Payroll Analyst

The Payroll Analyst demonstrates deep functional expertise in multiple payroll areas. The position is responsible for ensuring complex employee, manager or business scenarios are analyzed and effectively processed to ensure resolution within payroll process guidelines

Provides inquiry support (phone, email, chat/IM) to managers, employees, and retirees regarding payroll policies, and processes.

Payroll Process Management and Escalated Inquiry Support (60%)

• Global payroll experience (Ex: Canada and Puerto Rico).
• Ensures complex employee, manager or business scenarios are analyzed and effective processing steps taken to ensure resolution within payroll process guidelines.
• Manage workflow to ensure all payroll transactions are processed timely and accurately.
• Frequently engages with other People Experience Center, ADP, IT team, accounting and Legal to ensure complex scenarios are resolved and processed timely and accurately.
• Maintains and processes for all court ordered employee garnishments including responses.
• Process incentive requests via EIB following pre-defined procedures.
• Handle equity reporting and expatriates shadow payroll.
• Knowledge of multi-state taxation and labor laws.
• Assist/handles all new state/local registrations and ongoing compliance.
• Assists with bi-weekly, monthly, and quarterly Federal and State tax payments and filings as needed.
• Assists with preparation of annual W-2 wage statements and federal and state filings.
• Ensures the accuracy of W-2 (year-round) and process accurate and timely year end reporting of W-2.
• Ability to work efficiently and productively in a multi-task environment independently with minimal supervision.
• Provides Tier 2 inquiry support (phone, email, and chat/IM) to managers, employees, and retirees regarding payroll policies, plans and processes. Provides tier 1 support at peak times.
• Processing of ACH wires, reversals, returns, bank reports, stop pays  and positive pay files for all companies.
• Prepare global journal entries related to payroll and benefits and record timely and accurately.
• Assist with general ledger account reconciliation inquiries/review at month-end.
• Review and processing of complex payroll procedures (leaves, death benefits, executive compensation, deferral plans, government reporting, etc.)
• Solid understanding of plans as it relates to payroll (401(k), ESPP, Non-qualified plans, etc.)
• Effectively uses case management and knowledgebase tools to resolve, log, track and escalate employee, manager or retiree inquiries.
• Maintains a high level of confidentiality and professionalism.
• Assists payroll accounting (balancing, ach requests, etc.)
• Demonstrates and maintains deep proficiency in multi-state payroll process areas.

Process Improvement (20%)

Leads payroll ongoing process improvement initiatives, this includes evaluating process efficiencies and making improvement suggestions based on lean processing principles or to comply with regulatory changes, benefit plan changes, and/or policy changes.

Actively uses Payroll metrics and trends to determine where process improvement options exist incorporating these in process improvement proposals.

Maintains process documentation and develops/delivers related training for staff.

Provides mentoring and guidance to Payroll Associates. Stays informed on payroll policy, plans and programs as well as regulatory updates for their areas of expertise providing regular team updates.

Special Project Lead (20%)

Serves as lead payroll representative on annual programs and special projects including quarter and year end, systems upgrade etc.  Influences project decisions where appropriate to improve the customer experience and/or improve efficiency.  Coordinate’s payroll testing resources and collects/analyzes testing results for the team.  Helps identify systems improvements and assists with developing systems requirements/test plans.  Updates process documentation to reflect changes to process or procedures

Supervisor support (occasional/as needed)

Provides back up for Supervisor, ensuring proper staffing levels are maintained and transactional time and quality service levels are met.

Knowledge and Skills:

3 – 5 years of payroll experience in a complex, multi-state organization.

Knowledge of multi state pay related practices specifically (and local ordinances)

Working knowledge of payroll best practices

Excellent customer service skills

Detail oriented with advanced MS Office skills.

Working knowledge of SOX, FMLA, and payroll/benefit tax regulations

Excellent customer service / customer focus.

Must be proficient working with larger payroll systems that integrate or interface with other systems

Solid understanding and application of payroll regulations, principles,

practice and procedures.

Strong organizational abilities with excellent verbal and written communication skills in order to communicate effectively with various levels of management and staff personnel.

Good judgement, collaboration, teamwork and decision making.

Problem analysis and problem resolution at the functional level.

Utilize available resources to solve problems or resolve issues.

Follow through on all requests and issues and resolve issues quickly

Above average computer literacy, e.g., EXCEL, WORD, and various vendor applications.

At Assurant, we celebrate the differences that make us who we are. By assembling extraordinary teams from a variety of races, religions, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, experiences, and abilities, we’re able to better reflect the global communities where we live and work. By working to remove barriers, we ensure equity for everyone. The pursuit of inclusion rests with each of us. Because it’s only by listening to and representing the unique voices of every individual that we can innovate for all.

For further information about Assurant, please visit our website: https://www.assurant.com/