Payroll Specialist Lead in New York at Jobgether

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Payroll Specialist Lead based in United States.

This role is a hands-on payroll leadership opportunity focused on delivering accurate, timely, and compliant payroll operations within a U.S. PEO environment. You will combine deep payroll expertise with operational ownership and support for fellow payroll specialists. The position requires strong attention to detail, analytical problem-solving, and the ability to manage multiple payroll cycles and deadlines. You will collaborate with Payroll Operations, Finance, Product, Service Operations, and external stakeholders to resolve issues and improve processes. You will also contribute to system enhancements, operational rollouts, automation, and performance measurement. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in an independent, asynchronous, and globally distributed environment while maintaining high standards of accuracy and discretion.

• Execute end-to-end payroll operations within the U.S. PEO environment, ensuring payroll is accurate, timely, and compliant with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Validate payroll inputs, calculations, and outputs across payroll cycles while maintaining strong data integrity and identifying discrepancies before processing is completed.
• Manage payroll exceptions, adjustments, reconciliations, and complex issues, escalating matters appropriately when additional expertise or intervention is required.
• Support the implementation of payroll processes, including system updates, statutory changes, operational rollouts, and new programs.
• Serve as a knowledgeable point of contact for internal teams and relevant external stakeholders on payroll execution, compliance, and operational matters.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, documentation, controls, and workflows while contributing to greater operational efficiency.
• Participate in testing payroll system enhancements and updates, helping ensure new functionality is accurate, reliable, and operationally ready.
• Provide guidance and support to other payroll specialists when needed, helping maintain continuity, consistency, and quality throughout payroll delivery.
• Monitor payroll performance metrics, including SLAs and KPIs, and contribute to initiatives that strengthen service quality and operational performance.

• Bring proven experience executing end-to-end payroll within a U.S. PEO, payroll service bureau, or similar environment, including payroll validation, reconciliations, and statutory filings.
• Possess strong knowledge of U.S. federal, state, and local payroll regulations, compliance requirements, and payroll best practices.
• Demonstrate experience implementing payroll processes or contributing to operational rollouts, system changes, or process improvements.
• Have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret payroll data, identify discrepancies, investigate exceptions, and resolve issues accurately.
• Be proficient with payroll systems and comfortable learning new operational tools quickly; experience with automation or AI-assisted workflows is a plus.
• Be comfortable working independently in a fully remote, asynchronous environment while maintaining accountability for deadlines and deliverables.
• Demonstrate a collaborative mindset and strong communication skills when partnering with internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Be highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple payroll cycles, priorities, and time-sensitive deadlines.
• Experience with multi-country payroll is advantageous but not required for this U.S.-focused position.
• Demonstrate high integrity and discretion when handling confidential and sensitive payroll information.

• Annual salary range of $66,550–$112,300 USD for this full-time position, with compensation determined by location, experience, skills, training, business needs, and market conditions.
• Work-from-anywhere flexibility within the applicable employment location.
• Flexible paid time off and flexible working hours within an asynchronous work environment.
• 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
• Mental health support services.
• Stock options.
• Learning and professional development budget.
• Home office budget and IT equipment.
• Budget for local in-person social events or coworking spaces.
• Opportunity to work with a globally distributed team and contribute to modern payroll operations, automation, and AI-enabled workflows.
• A culture that emphasizes autonomy, proactive ownership, life-work balance, and flexibility around personal and family needs.