Sr. Payroll Specialist

The Senior Payroll Specialist/Payroll Analyst brings advanced analytical expertise within a Payroll discipline in USA & Canada, such as payroll processing, local, state and federal tax filling, Global Payroll Standards compliance, internal controls and reconciliation. This role leads complex analyses, supports company-wide initiatives, and collaborates across cross-functional teams to drive impactful improvements within the Payroll Specialist area of focus.

This role can be home-based USA (CST or EST preferred) or hybrid near one of our offices (Hoffman Estates or Decatur, IL).

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Builds and maintains working relationships with HR, Finance, Plant administrators to ensure payroll requirements are fully communicated, understood and adhered to.
• Prepares and maintains accurate records of payroll transactions & ensures data is transferred to 3rd party provider for processing within agreed timelines.
• Check’s 3rd party providers payroll output to ensure all data changes have been applied accurately.
• Reviews & approves Payroll, disbursements & garnishments, in line with internal approval routes.
• Routinely checks payroll providers output to ensure it complies with federal, state, and local payroll, wage, and the law.
• Maintains and reviews payroll process guides to ensure all payroll related procedures are accurately documented.
• Ensure data integrity and regulatory compliance within the team, coordinating documentation checks and contributing to data governance efforts.
• Collaborate with other functions (HR, Finance, C&B teams) and external vendors to implement and improve programmes, processes, or policies within the Payroll expertise, supporting team-wide goals and promoting Payroll optimisation.
• Facilitates audits by providing records and documentation to auditors & answering follow up questions.
• Prepares reports & compiles summaries of earnings, taxes, deductions, leave, disability, and non-taxable wages for multiple stakeholders.
• Assists the finance function to balance the payroll accounts by resolving queries relating to General Ledger reporting.
• Responds to employee data requests within agreed SLA timelines.
• Conduct in-depth analyses and evaluations within Payroll area, using advanced metrics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement and make recommendations to management to support decision-making.
• Provide mentoring or guidance to more junior team members, supporting skill development and providing support with handling and resolving complex Payroll-related challenges.
• Adheres to data protection laws at all times, keeping information confidential and sharing only where absolutely necessary.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; participating in professional societies.

  Required Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources or equivalent experience.
• FPC or CPP Certification required.
• Three to five years of related experience required.
• Knowledge of the payroll function including preparation, balancing, internal control, and payroll taxes filling.
• Experience of processing payrolls using Workday for US is a must.
• Experience of processing payroll via a 3rd party provider
• Must possess excellent organisational skills with the ability to plan a variety of tasks with conflicting demands whilst meeting strict deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Largely able to operate independently, though may seek guidance on atypical or complex Payroll issues. Able to coach juniors on technical and operational matters in a specialism.
• Accountable for own targets and reviewing work of juniors.
• Frequently conducts detailed analysis and investigation to identify customised solutions for Payroll problems or needs, determine best options, or suggest improvements to existing methods.
• This role involves initiating communication with cross-functional teams to address and resolve shared issues, collaborate on processes, and interpret or clarify technical information to enhance understanding.
• Workday HR System experience required.

Tate & Lyle complies with all local/state regulations requiring salary range transparency.

When determining final compensation, we take into consideration: skillset, job scope, knowledge, prior experience, cost of living, market data, budget availability, and other factors as permitted by law.

The pay range for this position is: $65,000 - $89,500.

In addition to competitive pay, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package that includes but is not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, Vision coverages
• Paid time off package, including vacation, sick time, and 16 weeks of paid parental leave
• 401K with company match
• Company paid life insurance
• Additional benefits at not cost to employee such as:  Lifestyle Spending Account, Identity Theft protection, Employee Assistance Program, telemedicine and more!

In addition to your Total Rewards, culture and ED&I are very important to Tate & Lyle.  We offer multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that support various communities.

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California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA")

The Company is committed to complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and all data privacy and laws in the jurisdictions in which it recruits and hires employees. We collect the following categories of personal information for the purpose of hiring the best qualified applicants and to comply with applicable employment laws: Name and contact information; Job preference and work availability; Social Security Number and/or other identification information; Education and qualifications; Employment history and experience; Military service; Reference and background check information, including relevant criminal history and credit history; Social media information; Pre-employment test results; Post-offer medical examination information and results, including drug test results; Voluntary self-disclosure information regarding minority, veteran, and disability status; and Information provided by you during the hiring process.

Tate & Lyle is an equal opportunity employer, committed to the strength of an inclusive workforce.