Sr. Payroll Specialist

Title: Sr. Payroll Specialist

Location: Houston, TX

Who we are:

Voted one of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work for, Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) is a global leader in specialty chemical, fiber, and resin production. With top-of-the-line research and production facilities and a vast network of supplies from around the world, Kuraray leads the industry in specialty dental, fiber, resin, and elastomer products. Kuraray America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Company, Ltd. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray has operations in 33 countries and employs more than 12,000 employees, including over 800 in the United States.

Why Kuraray:

Kuraray is building a better tomorrow, today. Our team members are dedicated to expanding our business with committed professionals who share essential values such as integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability.

As a part of Kuraray America, Inc., our team shares the advantages of working for the leader in specialty chemicals, resins, and fibers. Our international presence and resources allow us to be a world-leading innovator in the industries we service. Yet, despite our size, our people are more than just a number. As a new team member, you can expect to earn responsibility quickly. Our commitment to our people is visible in our comprehensive benefits package. As a Kuraray team member, you will have the opportunity to enjoy competitive salaries and benefits, incentive opportunities, and an excellent work environment.

Position Summary:

The Senior Payroll Specialist is the subject matter expert and process owner for accurate, compliant, and well-controlled payroll operations, with deep hands-on expertise in ADP Workforce Now and ADP Workforce Management. This role drives payroll governance through audit readiness, internal controls, data integrity, and continuous improvement, partnering closely with HR, Finance, and Benefits to ensure payroll is scalable, compliant, and aligned with business objectives. The Senior Payroll Specialist brings a strategic mindset, an uncompromising standard for accuracy, and the technical depth to serve as the organization's authoritative resource on payroll policy, tax law, and system administration,

Responsibilities:

Payroll Operations & Compliance

• Own and execute full-cycle, bi-weekly, multi-state payroll for exempt and non-exempt, union and non-union employees in compliance with federal, state, and local regulations and internal policy requirements.
• Strengthen internal payroll controls, improve audit readiness, and proactively reduce payroll errors and rework through disciplined process validation, documentation, and review practices.
• Administer expatriate payroll, including tax equalization, shadow payroll, and coordination with global mobility teams and external tax advisors.
• Manage off-cycle payroll, manual payments, adjustments, and reconciliations with strong documentation and control discipline.
• Reconcile payroll data with internal records; identify and resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Collaborate with HR and Finance to ensure accurate tax withholding, benefits deductions, and garnishment processing.
• Review and reconcile payroll reports, including quarterly and annual filings (W-2, 1099, and applicable tax forms).
• Coordinate with Finance for accurate payroll accounting, reporting, and general ledger alignment.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex payroll issues; drive root-cause analysis and implement permanent corrective actions.
• Resolve employee payroll inquiries with a high standard of service and professionalism.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of all employee payroll and personal information.

ADP Workforce Now Administration & Governance

• Serve as the organization's payroll SME for ADP Workforce Now, ensuring accurate configuration and ongoing maintenance of all payroll-impacting data, including earnings, deductions, taxes, direct deposit, garnishments, and banking.
• Manage and update payroll system configuration to improve process efficiency and strengthen internal controls.
• Support role-based access governance, including periodic review of the ADP access and profile matrix to maintain segregation of duties and reduce risk exposure.
• Leverage ADP system audit logs and reporting to monitor high-risk changes, including pay rate adjustments, banking updates, off-cycle entries, and deduction changes.

ADP Workforce Management - Time & Attendance

• Administer and optimize ADP WFM processes, ensuring timekeeping and scheduling data flows accurately into payroll.
• Partner with HR and operations stakeholders to improve time-entry compliance, approvals, and exception handling to reduce payroll errors and rework.

Auditing, Internal Controls & Risk Mitigation

• Execute and maintain a disciplined audit cadence, including quarterly payroll audits with documented findings, exceptions, and corrective actions captured in a Payroll Audit Log.
• Perform quarterly tax compliance reviews: reconcile Form 941 deposits and totals; validate state and local tax deposits and filing confirmations, including ADP confirmation workflows.
• Ensure quarterly headcount reporting is completed across all applicable states of employment.
• Partner with Finance and external auditors to support year-end reporting, including W-2 and tax filing processes.

Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• Stay current on labor laws, payroll practices, and regulatory changes; implement timely updates to processes and systems.
• Maintain compliance with applicable regulations, including FLSA, ACA, ERISA, and COBRA.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance and mitigate organizational risk.

Reporting, Analytics & Stakeholder Communication

• Build and deliver payroll reporting that supports leadership decision-making, including error trends, recurring exceptions, compliance tracking, and audit outcomes.
• Provide clear, timely communication to HR, Finance, and Benefits partners on payroll risks, impacts, and required actions.
• Generate and interpret complex payroll data to identify patterns and drive informed operational decisions.
• Develop and deliver educational programs and communications for employees on payroll procedures, benefits programs, and compliance updates.

Continuous Improvement & Strategic Partnership

• Identify and implement opportunities to streamline payroll and timekeeping workflows through automation, improved governance, and better upstream data quality.
• Own payroll SOP maintenance, ensuring processes are current, consistently followed, and fully documented.
• Provide strategic input on ADP system enhancements, vendor discussions, and technology planning to improve accuracy, compliance, and employee experience.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to optimize payroll operations aligned with organizational growth and compliance requirements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, or related field
• Equivalent combinations of education, payroll certifications, training, and directly related payroll experience will be considered.
• CPP certification preferred
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive payroll experience, including full-cycle, multi-state, bi-weekly payroll for union and non-union, and exempt and non-exempt employees in a complex environment of 800+ employees with 5 years specifically in ADP Workforce Now and ADP Workforce Manage
• Demonstrated hands-on expertise with ADP Workforce Now payroll processing, configuration, and controls administration
• Demonstrated experience administering ADP Workforce Management (WFM), including time and attendance and scheduling data integration into payroll
• Demonstrated experience managing expatriate payroll, including tax equalization, shadow payroll, and global mobility coordination
• Proven experience leading payroll audits end-to-end, including Payroll Audit Log maintenance, exception documentation, and corrective action management
• Strong working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax laws, Form 941 reconciliation, wage and hour requirements, and expatriate tax obligations
• Advanced MS Excel skills; ability to build and interpret complex audit, reconciliation, and trend-analysis reports
• Exceptional attention to detail with a demonstrated record of accuracy in high-volume payroll environments
• Ability to operate strategically and independently in a complex, fast-paced environment
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills; experienced in employee-facing and cross-functional roles
• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and consistently meet deadlines
• Valid driver's license required

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting tax services confirmation workflows, including ADP tax filing confirmations

Competencies:

• Customer Focus
  • Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Business Insight
  • Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
• Cultivates Innovation
  • Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

• Action Oriented
  • Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability
  • Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drives Results
  • Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstance
• Collaborates
  • Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Values Difference
  • Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
• Communicates Effectively
  • Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Courage
  • Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
• Instills Trust
  • Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Situational Adaptability
  • Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.

We offer a competitive compensation package that includes base pay and an annual incentive. This program is designed to reward individual performance and align overall rewards with corporate and team performance.

Our employees benefit from a robust healthcare package that includes wellness reimbursements, along with generous perks such as three weeks of paid time off, ten company holidays, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, and a matching 401k plan, among other offerings.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.

Learn more at kuraray.us.com/careers/

Kuraray America, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity/disability/protected veteran status

No third-party candidates accepted.