Payroll Analyst

Department: Office of Human Resources
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Job Summary:

Administer the global and domestic payroll for bi-weekly and monthly employees. Manage the university's timekeeping system. Analyze and prepare tax gross-up, overpayment, and retroactive calculations. Monitor payments to ensure compliance with FLSA regulations. Manage wage garnishments, levies, child support orders, and other payroll deductions to ensure adherence to federal and state regulations. Assist with payroll journal entries, account reconciliations, and other duties related to the payroll function. Assist clients with employment record, payment, tax, and timekeeping inquiries. May train less experienced payroll practitioners.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Domestic Payroll Administration: Review timekeeping records and myHR information to ensure accurate and timely payments. Calculate tax gross-ups, overpayments, retroactive payments, and other payments, and process the payments in the myHR system. Analyze job records and compensation to ensure employees are paid in compliance with FLSA. Process wage garnishments, levies, child support orders, and other deductions in compliance with federal and state regulations. Review payroll error reports to ensure bi-weekly, monthly and off-cycle payrolls are processed correctly. May complete payroll journal entries, as needed, to ensure proper charges to department accounts.
• Global Payroll Administration: Establish and maintain job records for international employees. Audit monthly compensation details for U.S. expatriates and Third Country Nationals. Review employee tax records to ensure compliance with U.S. income tax regulations. Prepare monthly GL reports for global payroll reconciliations. Create quarterly and annual compensation reconciliation reports for the university's international tax compliance vendor. Liaise with Northwestern Human Resources staff in foreign locations to ensure timely and accurate local delivery of pay for non-exempt and exempt employees. Serve as a subject matter expert for global payroll matters.
• Timekeeping Support: Perform daily review of timekeeping error reports and addresses issues with timekeeping records, as needed. Assist clients with timekeeping inquiries (e.g., accrual issues, system navigation questions, etc.). Identify and troubleshoot timekeeping system performance issues and reports the issues to payroll leadership. May train staff on timekeeping system functions and serve as a timekeeping system subject matter expert.
• Customer Service: Provide Tier 2 support for issues that are beyond the scope of support provided by the HR Service Center (Tier 1). Perform comprehensive research and analysis of the issue and determine the root cause and solution. Provide recommendations for process or system improvements to mitigate future issues. Recommend escalation to Tier 3 support as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications:

• High School diploma and some secondary education in accounting, business or related fields
• Three or more years of professional experience in a similar role with increasing levels of responsibility
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience processing payrolls

Target hiring range for this position will be between $70,000-$73,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.