Payroll Specialist

Who We Are

Charter Schools USA (CSUSA) is one of the largest and highest ­performing education management companies in the United States, proudly serving over 82,000 students in over 150 schools in four states. Founded by Jonathan Hage in 1997, CSUSA's mission is a Relentless Commitment to Student Greatness in School and in Life™. CSUSA provides an academically rigorous education to students equipping them with real world readiness, prepared for college or career after graduation. With an unwavering dedication to the success of students from every background, CSUSA is closing the gaps in achievement and opportunity, keeping our promise of Strong Minds, Good Hearts™.

Job Purpose

To join a team of people with the mission: Relentless Commitment to Student Greatness in School and in Life ™. If you love inspiring and motivating young learners and want to put students first in education, CSUSA is the right place for you. We deliver on our promise of Strong Minds, Good Hearts™ through an education model that gives every student the opportunity for success. The Payroll Specialist is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely processing of bi-weekly payrolls and related transactions. This position plays a critical role in validating time entries, maintaining payroll data integrity, supporting employee inquiries, and ensuring compliance with all applicable policies, procedures, and deadlines. The Payroll Specialist will collaborate with various departments to support payroll operations and maintain high standards of accuracy and customer service.

How You Will Impact Education

• Prepare, schedule and process bi-weekly payrolls. Ensure that all data necessary to process payrolls is gathered in a timely manner to comply with established schedules.
• Review, analyze and research payroll errors to ensure accuracy of payroll processing
• Prepare and post transactions in ADP Vantage System
• Verify and validate employee time entries to ensure compliance with organizational policies.
• Review, analyze, and process retroactive transactions and payments.
• Develop, run, and review pre- and post-payroll audit reports to ensure data integrity.
• Perform daily data entry of payroll transactions and maintain accurate records in the payroll system.
• Review employee timesheets for completeness and accuracy.
• Process payroll for multiple locations and pay groups, ensuring compliance with jurisdictional requirements.
• Ensure that all payroll data (including hours worked, leave balances, and earnings) is collected and processed in a timely manner.
• Process and calculate payments for distribution, including regular payroll, retroactive adjustments, settlements, and off-cycle disbursements.
• Analyze and process final payments for separated employees, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations.
• Monitor and research employee leave balances and accruals to maintain accurate records.
• Assist employees with payroll-related inquiries, including W-2 and W-4 tax form questions.
• Troubleshoot and resolve direct deposit errors due to closed or incorrect account information.
• Research and process off-cycle payroll payments as needed.
• Review weekly time entry reports from various timekeeping systems and escalate discrepancies when necessary.
• Respond to inquiries from schools, departments, and staff regarding payroll procedures, schedules, and payment statuses.
• Maintain proficiency in payroll software and related systems; strong computer skills are required for daily operations and reporting.

Required Qualifications and Skills

1. Highly organized with strong attention to detail,
2. End to end payroll processing knowledge including multi- state.
3. Proficient in Microsoft Excel Skills (VLOOKUP, and PivotTables)

Job Requirements

 Education:

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

 Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of payroll experience
• Working knowledge of payroll best practices
• Knowledge of payroll systems, including, ADP Vantage, E- Time, Workforce Manager, Smart Compliance, and advanced proficiency in Excel.
• Strong understanding of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations.
• Proven ability to manage complex payroll operations and implement process improvements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively across departments.

May perform other duties as assigned.

Work Environment

While performing the responsibilities of this position, the work environment characteristics listed below are representative of the environment the employee will encounter:

• Usual office working conditions.

Physical Demands

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

• No physical exertion required.
• Travel within or outside of state.
• Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects.

FLSA Overtime Category

Job is non-exempt subject to the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.