Business Analyst

We are looking for an experienced Business Analyst to support a long-term contract opportunity in Richmond, Virginia. This role is ideal for a payroll and tax specialist with strong analytical ability, deep knowledge of multi-state payroll compliance, and hands-on expertise with Workday in a large employee environment. The position focuses on strengthening payroll tax accuracy, resolving complex issues, and partnering with stakeholders to improve processes and support business needs.

Responsibilities:
• Manage recurring payroll tax activities for a large workforce, including semi-monthly payroll support, tax validation, and compliance monitoring across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Maintain and audit payroll tax information in Workday and related compliance platforms to ensure accurate employee tax data and dependable reporting results.
• Conduct detailed reviews of tax filings, deposits, reconciliations, and year-end documents such as W-2, corrected W-2, and quarterly tax forms, resolving discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Investigate payroll tax notices, research root causes, and implement corrective actions that reduce recurring errors and improve overall process reliability.
• Serve as a key contact for external providers involved in tax filing activity, invoice review, and issue resolution, ensuring service quality and accurate financial reconciliation.
• Analyze payroll, tax, and operational data to address complex business questions, develop practical recommendations, and support informed decision-making.
• Partner with district and departmental stakeholders to understand operational needs, provide guidance, and address payroll-related concerns before they escalate.
• Lead or contribute to process improvement efforts, business analysis initiatives, and project work, including documenting workflows and recommending more efficient operating methods.
• Monitor regulatory updates and emerging risk areas affecting payroll tax practices, then translate those changes into actionable guidance for payroll teams and business partners.
• Support knowledge sharing and operational continuity by assisting with cross-functional collaboration, standardization efforts, and training across payroll-related functions.

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in payroll, payroll tax, or financial analysis roles within a large and complex organization.
• Strong hands-on experience with Workday and Workday Payroll, including payroll tax maintenance, auditing, and reporting.
• Proven knowledge of full-cycle payroll processing and payroll tax reporting, including multi-state compliance requirements.
• Experience supporting payroll operations for high-volume employee populations, ideally exceeding 500 employees.
• Ability to research complex tax or payroll issues, interpret regulations, and recommend effective long-term solutions.
• Background working with certified payroll practices; CPP certification is strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, reconciliation, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with database migration or related data validation activities is a plus.

Compensation

$38.00-$44.00 Hourly

About Us

Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects highly qualified job seekers to opportunities at great companies. We offer contract, temporary and permanent placement solutions for finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support roles.

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All applicants applying for U.S. job openings must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Benefits are available including medical, vision, dental, life and disability insurance. Employees hired for our FTEP Program are also eligible to enroll in our company’s 401(k) or deferred compensation plan (if eligible). FTEP employees also earn paid time off for vacation, personal needs, and sick time and paid holidays. The amount of Choice Time Off (CTO) received varies based on years of service and is pro-rated based on the hours worked per week. A new FTEP employee earns up to 13 days of CTO and up to 10 paid holidays per calendar year. Learn more at roberthalfbenefits.com/Resources.

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