Sr. Payroll Specialist | WFH

Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated, detail-oriented Offshore Payroll Specialist to join and become a long-term extension of its payroll and finance team.

The Payroll Specialist will provide hands-on support for payroll processing for approximately 150 employees, with a strong preference for candidates who have Canadian payroll experience and familiarity with Employment Standards Act (ESA) requirements.

This is an execution-focused role for someone who is comfortable working directly in payroll systems, reviewing employee data, calculating commissions, validating time and attendance, working with Excel formulas, and resolving payroll issues quickly.

The successful candidate will be expected to take ownership of assigned payroll responsibilities, work proactively, and maintain a strong sense of urgency around payroll deadlines. Once a payroll cycle is completed, the expectation is to immediately begin preparing for the next cycle and work through other payroll-related tasks rather than waiting for additional directions.

The specialist will work closely with the Canadian-based team and should be comfortable providing consistent communication, quick responses, and reliable follow-through.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing

• Support the end-to-end processing of payroll for approximately 850 employees.
• Enter, review, validate, and reconcile payroll information.
• Process new hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, adjustments, and other employee changes.
• Review payroll data for accuracy before payroll is finalized.
• Identify discrepancies and work with the appropriate team members to resolve them.
• Meet all established payroll deadlines and processing schedules.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and documentation.

Canadian Payroll Support

• Apply working knowledge of Canadian payroll practices.
• Understand and appropriately apply applicable Employment Standards Act (ESA) rules and requirements.
• Research payroll questions and identify potential compliance issues for review by the internal team.
• Support payroll-related reporting, reconciliations, and audits.
• Stay informed about changes that may impact day-to-day payroll processing.

Canadian payroll experience is strongly preferred.

Commission Calculations

• Calculate employee commissions and other variable compensation.
• Review commission reports and support data for accuracy.
• Validate calculations using Excel and other available resources.
• Identify discrepancies and coordinate with internal stakeholders to resolve issues.
• Ensure approved commission information is accurately reflected in payroll.

Time & Attendance

• Review employee time and attendance information prior to payroll processing.
• Identify missing, unusual, or inconsistent time entries.
• Follow up with appropriate managers or team members to resolve discrepancies.
• Ensure approved attendance information is accurately reflected in payroll.

Rippling

• Work directly within Rippling to support payroll and employee-related processes.
• Enter and validate employee information.
• Review payroll data and system-generated reports.
• Assist with troubleshooting payroll or employee-data discrepancies.
• Become highly proficient in Rippling processes and workflows.

Excel & Data Analysis

• Use Microsoft Excel extensively to support payroll calculations, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Create and maintain formulas to analyze payroll information.
• Compare datasets and identify discrepancies.
• Work with large employee datasets accurately and efficiently.
• Develop or maintain spreadsheets used as payroll controls and validation tools.

Offshore Team Expectations

This position will operate as an extension of the internal payroll team. The successful candidate should be comfortable working independently while maintaining frequent communication with the team.

The candidate should:

• Be highly responsive during agreed-upon working hours.
• Communicate quickly when an issue or discrepancy is identified.
• Ask questions when information is unclear rather than making assumptions.
• Provide clear status updates on assigned work.
• Follow established processes and escalation procedures.
• Protect confidential employees and compensation information.
• Be comfortable working with a North American-based team and accommodating required time-zone overlap.
• Demonstrate consistent attendance and availability during scheduled hours.