entries for accurate financial reporting. Collaboration with the payroll and accounting teams is essential to support accurate project and corporate financials. Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP, are required for data analysis and reporting.

Requirements

At least 1 year of hands-on payroll experience.
Experience administering and maintaining electronic timekeeping systems.
Proficiency in entering and managing data in payroll and administrative databases.
Ability to reconcile payroll prior to transmission and validate payroll reports.
Experience processing weekly payroll cycles for multiple entities or business units.
Knowledge of calculating and entering federal, state, and local income tax, social security, 401(k) transfers, direct deposits, child support, wage assignments, and garnishments.
Ability to respond professionally to internal and external customer inquiries and resolve payroll discrepancies.
Experience performing account balance reviews and reconciling general ledger accounts related to payroll.
Skill in preparing and posting payroll-related journal entries.
Advanced Excel skills, including demonstrated ability to use pivot tables and VLOOKUP functions.
Ability to work with multi-state payroll requirements and regulations.

Nice To Haves

Experience with multi-state payroll is highly desirable.
Prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting experience is highly desirable, particularly in construction or utilities environments.
Industry experience in construction, utilities, or similar project-based organizations is a strong plus.
Familiarity with UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) for payroll and HR is beneficial.

Responsibilities

Administer and maintain the electronic timekeeping system to ensure accurate capture of employee hours.
Enter and update employee and payroll data in payroll and administrative databases and software programs.
Reconcile payroll prior to transmission and validate confirmed payroll reports for accuracy and completeness.
Process weekly payroll for multiple companies and ensure all payroll cycles are completed in a timely manner.
Prepare and process manual checks or ACH payments when necessary to resolve exceptions or special cases.
Generate, review, and submit certified payroll reports for prevailing wage projects in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Compile and report monthly hours, wages, and payments due to various unions, ensuring compliance with union agreements.
Determine payroll liabilities by entering and validating federal, state, and local income tax information, social security, 401(k) transfers, direct deposits, child support orders, wage assignments, and garnishments.
Respond to inquiries from internal and external customers, answer questions, provide documents, explain procedures, interpret policies, and resolve discrepancies.
Handle complex payroll problems as they arise, investigating issues and implementing appropriate solutions.
Perform account balance reviews and reconcile the general ledger related to payroll transactions.
Prepare and post journal entries associated with payroll activity to ensure accurate financial reporting.
Collaborate closely with the payroll team and broader accounting team to support accurate project and corporate financials.
Use Excel extensively, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP functions, to analyze payroll data and prepare reports.