Payroll Specialist

We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to join a collaborative team supporting a dynamic, multi-entity organization in Santa Clara, California. This contract opportunity is well suited for a payroll specialist who can manage high-volume processing with precision while navigating complex pay scenarios across a distributed workforce. The role plays an important part in delivering accurate bi-weekly payroll, maintaining compliance, and strengthening payroll operations through careful review, problem-solving, and process improvement.

Responsibilities:
• Manage complete bi-weekly payroll processing for multiple entities and employee groups, ensuring timely and accurate pay for salaried, hourly, and commission-based staff.
• Examine payroll records for earnings, deductions, taxes, benefit elections, reimbursements, and other adjustments to confirm data integrity before final processing.
• Administer specialized payroll items such as bonus payments, retroactive adjustments, multi-state tax situations, prevailing wage requirements, and certified payroll reporting.
• Reconcile payroll outputs with tax documents, internal reports, and general ledger activity to support accurate financial reporting.
• Coordinate with external providers that support tax filings, garnishments, and benefit-related payroll activity to maintain smooth payroll operations.
• Investigate and resolve payroll exceptions, including payment discrepancies, overpayments, underpayments, and system-related issues.
• Prepare payroll records, reports, and supporting documentation for internal reviews and external audit requests.
• Contribute to payroll projects involving system enhancements, workflow improvements, benefit changes, acquisitions, and implementation-related activities.
• Review payroll system integrations and data transfers to help ensure employee and payroll information moves correctly between platforms.

Qualifications:

• 3–5+ years of progressive payroll experience, including ownership of full-cycle payroll processing in a high-volume environment.
• Background supporting multi-state and multi-entity payroll operations with strong knowledge of related compliance requirements.
• Solid understanding of payroll tax rules, wage and hour regulations, and reporting obligations at the federal, state, and local levels.
• Hands-on experience with varied compensation structures, including hourly pay, salaries, commissions, bonuses, retro pay, and reimbursements.
• Working knowledge of prevailing wage compliance and certified payroll reporting practices.
• Proficiency with ADP Workforce Now or a comparable payroll platform; advanced system knowledge is strongly preferred.
• Strong auditing, reconciliation, and analytical skills with the ability to identify and correct discrepancies efficiently.
• High attention to detail, sound judgment with confidential information, and a proactive, team-focused work style.

Compensation

$39.59-$45.84 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 to contract/temporary professionals, including medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance. Hired contract/temporary professionals are also eligible to enroll in our company 401(k) plan. Visit roberthalf.gobenefits.net for more information.

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