Payroll Specialist (Guatemala)

About Athena

At Athena, we empower possibility through transformative delegation. True leaders reflect on what they want and map the path to get there. We clear the way by pairing exceptional Executive Assistants with our driven clients and ensuring both receive ongoing support throughout the journey. The result is 10x more leverage, more time, and a greater impact on our clients' work and lives.

We are on a mission to build the best delegation platform in the world. We believe that the Human+AI combination will provide a superior experience to delegate complex tasks by combining the strengths of highly trained assistants leveraging highly trained AI. 

Role Overview

Athena is seeking a detail-oriented Payroll Specialist to support payroll operations for our Guatemala team. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, validating payroll calculations, maintaining compliance with Guatemalan labor and tax regulations, and serving as the primary point of contact for payroll-related inquiries for over 110 employees.

The ideal candidate has strong payroll and accounting fundamentals, excellent Excel skills, and experience working with payroll and accounting systems. They thrive in a fast-paced environment, maintain a high level of accuracy, and are passionate about delivering exceptional employee support while ensuring payroll compliance.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Collaborate with managers to audit and confirm the precision of attendance records.

• Validate payroll calculations to ensure employees are paid accurately and on time.

• Review payroll data, including earnings, deductions, government contributions, and tax withholdings prior to payroll processing.

• Process final pay for employee resignations and terminations in accordance with Guatemalan labor laws and required timelines.

• Verify payroll records and resolve discrepancies before payroll is finalized.

• Maintain accurate payroll documentation and employee records.

• Facilitate on-time employee disbursements by requesting funds promptly and managing the efficient upload of all transactions to the Banco Industriale platform.

• Ensure payroll processes comply with Guatemalan labor laws, tax regulations, and statutory contribution requirements.

• Validate government contributions, tax deductions, and other mandatory payroll obligations.

• Stay informed of legislative changes affecting payroll and recommend process updates as needed.

• Support payroll audits by preparing required documentation and reports.

• Utilize Planilla to process and validate payroll transactions. Act as the main system administrator.

• Use QuickBooks to support timely and accurate payroll accounting and reconciliations.

• Maintain payroll reports and perform regular payroll reconciliations.

• Leverage advanced Excel functions to analyze payroll data, identify discrepancies, and prepare reports.

• Serve as the primary payroll contact for over 110 employees in Guatemala.

• Manage the dedicated payroll inbox and respond to employee inquiries regarding payroll, taxes, deductions, benefits, and final pay.

• Investigate and resolve payroll issues promptly while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.

• Identify opportunities to improve payroll processes, controls, and documentation.

• Support the implementation of best practices that improve payroll accuracy, compliance, and employee experience.

Key Stakeholders

• Finance Team

• People Operations

• Guatemala Leadership

• Guatemala Employees

• External Payroll and Compliance Partners

Skills

• Strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processing.

• Experience validating payroll calculations, tax deductions, and statutory contributions.

• Knowledge of employee separation and final pay processes.

• Experience using Planilla (Payroll System).

• Working knowledge of QuickBooks.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, IF statements, and data reconciliation.

• Strong knowledge of Guatemalan labor laws and payroll regulations.

• Understanding of statutory payroll compliance, government contributions, and tax requirements.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong customer service mindset with the ability to communicate payroll information clearly and professionally.

• High attention to detail with the ability to identify and resolve payroll discrepancies.

• Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities.

• Demonstrates integrity and discretion when handling confidential payroll and employee information.

Competencies

• Attention to Detail

• Accountability

• Customer Focus

• Integrity

• Analytical Thinking

• Collaboration

• Problem Solving

• Time Management

• Continuous Improvement

Relevant Experience Required

• Minimum of 3 years of payroll experience, preferably supporting payroll operations in Guatemala.

• Experience processing payroll in compliance with Guatemalan labor and tax laws.

• Hands-on experience with Planilla and QuickBooks.

• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency.

• Experience supporting employee payroll inquiries and resolving payroll issues.

Educational & Certification Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.

• Payroll or Accounting certification is an advantage but not required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting payroll for organizations with 100+ employees.

• Experience participating in payroll audits and compliance reviews.

• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Finance and People Operations teams.