Senior Payroll Analyst

Workiva•Ames, IA

10d

About The Position

The Senior Payroll Analyst processes and reconciles payroll for the United States and Canada, and cross-trains to provide backup for EMEA, APAC, and South America payroll. The role partners globally with Accounting & Finance, Benefits, Equity, and People & Culture teams to support employee experience, automation, reporting, compliance, and process improvement. The posting also describes processing inputs for Brazil. The position supports payroll tax operations, including managing inquiries and cases through the OneSource Virtual portal. Workiva supports employees working from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment. The role requires reliable internet access when working remotely outside a Workiva office and includes 15% travel for customer and internal meetings. Candidates must be authorized to work permanently in the U.S.; Workiva will not provide visa sponsorship.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree or equivalent combination of education and experience in a related field.
At least 4 years of experience in payroll operations.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent verbal and written command of English.
Ability to adapt to the needs and communication styles of people from different cultures.
Ability to identify and resolve issues methodically, with close attention to detail and critical thinking.
Ability to provide team support with a proactive mindset.
Reliable internet access when working remotely outside a Workiva office.
Authorization to work in the U.S. on a permanent basis; visa sponsorship is not provided.
Willingness to travel 15% for customer and internal meetings.

Nice To Haves

Public company payroll operations experience.
Experience with modern data tools, automated reporting, or AI-assisted technologies to improve workflow efficiency and data integrity.
Workday Payroll experience; strongly preferred.
Multinational payroll experience.
Knowledge of languages in addition to English.
Strong organization and multitasking skills, including managing multiple processes, programs, and procedures under pressure to meet deadlines.
Self-motivation and a propensity for action, results, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Process and review automated and manual payroll inputs using Workday and CloudPay for the United States, Canada, and Brazil.
Review payroll reports each pay period, monthly, quarterly, and at year-end to ensure accurate payments to employees, EOR employees, vendors, and statutory jurisdictions.
Create and maintain payroll review documents and period-end payroll metrics.
Partner with Accounting & Finance, Benefits, Equity, and Human Resources teams to administer payroll activities.
Identify opportunities for improvement and positive change.
Maintain payroll checklists and audits for accuracy and SOX compliance.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and company policies.
Work with Accounting & Finance on reconciliations and payroll reporting needs.
Research tax deduction and filing discrepancies and resolve tax entries internally and with third-party providers using Workday knowledge.
Support and participate in projects involving implementations, automation, payroll interfaces, and process improvement.
Respond to employee and third-party payroll inquiries in a supportive and timely manner.
Create and maintain payroll guidelines by writing and updating policies and procedures as processes evolve.
Process and reconcile statutory tax and third-party payroll payments.
Serve as the day-to-day contact for payroll tax partner inquiries and manage, monitor, and resolve tax cases, agency notices, and support tickets through the OneSource Virtual portal.
Cross-train to provide payroll backup for EMEA, APAC, and South America.