Payroll Specialist

We are working with an established engineering and manufacturing company on the search for a Payroll Specialist to take full ownership of multi-state payroll across all U.S. sites.

Location: Southern California Employment type: Full-time About The Company Our client is an established, multi-site engineering and manufacturing company that designs and builds custom electro-mechanical products for customers in industrial, medical, and aerospace and defense markets. They work alongside their customers from early concept through full-rate production, pairing in-house design engineering with their own manufacturing floors, so engineers here see their work go from CAD to a shipped product. The company is investing in its engineering and quality teams and building one shared way of working across its sites.

About The Role The Payroll Specialist leads and runs the full-cycle, multi-state payroll function for all of the company's U.S. sites, with complete ownership of the process. You will handle everything it takes to get people paid correctly and on time: records, tax and deduction filings, involuntary deductions such as levies and garnishments, accounting entries, procedures, and special reports for senior management.

The role requires minimal travel (up to about 10%) for initial training at a company site or as needed.

Responsibilities Payroll processing and administration

• Run full-cycle payroll for multi-state, multi-site operations, accurately and on time.
• Validate timecards, attendance data, and system integrations before payroll submission.
• Process manual checks, adjustments, and off-cycle payments.
• Reconcile payroll each cycle and validate reports before final transmission.
• Maintain payroll records, audit trails, and employee data integrity.

Compliance, taxation and reporting

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll laws, including overtime, double-time, meal premiums, final pay, and wage statement requirements.
• Process garnishments, levies, child support orders, and other involuntary deductions.
• Manage quarterly and annual payroll tax filings, including W-2s and year-end reconciliations.
• Apply the correct taxation of employer-paid benefits.
• Prepare payroll reports and ad hoc analyses for management.

Systems, vendors and data

• Work within HRIS, payroll, and ERP systems.
• Manage vendor files and transactions for 401(k), FSA, HSA, and other benefit programs.
• Support EDI feeds and troubleshoot file transmission issues.
• Partner with HR and Finance to keep employee data, benefits, and payroll outputs aligned.

Cross-functional support

• Assist the Finance team with general accounting and finance tasks.

Must-have Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years of hands-on payroll experience in a manufacturing environment, with at least 3 years in multi-state payroll. 5 years is strongly preferred.
• High school diploma or GED.
• Strong knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll laws, time and attendance processing, payroll and tax reporting and reconciliation, and wage and hour law.
• Proficiency with payroll software and HRIS systems.
• Excel proficiency.
• General accounting fundamentals.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Additional Requirements

• Due to ITAR and/or CUI compliance, this position requires candidates to be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident Alien, or Protected Individual.
• Candidates being considered for hire must pass a pre-employment background check.

What We Offer

• Full ownership of the payroll function for the whole U.S. footprint.
• A comprehensive benefits package: medical, dental, and vision, company-paid life and disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, and an employee assistance program.
• Paid sick leave, vacation, and company-paid holidays.
• A 401(k) with a company contribution.

It's ok if you don't check all the boxes. We hire for the capacity and the drive to learn and grow. If there is something you haven't done, but you are capable, please apply!

VoltForce does not work on a Corp-to-Corp (C2C) basis.