Senior Tax and Payroll Specialist

Risepoint

About The Position

Risepoint is an education technology company that provides world-class support and trusted expertise to more than 100 universities and colleges. We primarily work with regional universities, helping them develop and grow their high-ROI, workforce-focused online degree programs in critical areas such as nursing, teaching, business, and public service. Risepoint is dedicated to increasing access to affordable education so that more students, especially working adults, can improve their careers and meet employer and community needs. This role plays a critical part in ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time while maintaining compliance with complex payroll tax regulations across multiple jurisdictions. By executing payroll operations and supporting tax compliance, this position helps minimize risk, improve processes, and enhance the overall employee experience. The role directly contributes to operational excellence, compliance integrity, and continuous improvement within payroll. This role will support Risepoint’s mission by ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing for employees, enabling them to focus on their work and growth. Through attention to detail, strong execution, and collaboration, candidate will help create a reliable payroll experience that supports employees across the organization and reinforces trust in our processes.

Requirements

Strong hands-on experience executing end-to-end payroll in a multi-state environment using Workday
Knowledge of payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions
Proven ability to manage payroll processing, tax filings, and reconciliations with a high level of accuracy, while using systems like ADP SmartCompliance
Experience handling tax notices, resolving discrepancies, and supporting audits
Ability to navigate complex payroll scenarios and meet strict deadlines
Excel skills are a must, including strong proficiency in Pivot Tables and VLOOKUPs for data analysis and reconciliation

Nice To Haves

CPP certification is a plus, but not required
Experience supporting international payroll or working with teams outside the U.S. is also beneficial
Exposure to year-end activities, such as W-2 and W-2c processing, as well as participation in payroll audits, is helpful but not required

Responsibilities

Execute full-cycle payroll processing for salaried and hourly employees across multiple states
Process payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, bonuses, and adjustments
Support on-cycle and off-cycle payroll runs following established processes
Maintain and audit payroll data in Workday, including uploads and system validations
Support payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions
Execute tax filings, payments, and reconciliations using ADP SmartCompliance
Review and research tax notices, partnering with internal teams and vendors for resolution
Monitor tax regulations and flag risks or required updates
Support maintenance of tax configurations and employee tax withholdings
Perform payroll and tax reconciliations (wages, deductions, tax filings)
Review reports and investigate discrepancies
Prepare audit-ready documentation for internal and external audits
Support quarter-end and year-end activities, including W-2 and W-2c processing
Research and resolve payroll and tax discrepancies
Respond to employee questions related to pay, taxes, and deductions
Partner cross-functionally to ensure timely issue resolution
Identify opportunities to improve payroll and tax processes
Partner with Payroll, HR, Finance, and vendors to support operations
Contribute to documentation and standardization of procedures
Support training efforts related to payroll and tax processes