Payroll Specialist

Job Title: Payroll Specialist
Job Location: Iron Mountain, MI
Job Duration: 6 months contract (Possibility of extension)

Position Summary

The Payroll Specialist – Operations Liaison serves as the primary connection between Operations and the Payroll team. This role is responsible for addressing and resolving employee pay concerns, ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, and supporting the Payroll function with various administrative and technical tasks. The ideal candidate is detail oriented, service focused, and skilled at collaborating with cross functional teams to ensure a seamless payroll experience for all employees.

Key Responsibilities

Operations & Employee Support

• Act as the first point of contact for Operations leaders and employees regarding payroll-related questions, discrepancies, and timekeeping issues.
• Investigate and resolve payroll concerns by gathering data, reviewing timecards, and coordinating with Operations supervisors and managers.
• Provide guidance to managers on timekeeping best practices, pay policies, and correction procedures.
• Assist employees with understanding their pay, deductions, direct deposit changes, tax withholding updates, and other payroll inquiries.

Payroll Processing Support:

• Review, validate, and reconcile time and attendance data to ensure accuracy prior to payroll submission.
• Process adjustments, retroactive payments, earnings codes, and special pay scenarios as needed.
• Assist with new-hire setup, terminations, status changes, and other transactions affecting payroll.
• Support compliance with federal, state, and local wage-and-hour regulations.

CrossFunctional Coordination:

• Collaborate closely with HR, Operations, and Finance to support payrollrelated initiatives and escalations.
• Communicate policy interpretations, pay rules, and system changes to frontline leaders and employees.
• Partner with Systems/IT teams to troubleshoot timekeeping and payroll system issues when needed.

Reporting & Data Integrity:

• Prepare and review routine payroll reports, audits, and reconciliations to verify accuracy.
• Maintain employee payroll records in alignment with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Identify process gaps or recurring issues and recommend improvements to enhance payroll accuracy and efficiency.

Qualifications

Required:

• 2–4 years of payroll, HR, or timekeeping experience, preferably in a multilocation or operationsheavy environment.
• Strong understanding of wage-and-hour laws, payroll processes, and common pay practices.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to interpret and explain payroll concepts clearly.
• High attention to detail and strong analytical/problemsolving abilities.
• Proficiency with payroll and timekeeping systems (e.g., ADP, UKG, Paycom, Workday) and intermediate Excel skills.

Preferred

• Experience working as a liaison between HR, Payroll, and Operations.
• Knowledge of union pay practices.
• Familiarity with multistate payroll requirements.

Core Competencies:

• Customer Service Mindset – Approaches employee and leadership concerns with empathy, urgency, and accuracy.
• Collaboration – Builds productive relationships across HR, Payroll, and Operations teams.
• Problem Solving – Uses data and critical thinking to resolve pay issues effectively.
• Confidentiality – Handles sensitive payroll data with the highest level of discretion.
• Organizational Skills – Able to manage multiple priorities within tight deadlines.