Senior Payroll Analyst

State of Utah•Taylorsville, UT

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Division of Finance as a Senior Payroll Analyst! This role is for a full-time position with a salary range of $35.00 - $45.00 per hour. The position offers a hybrid work arrangement (Remote Work / In-Office). The application deadline is 9/1/2026, but the posting may close early if a sufficient applicant pool is received. The Senior Payroll Analyst will serve as the lead expert on how benefits, retirement contributions, and voluntary deductions impact payroll calculations. This role acts as a primary Finance partner to Central HR, collaborating with Benefits and Employee Resource teams to ensure accurate reflection of leaves of absence and benefit enrollment changes in pay. The analyst will also provide guidance to Agency Payroll Coordinators on complex payroll questions, understand and maintain the integrity of the State’s payroll for over 24,000 employees through reconciliations and issue troubleshooting, and lead the resolution of difficult payroll issues. Additionally, the role ensures all benefit-related payroll actions comply with federal and state regulations and internal policies.

Requirements

5+ years of payroll experience in a large-scale entity (10,000+ employees), with a heavy emphasis on benefits administration within payroll.
Demonstrated ability to read, understand, and apply complex policies and procedures.
Ability to spot errors, inconsistencies, or deviations from policy in large sets of data or documents.
Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to articulate complex issues clearly to non-financial audiences.
Ability to accept constructive feedback on your work and use it to grow professionally.
Collaborative spirit and ability to work well with others in a diverse environment.
Experience with payroll tax and knowledge of laws and regulations that affect federal and state taxes and the ability to analyze related statutes.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business
CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist)
Deep understanding of the payroll lifecycle, including the impact of pre-tax/post-tax benefits, retirement plan limits, and leave-of-absence pay.
Experience with third party audits and 401k administration.
Advanced proficiency in large-scale ERP systems (e.g., Workday, SAP, Oracle) and Excel skills for data reconciliation or analysis.

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead expert on how benefits, retirement contributions, and voluntary deductions impact the gross-to-net payroll calculation.
Act as the primary Finance partner to Central HR, collaborating closely with the Benefits and Employee Resource teams to ensure that leaves of absence (FMLA/STD/LTD) and benefit enrollment changes are accurately reflected in pay.
Provide guidance to Agency Payroll Coordinators on complicated payroll questions that require deep policy interpretation and technical calculation.
Understand the end-to-end payroll cycle, performing reconciliations, troubleshooting issues, etc. to maintain the integrity of the State’s payroll for 24,000+ employees.
Lead the resolution of the most difficult payroll issues, such as intricate retroactive benefit adjustments, overpayment recoveries, and complex final pay calculations.
Ensure all benefit-related payroll actions comply with federal and state regulations and internal organizational policies.