The Payroll Analyst is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing while maintaining compliance with payroll regulations and internal controls. This role supports payroll operations, audits, system administration, process improvements, and stakeholder inquiries, leveraging strong analytical skills and expertise in payroll systems such as Workday and ADP. This position exclusively supports U.S. payroll operations and requires prior hands-on experience processing payroll for employees based in the United States.
Responsibilities
Payroll Operations
- Process payroll transactions accurately and timely for assigned business units.
- Perform payroll validations, reconciliations, audits, and quality reviews to ensure payroll accuracy.
- Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies, exceptions, and employee inquiries.
- Maintain compliance with U.S. federal, state, and local payroll tax, wage-and-hour, and company requirements.
- Process and manage payroll-related transactions including wage attachments, deductions, taxes, and adjustments.
Systems & Technical Support
- Serve as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) for payroll systems including Workday Payroll, Payroll eTIME, ADP EV5, and related applications.
- Support payroll system testing, implementations, upgrades, and process changes.
- Partner with HRIS and IT teams to troubleshoot payroll system issues and improve system functionality.
- Ensure data integrity across payroll systems and interfaces
Stakeholder Support
- Provide timely and professional support to employees, managers, HR partners, and business stakeholders.
- Manage payroll inquiries through Salesforce, shared mailboxes, and other support channels.
- Build strong working relationships through responsiveness, collaboration, and customer-focused service.
Process Improvement
- Continuously evaluate payroll processes and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
- Participate in payroll projects as a functional team member, tester, documenter, and process SME.
- Support the creation and maintenance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and process documentation.
- Contribute to operational excellence and continuous improvement initiatives.
Compliance & Controls
- Maintain awareness and adherence to SOX controls and internal payroll control requirements.
- Participate in audits and support compliance reviews as needed.
- Ensure accurate documentation and retention of payroll records.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or related field. Equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered.
- Experience supporting multinational payroll qualifies only when the candidate has directly processed U.S. employee payroll; coordination, reporting, or system support alone is not a substitute.
- 3+ years of direct, hands-on experience processing U.S. payroll in a high-volume environment. Experience exclusively processing payroll for countries other than the United States does not meet this requirement.
- Excellent communication skills in English (B2+ or higher) and ability to collaborate across functions and geographies.
- Experience with payroll systems such as Workday and ADP, as well as other platforms including SAP, Oracle, UKG, or similar systems.
- Hands-on experience with U.S. payroll validations, reconciliations, tax withholding, deductions, adjustments, audits, and discrepancy resolution.
- Experience supporting payroll projects, testing, or process improvements preferred.
- Experience processing U.S. payroll for 1,500+ employees on a weekly or biweekly schedule preferred.
Skills
- Strong payroll knowledge and analytical thinking.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to research, analyze, and resolve complex payroll issues.
- Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills.
- High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to influence and collaborate across teams.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
- Strong organizational and time management skills.
- Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
Preferred Qualifications
- Workday Payroll experience
- Payroll certifications (CPP/FPC)
- Payroll project and testing experience
- SOX compliance experience
Benefits:
- This is a hybrid position based in Ultra Park II, Lagunilla (Heredia). On-site presence is required only when necessary, such as for meetings, trainings, or collaborative activities, in alignment with the company’s telework agreement, which currently requires employees to work on-site three (3) days per week)
- Private Medical Insurance
Note: Only candidates with Costa Rican nationality or valid immigration status will be considered; applicants residing outside Costa Rica will not be considered, and relocation is not available
