Payroll Specialist

Position: Temp Payroll Specialist

Company: CONFIDENTIAL Investment Firm

Location: Santa Monica (3 days onsite)

Pay Rate: $35-40/hour

Schedule: Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm

Duration: (~5-months) ASAP until March

Position Summary : A growing investment management firm is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to support U.S. payroll operations and help lead an ADP Workforce Now implementation. This person will play a key role in gathering and validating employee payroll data, coordinating implementation efforts between two merging firms, and ensuring a smooth transition of payroll processes and systems. The ideal candidate has hands-on ADP Workforce Now experience, with prior implementation experience strongly preferred, and can take ownership of project coordination and execution while maintaining accurate day-to-day payroll operations.

Responsibilites:

• Support U.S. payroll operations using ADP Workforce Now, ensuring accurate employee data and payroll records.
• Help lead ADP Workforce Now implementation efforts, coordinating timelines, deliverables, and data requirements between Clearlake and Pathway.
• Gather, organize, validate, and transfer employee payroll data to support system setup, testing, and implementation.
• Serve as a key liaison between internal stakeholders and external implementation partners, facilitating communication and resolving data or process discrepancies.
• Coordinate implementation activities, track progress, and follow up on outstanding items to keep the project moving forward.
• Assist with payroll system testing, data reconciliation, process documentation, and troubleshooting ahead of implementation.
• Partner with Payroll and Accounting leadership to support payroll continuity, reporting, compliance, and process improvements throughout the transition.
• Support day-to-day payroll inquiries and operational needs as required.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of payroll experience, preferably within a mid-sized corporate organization.
• Hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now is required.
• Prior experience supporting or participating in an ADP Workforce Now implementation is strongly preferred.
• Ability to gather, organize, validate, and reconcile employee payroll data across systems.
• Strong project coordination and communication skills, with the ability to serve as a liaison between internal teams and external implementation partners.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of implementation tasks, manage follow-ups, and drive project deliverables forward.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including working with large datasets and payroll reporting.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to balance project responsibilities with ongoing payroll operations.

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