Payroll Business Analyst - Policy, Procedures & Compliance

Payroll Business Analyst - Policy, Procedures & Compliance

Position Type: Full Time

Salary Range: $75,000 - $90,000 annually, DOE; may be eligible for bonus.

Location: This position based onsite at the Service Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

About the Company:

Ensign Services, Inc. ("ESI") is a subsidiary of The Ensign Group, Inc. whose affiliated entities are considered national leaders in the fast-growing post-acute care industry. ESI provides service and support to over 378 facilities in the long-term care continuum that employ over 55,000 employees.

ESI is known as the "Service Center" and provides the facilities and leaders it serves with "back-office" support in areas such as accounting, construction, compliance, human resources, information technology, learning and development, legal and risk management and recruiting. This structure allows the onsite leaders and caregivers to focus on day-to-day care and operational issues in their individual operations. What sets ESI apart from other companies is the quality of our most valuable resource - our people.

We take our core values of Celebration, Accountability, Passion for Learning, Love One Another, Intelligent Risk Taking, Customer Second, and Ownership ("CAPLICO") seriously. We want an individual in this role who will demonstrate these values through actions and words.

About the Opportunity

As a Payroll Business Analyst, you will serve as the bridge between legislative requirements and operational excellence. Your focus will be on architecting the framework of our payroll department moving beyond simple data entry to assist in the design of policies, procedures, and optimizations that ensure we are compliant, efficient, and scalable across multiple markets.

If you enjoy improving payroll processes, creating clear policies, and partnering with teams to stay compliant, we encourage you to apply and grow your career with Ensign Services.

Specific Duties include, but are not limited to:

Policy & Procedure Development

• Design, document, and maintain payroll policies that align with service center controls, company policies, and labor laws.
• Partner closely with Payroll Operations, Market Supervisors, the FSS team, and other stakeholders to ensure policies are practical and clearly understood.
• Create state‑specific and market‑specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), including requirements for overtime, paid sick leave, local taxes, and other jurisdictional rules.
• Maintain clear, audit‑ready documentation in a centralized repository to support audits, onboarding, and training.

Process Optimization

• Analyze end‑to‑end payroll workflows to identify inefficiencies, manual processes, and risk areas.
• Lead continuous improvement efforts by recommending automation and streamlined processes that improve accuracy and reduce cycle time.
• Collaborate with Business Systems Analysts (BSA) and IT/IDT teams to align system configurations with optimized process designs.

Compliance & Regulatory Monitoring

• Monitor federal, state, and local payroll law updates using resources such as the American Payroll Association (APA) and Bloomberg Tax/Payroll.
• Evaluate the impact of regulatory changes and coordinate updates to policies, procedures, and systems as needed.
• Serve as the payroll subject matter expert during internal and external audits, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma required; some college or equivalent experience preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in payroll operations or payroll‑focused business analysis, with strong involvement in policy and procedure development.
• Solid understanding of federal and state wage and hour laws; experience using payroll compliance research tools preferred.
• Ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, actionable procedures.
• Experience with enterprise payroll or HCM systems such as Workday, ADP, or SAP.
• Experience with process mapping tools such as Lucidchart, Visio, or PowerPoint.
• Strong Excel skills for analyzing large and complex data sets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain compliance changes and the "why" behind them to non‑technical audiences.
• Willingness to support ad hoc projects and additional responsibilities as needed.
• Exceptional technical writing skills with the ability to explain 'the why' behind compliance changes to non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation.
• Experience in multi-state or union payroll environments.
• Six Sigma or Lean certification for process improvement.

Additional Information:

• Pre‑employment criminal background screening required.

What We Offer

We are committed to providing a competitive benefits and compensation package which includes medical/dental/vision coverage, company-provided life insurance, 401(k) with company match, and sick/vacation plans. Additionally, enjoy access to our fully equipped onsite gym (San Juan Capistrano office location). We also believe in supporting our employee's professional growth and development through our Learning Management System as well as training sessions and seminars. Take a look at these benefits (and more!) at www.ensignbenefits.com

Ensign Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or accommodation during the application process, please contact us at 888-659-3616.

Job ID 1458