US Payroll Specialist

Join New Era Technology, where People First is at the heart of everything we do. With a global team of over 3,000 professionals, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, empowered, and inspired to grow. Our mission is to securely connect people, places, and information with end-to-end technology solutions at scale. At New Era, you'll join a team-oriented culture that prioritizes your personal and professional development. Work alongside industry-certified experts, access continuous training, and enjoy competitive benefits. Guided by our core attributes — putting people first, embracing continuous learning, and thriving through collaboration and inclusion — we nurture our people to deliver exceptional customer service. If you want to make an impact in a supportive, growth-oriented environment, New Era is the place for you. Apply today and help us shape the future of work—together What is the role Reporting directly to the HR & Payroll Director, the Payroll Specialist will assist with the daily function of the Human Resource (HR) department payroll practice such as hands-on preparation of payroll for processing a timely, accurate, and compliant manner based on government regulations, reporting payroll data to various stakeholders, reconciling employee benefits every payroll cycle, and assisting the team with special projects. Other duties and responsibilities include but may not be limited to the following: Enter, validate, and maintain employee payroll data (rates/salaries, differentials, bonuses/commissions, time worked, paid leaves/holidays, deductions, tax withholdings, and address changes) in the payroll system of record. Process accurate and timely payroll data entry items, including but not limited to, updates, and changes for new hires, terminations, rate changes, schedule changes, and retroactivity across multiple U.S. states. Ensure correct calculation and withholding of taxes, benefits, and court-ordered deductions. Prepare, transmit, and reconcile recurring benefit and deduction files (e.g., 401(k), HSA); assist in resolution for variances with vendors and Finance. Build and run standard and ad-hoc reports (deduction/tax registers, variances); maintain orderly, audit-ready documentation. Research and resolve employee pay inquiries and tickets within defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Support quarterly and year-end activities (W-2 review/corrections, taxable fringe reviews) in partnership with the Senior Payroll Specialist and Finance. Monitor compliance with U.S. federal, state, and local wage-and-hour regulations and internal controls; escalate risks promptly. Contribute to process documentation, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), checklists, and continuous improvement (error-reduction, automation, cycle-time reduction). Perform other duties as assigned to support payroll continuity and service levels. Work Set-up/Schedule Permanent WFH 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM Philippine time Who we are looking for Successful candidate must possess: Must have 3+ years of U.S. multi-state payroll experience Experience in hands-on payroll approach, including balancing large payrolls using Excel and reconciling employee benefits every payroll cycle is needed the role Proficient in Excel (filters, pivot tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, cleanup, error-checking) Knowledge with wage-and-hour rules, multi-state taxation, and payroll controls Experience with Paylocity (preferred) and ConnectWise (a plus) High accuracy, attention to detail, and strong follow-through Analytical mindset: able to reconcile discrepancies and explain variances Comfortable with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) Automation-friendly: Power Automate flows, SharePoint list hygiene, templates Exposure to union/CBA payroll: dues/fringe files, rate tables Familiarity with prevailing wage: certified reports, fringe allocations, corrections Excellent written/verbal communication; able to coach employees and update stakeholders Handles sensi…