Senior Payroll and Tax Specialist

Keller Postman•Chicago, IL

16d•$90,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Payroll and Tax Specialist is a key member of the Human Resources team responsible for ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll administration across multiple legal entities. This role manages end-to-end payroll processing for 6+ payrolls, oversees all federal and state tax registrations and maintenance, and plays a critical role in onboarding newly acquired entities into the firm’s ADP Workforce Now payroll and HRIS environment. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, technically strong in ADP Workforce Now, and experienced in multi-state, multi-entity payroll and tax operations within a fast-paced, high-growth organization. This is a full-time position based in our Chicago office working a hybrid schedule of three days per week in the office and two days per week remote. The compensation for the role, depending on experience, is an annual base salary of $90,000 to $110,000 per year, plus the role is eligible for benefits and a year-end discretionary performance bonus.

Requirements

Expertise in ADP Workforce Now (required; not just user-level—must understand configuration, reporting, and payroll tax functionality).
Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax laws and compliance.
Experience running multi-entity, multi-state payroll with high accuracy and tight deadlines.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and analytical skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, high-growth environment with competing priorities.
Strong communication skills.
Intermediate to advanced Excel skills; comfort working with large data sets.
Ability to manage complex processes independently with minimal oversight.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or related field preferred.
3–5+ years of payroll and payroll tax experience required.
Demonstrated hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting acquisitions, entity onboarding, or payroll migrations strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Process accurate and timely payroll for 8+ multi-state payrolls across various entities and pay cycles.
Maintain and audit employee records, compensation changes, deductions, benefits, and timekeeping data within ADP Workforce Now.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws as well as internal policies.
Monitor payroll inboxes, troubleshoot employee payroll issues, and provide high-quality customer service to employees and managers.
Run and review pre- and post-processing audits to ensure accuracy and resolve discrepancies ahead of payroll deadlines.
Manage federal, state, and local tax registrations for all entities, including onboarding new states as the business expands.
Handle account creation, maintenance, closures, and ongoing compliance for payroll tax jurisdictions.
Ensure timely filing, payment, and reconciliation of payroll taxes via ADP and relevant state/federal portals.
Partner with ADP and Finance to resolve tax notices and ensure all tax accounts are in good standing.
Maintain accurate SUI rates, nexus tracking, and multi-state withholding requirements.
Lead payroll onboarding and migration efforts for newly acquired entities, including: Assessing existing payroll provider setup, creating migration plans and timelines, mapping earnings, deductions, benefits, and demographic data into ADP, and ensuring a seamless transition with no interruption to employee pay.
Build, run, and maintain ADP reporting dashboards and data analytics to support HR, Finance, and leadership.
Create custom reports for compliance, audits, compensation reviews, budgeting, headcount tracking, and operational metrics.
Other ad-hoc duties as assigned.