Payroll Analyst

Payroll Analyst

Job Description

Department: Human Resources

Job Status: Full Time

FLSA Status: Salary, Non-Exempt  

Reports To: Payroll Manager

Location: The Woodlands, TX         

Amount of Travel Required: 5%

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm                                         

Positions Supervised: None

AIP: Level 6

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POSITION SUMMARY: The Payroll Analyst serves as a key liaison between the Payroll and Accounting departments, responsible for identifying, analyzing, and communicating payroll-related changes and trends. This role translates complex payroll data into meaningful financial and operational insights, supports accurate reporting, and enhances decision-making across the organization. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of payroll components and systems, financial reporting principles, and operational drivers that impact payroll.

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ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: (The following duties and responsibilities are all essential job functions, as defined by the ADA, except for those that begin with the word "may.")

• Act as the primary point of contact between Payroll and Accounting teams to ensure accurate interpretation and analysis of payroll data.
• Identify and investigate variances in payroll runs and collaborate with operations, HR, and accounting teams to determine root causes.
• Develop, maintain, and present regular and ad hoc payroll reports, metrics, and dashboards showing trends and cost drivers.
• Translate payroll data into accounting terminology (e.g., accruals, labor cost allocation, expense analysis) for finance leadership.
• Partner with operations leaders to explain payroll trends, changes, and anomalies in a digestible, actionable way.
• Analyze the financial impact of changes in headcount, compensation structure, bonuses, PTO, benefits, and other payroll components.
• Support budget forecasting and headcount planning processes with relevant payroll insights.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls and company policies related to payroll reporting and data handling.
• Continuously identify opportunities to automate and improve payroll reporting process.
• Assist with audits, both internal and external, by providing accurate payroll data and analysis.
• Support month-end close activities by preparing data for payroll-related journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations.
• Partner with Accounting to ensure accurate and timely payroll cost allocations by department, cost center, and entity.
• Assist with intercompany allocations and reporting for shared payroll costs. Review and validate data transfers between the payroll system (e.g. Paycom) and ERP to ensure completeness and accuracy of payroll journal entries.
• Performs other related duties as assigned to assist with successful operations and business continuity.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• Successfully passes background check, pre-employment drug screening, and any pre-employment aptitude and/or competency assessment(s).
• Proficiency in spoken English language
• Position requires in-person, predictable attendance

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EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE LEVEL

• BS degree in Finance, HR or relevant field preferred.
• At least 5 years in a related field.

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QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, COMPETENCIES, AND ABILITIES

• Proven work experience as a Payroll Analyst or similar role in the HR department.
• Working knowledge of accounting principles related to payroll, such as expense accruals, GL mapping, and payroll allocations.
• Working knowledge of Financial reporting, financial analysis, and financial forecasting.
• Ability to collaborate with Accounting to reconcile financial reporting to payroll records and support audit readiness.
• Strong knowledge of labor legislation and payroll processes.
• Experience with payroll software (PayCom) and MS Office (especially Excel).
• Proficient in Excel (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables, etc.) and MS Office Suite, required.
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) preferred.
• Strong knowledge of FLSA, Wage & Hour regulations, payroll taxes, garnishments, and 401(k)/Section 125 Cafeteria Plans.
• Experience in a mid-to-large multi-state company preferred.
• Exceptional work ethic with a high degree of confidentiality; along with commitment to high data integrity and data privacy practices
• Good math skills with the ability to spot numerical errors.
• Attention to detail and confidentiality.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.

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PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation(s) may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The Payroll Analyst works indoors in an office setting, primarily sitting for extended periods of time at a desk station, keyboarding and using repetitive motions with wrists, hands, and or fingers. Vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus while reading and staring at computer monitor. They will also need to speak clearly and audibly, as well as have the ability to hear, understand, and distinguish speech and /or other sounds (e.g., building alarms) deriving from in person speech, telephone, or other remote speech. No adverse environmental conditions are expected. While in the office, the Payroll Analyst may be called upon to stand, kneel, push, pull, reach overhead, stoop, crouch, climb, and lift; therefore, the Payroll Analyst should be able to lift 25 lbs. independently

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Work hours may include early morning, late evenings, and weekends, depending on business necessity.

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AAP /EEO STATEMENT

The Company is committed to the cause of equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants, thus abiding by all applicable state and federal laws.  Our practices regarding employment, job promotion, compensation, training, and termination do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, national origin, veteran's status, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status.  It is expected that all employees, both management and staff, will fully support these nondiscriminatory policies.

The company has reviewed this job description to ensure essential functions and duties have been included. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills, and abilities.

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Last Revised 04/2025