Payroll AnalystFort Lauderdale

Job Summary

The Payroll Analyst ensures accurate, timely payroll processing and robust payroll accounting across the U.S. and Canada. This role owns payroll reporting and analytics, month-end close activities (journal entries, GL reconciliations), tax and statutory reconciliations, and audit readiness. You’ll partner closely with HR, Accounting / Finance, and external providers to maintain compliant, well-controlled payroll operations (multi-state U.S. and multi-province Canada), with a special focus on data integrity, variance analysis, and continuous process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Controls

Execute end-to-end payroll cycles (hourly / salary, regular / off-cycle / bonus / stock), ensuring accuracy and on-time delivery for U.S. and Canada.

Maintain strong internal controls and develop standardized procedures and checklists.

Perform data validations (gross-to-net, deductions, garnishments), resolve discrepancies, and document root causes / corrections.

Reporting & Analytics

Build recurring and ad-hoc payroll reports (headcount, labor cost, taxes, overtime, bonus, accruals, KPIs).

Provide variance analysis (period-over-period, plan vs. actual), highlight trends, and recommend process improvements.

Accounting & Month-End Close

Prepare payroll journal entries (wages, taxes, benefits, bonus, 401(k) / RRSP, accruals).

Reconcile payroll-related GL accounts and support close deadlines.

Coordinate with Accounting on flux analysis and deliverables for internal / external audits.

Tax & Statutory Reconciliations

Reconcile and remit U.S. federal / state / local payroll taxes and unemployment; support quarter / year-end filings (941, 940, W-2).

For Canada : ensure accurate CPP / QPP, EI, and income-tax withholdings; remit per CRA / RQ schedules; prepare year-end reconciliations and T4 / T4A slips and summaries; support Records of Employment (ROE).

Compliance, Audits & Projects

Stay current on U.S. and Canadian payroll legislation and system changes; translate changes into processes, system updates, and communications.

Support payroll systems testing (e.g., Workday / UKG / ADP) for releases, new earnings / deductions, and integrations.

Lead or contribute to payroll improvement projects.

Qualifications

Required

3+ years of payroll experience with significant exposure to Canadian payroll (multi-province) and U.S. multi-state processing.

Strong payroll accounting skills : journal entries, GL reconciliations, accruals, and month-end close.

Experience with tax / statutory reconciliations and year-end processing (U.S. and Canada—T4 / T4A).

Advanced Excel / Google Sheets (lookups, pivots), comfort with large datasets and reconciliation tools.

Experience with at least one enterprise HR / Payroll platform (e.g., Workday, UKG, ADP).

Preferred

Canadian Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation (or in progress) from the National Payroll Institute; U.S. FPC / CPP a plus.

Experience supporting audits / SOX controls and multi-entity, multi-currency environments.

Familiarity with BI / reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and SQL basics for data validation.

Success Metrics (KPIs)

Payroll accuracy rate and on-time completion (≥99.5%).

Timely tax / statutory remittances and zero penalties (U.S. / Canada).

Month-end close timeliness and reduced reconciling items.

Clean audit results with strong control compliance.

Reporting cadence met; actionable insights delivered to Finance / HR each cycle.

Tools You May Use

HR / Payroll : Workday, UKG, ADP (or similar)

Accounting : ERP / GL (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite), Blackline (or similar)

Analytics : Excel / Sheets; optional BI tools (Power BI, Tableau)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, or related field; equivalent experience considered.

Work Environment

Hybrid position with 4 days in office, 1 day work from home.

Standard working hours with occasional additional hours as necessary.

Compensation : $75,000 per year