Payroll Specialist

PINNACLE•Hillsboro, OR

About The Position

Pinnacle, an experiential marketing house, is seeking a Payroll Specialist to manage the complete payroll process for its 400+ employees across multiple states. This role is critical for ensuring accurate and timely payments, maintaining compliance, and ensuring smooth operations. The specialist will also provide daily support for employee benefits, including enrollments, answering questions, and guiding employees through their options. The company emphasizes a hands-on, employee-first approach to HR, payroll, and benefits, requiring a responsive individual who can remove friction, solve problems proactively, and ensure payroll and benefits are a seamless part of the employee experience, balancing urgency and accuracy across all time zones.

Requirements

You truly love payroll. You subscribe to the mantra of making payroll sexy again. You want to live in the details, match totals between various reports, set up new states, all of that
5 years of hands-on payroll experience, including at least 2 years supporting a multi-state workforce of 200+ employees
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, or related/equivalent experience
Strong experience with ADP Workforce Now. You’re comfortable navigating it and making it work for you
Working knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws (FLSA, FMLA, and state-specific regs), payroll deductions and tax filings.
Comfort in Excel for reviewing data, running basic formulas, and pulling reports
Experience working in HRIS/payroll systems, including reporting, audits, and ongoing maintenance. You can pick up new tools quickly
A solid understanding of benefits administration
A genuine curiosity about how the business operates and what drives it
A mindset focused on making things more efficient for everyone, not just HR
Interest in technology, including AI and SaaS tools
Experience working in a culture-driven organization
Strong attention to detail and the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion
The ability to balance being supportive with holding the line when needed
Comfortable working against deadlines and adjusting when priorities shift

Nice To Haves

Experience in a marketing or manufacturing environment is a plus

Responsibilities

Run bi-weekly payroll for 400+ employees across multiple states using ADP Workforce Now
Make sure payroll taxes, withholdings, and compliance are handled correctly at every level
Review payroll details like wages, overtime, garnishments, and deductions to keep everything accurate
Keep payroll processes up to date as regulations change
Act as our go-to ADP expert, managing employee records, pay codes, and system updates
Partner with Finance on payroll reconciliations and reporting
Support year-end payroll work, including W-2s and audits
Respond to employee questions around payroll and benefits, helping resolve issues quickly and clearly
Handle employee changes like new hires, status updates, terminations, and leave impacts on pay
Ensure benefit elections and deductions are set up and maintained accurately in ADP (medical, dental, vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA)
Participate in open enrollment including plan setup, carrier connections, employee communications and testing
Ensure compliance with local payroll regulations, stay current with emerging legislation and compliance requirements for each jurisdiction
Be a reliable resource for employees, answering benefits questions and pointing them in the right direction
Look for ways to improve processes so payroll is even more accurate and efficient
Manage payroll data integrity and maintain employee records in compliance with data protection regulations
Manage state and local reporting and filing requirements, workers' compensation reporting, payments, and annual audit
Administer ongoing 401k processes and employee-employer contribution plans, including audit-related activities