Senior Associate - US Payroll and Compliance

Position Summary

The Senior Associate is a core operational role responsible for leading multi-state US payroll processing cycles, executing complex compliance reviews, handling amendments, and addressing technical payroll tax notices. Working within a professional services setup, this position ensures high accuracy across gross-to-net calculations, tax deposits, court-ordered garnishments, benefits, PTO management and regulatory requirements. The Senior Specialist acts as a key technical resource for complex payroll adjustments and maintains direct coordination with client teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead multi-state and multi-frequency US payroll processing cycles (weekly, bi weekly, semi-monthly, monthly) with high accuracy and strict SLA adherence.
• Execute complex payroll entries, including retroactive pay adjustments, time corrections, merits, commissions, bonuses, benefits and court-ordered wage garnishments.
• Ensure accurate calculation of gross-to-net pay, statutory tax withholdings, local/state tax deductions, benefit contributions, and periodic reporting packages.
• Perform detailed compliance and retainer reviews across client payroll records to verify adherence to federal, state, and local frameworks.
• Review, analyze, and draft response letters for state and federal payroll tax notices, tax agency inquiries, and penalty assessments.
• Research and execute payroll tax amendments, prior-quarter adjustments, and multi-state tax updates.
• Conduct ongoing research on Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, state specific tax deposit frameworks, and evolving labor/payroll laws.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex employee payroll inquiries, tax withholding clarifications, and technical issue resolution.
• Ensure all client documentation, statutory filings, and review sign-offs are organized and updated within client document repositories.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate degree in Commerce (B.Com) or Master of Business Administration (MBA Finance/HR).
• Experience: 7 to 10 years of direct, relevant experience in US Payroll and Compliance
• Advanced proficiency in primary US payroll systems (ADP, Paylocity, Gusto, etc.) and ShareFile.
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Outlook and Word, alongside working knowledge of Excel (data analysis, lookups, pivot tables) and PowerPoint.

Key Competencies

• Deep functional understanding of FLSA regulations, state/local tax deposit schedules, statutory deductions, and tax frameworks across all 50 states.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify discrepancies in gross-to-net processing and complex tax notices.
• Ability to organize, plan, and balance multiple client review projects simultaneously under tight regulatory deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills required to draft client response letters and interact with professional services teams.