Payroll Specialist

ABOUT YOU

 

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for coordinating and processing complex weekly and bi-weekly payrolls for union and non-union associates across multiple states, ensuring accurate and timely compensation while maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and company policies.

This position performs payroll audits, reconciliations, and validations related to earnings, deductions, taxes, labor allocations, job costing, prevailing wage requirements, and certified payroll reporting. The Payroll Specialist researches and resolves payroll discrepancies, administers garnishments and other court-ordered deductions, maintains employee tax and work location information, and supports payroll reporting, compliance, and special projects while maintaining a high level of confidentiality and data integrity.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

• Coordinate and process complex weekly and bi-weekly payrolls for union and non-union employees across multiple states, ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements, federal and state wage and hour laws, tax withholding requirements, and company policies.
• Review and validate payroll transactions involving union agreements, prevailing wage requirements, multiple pay rates, fringe benefits, job classifications, bonuses, and other compensation-related adjustments to ensure accurate and timely pay.
• Perform detailed payroll audits and reconciliations to validate earnings, deductions, taxes, labor allocations, benefit deductions, garnishments, and direct deposit transactions prior to payroll processing.
• Research, analyze, and resolve payroll variances, discrepancies, and exceptions identified during payroll review processes while maintaining compliance with established payroll controls.
• Administer and maintain court-ordered deductions including child support, garnishments, creditor levies, and tax levies while ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations and required remittance deadlines.
• Process labor cost transfers, project coding adjustments, and other payroll-related accounting transactions to support accurate labor reporting and job cost allocation.
• Coordinate certified payroll reporting and prevailing wage compliance activities, ensuring accurate wage classifications, fringe benefit calculations, and regulatory reporting requirements are met.
• Audit new hire, rehire, transfer, employee status change, and compensation change transactions to ensure accurate payroll setup, taxation, deductions, and benefit processing.
• Review and audit paid time off accruals, leave transactions, and absence-related pay calculations to ensure accuracy and compliance with company policies.
• Investigate and resolve associate payroll inquiries involving pay calculations, taxation, deductions, wage adjustments, payroll corrections, and other complex payroll matters.
• Generate, review, and analyze payroll reports to identify discrepancies, support payroll balancing activities, and ensure data integrity.
• Perform payroll system testing and validation activities related to system updates, enhancements, and process improvements.
• Partner with Human Resources and Accounting teams to resolve payroll discrepancies and ensure accurate employee and labor cost data.
• Assist Payroll Leadership with special projects, process improvement initiatives, audits, compliance reviews, system implementations, and other payroll-related initiatives.
• Manage highly confidential payroll and employee information while meeting critical processing deadlines and maintaining data integrity.

 

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

This job primarily operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Communicate effectively and take instructions.
• Sit or stand at computer terminal or desk.
• Have ability to walk, kneel, use of hands, climb stairs, have full range of motion, occasionally lift office products up to 20 lbs.
• Be willing to work beyond normal working hours when necessary.
• Work at a fast pace, while multi-tasking at times.
• Travel up to 5-10% for company conferences, or training.

To perform this position successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill/ or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

This position description in no way states or implies that these are the only functions to be performed by the individual. Individuals will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by the supervisor. This job description is subject to review and revision.

 

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS

 

• Minimum of 5 years of in-house payroll experience processing high-volume payrolls in a multi-state environment.
• Experience processing payroll for both union and non-union workforces, including interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements preferred.
• Knowledge of prevailing wage requirements, certified payroll reporting, labor allocations, and job costing practices preferred.
• Demonstrated understanding of payroll compliance requirements, payroll controls, audit procedures, and payroll reconciliation processes.
• Ability to research, analyze, and resolve complex payroll discrepancies and employee pay concerns while maintaining confidentiality.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet critical deadlines, and perform effectively in a fast-paced environment with changing business demands.
• Experience auditing payroll transactions, employee data changes, tax withholding elections, earnings, deductions, leave transactions, and benefit-related payroll activity.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with other cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated ability to handle highly confidential employee and payroll information with professionalism and discretion.
• Familiarity with Viewpoint Vista software is preferred.
• Prior construction industry payroll experience preferred.

 

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

 

We are dedicated to the well-being of our associates and are proud to be consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work. Our compensation and benefits package not only supports our associates and their families but benefits local communities and communities around the world.

• Industry-leading performance-based bonus program
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Traditional and Roth 401k
• Tuition reimbursement for associates
• Scholarship for associates’ children up to $28,000 per child
• 1-month paid sabbatical after every five years of employment, plus $5,000 for travel
• 1-week paid volunteer leave each year
• 100% charitable match
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 100% paid 12-week maternity leave

At ARCO, our first core value is to treat people fairly and do the right thing. We are proud to be a drug-free workplace and an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

 

From recruiting, training, and hiring practices to selecting our subcontractors, we understand that the diversity of all those involved in the construction process enhances our ability to deliver the best solutions to our customers. We hire the best and the brightest from across the country – constructing a team of experts in architecture, design, engineering, project management, and business services.