At Near, we help top talent in Latin America find remote roles with US companies. Our mission is to create better lives by fostering a remote work culture that transcends borders.
About the role
Join our client’s team as a Payroll Specialist and take ownership of payroll operations for a growing, US-based organization with a distributed workforce.
In this role, you’ll oversee end-to-end payroll operations for US W-2 employees across multiple states, as well as US-based and international independent contractors. You’ll play a key role in ensuring payroll is accurate, timely, compliant, and well-coordinated across People, Accounting, employees, vendors, and external agencies.
This is a highly hands-on role for someone with deep US payroll expertise who can operate independently, navigate complex payroll and compliance requirements, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Responsibilities
Payroll Operations
- Prepare and process semi-monthly payroll for exempt and non-exempt US W-2 employees across 30+ states
- Administer semi-monthly payments for US-based and global independent contractors
- Ensure every payroll cycle is accurate, complete, timely, and compliant
- Manage employee payroll changes, deductions, earnings, and other payroll-related updates
- Handle employee onboarding and offboarding processes following established procedures
Payroll Compliance
- Manage state and local payroll tax registrations and compliance requirements
- Coordinate tax filings and payroll-related requirements with local, state, and federal agencies
- Stay current on applicable payroll regulations and requirements
- Support Workers’ Compensation, 401(k), financial statement, and third-party audits
- Oversee payroll-related compliance processes, including I-9 reporting and Open Enrollment activities
Payroll & Benefits Administration
- Own monthly payroll and benefits audit processes
- Ensure employee, payroll, and benefits data is accurate across relevant systems
- Process and reconcile semi-monthly funding of benefit providers
- Investigate and resolve payroll and benefits discrepancies
- Support employment and income verification requests
Accounting & Reconciliation
- Prepare payroll-related journal entries and reconciliations
- Partner closely with Accounting to ensure payroll data and financial records are accurate
- Identify discrepancies and proactively resolve issues before payroll deadlines
Employee & Vendor Support
- Serve as the primary point of contact for employees and vendors regarding payroll, taxes, deductions, earnings, and related questions
- Provide clear explanations of payroll policies, processes, and procedures
- Work closely with external vendors and cross-functional partners to resolve issues efficiently
- Deliver a high level of internal customer service across all payroll-related matters
Systems & Process Improvement
- Serve as a subject matter expert on payroll systems, processes, and best practices
- Administer and optimize payroll and HRIS workflows
- Identify opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, and scalability
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date employee records and files
- Adapt payroll processes and priorities as the organization continues to grow
Requirements
- 8+ years of experience in payroll and HR, with significant hands-on payroll experience
- 4+ years of experience with benefits administration
- Strong experience processing multi-state US payroll
- Experience with global payroll and/or international contractor payments
- Strong knowledge of US federal, state, and local payroll tax compliance
- Extensive experience with ADP payroll and HRIS platforms
- Strong understanding of payroll and HR systems
- Experience supporting payroll audits, reconciliations, and compliance processes
- Intermediate to advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, IF functions, and pivot tables
- Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills
- Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
- Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
- Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to manage strict deadlines and changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Highly organized, proactive, and able to work independently
- Strong follow-through and ownership mentality
- Ability to work US business hours / align with US time zones
Perks
- Fully remote
- Competitive USD payment
- Annual performance bonus
- Generous PTO
- US holidays
- Long-term opportunity with a growing US-based organization
- Opportunity to work cross-functionally with People, Accounting, and other business teams
- Fast-paced environment with significant ownership and impact
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