Payroll Specialist

About Digs Dog Care

Digs is a premium dog care company offering DayPlay, Overnight Stays, Grooming, and Training across multiple locations nationwide. We're built on a simple belief: every pup deserves to feel safe, loved, and at home — and every team member plays a real role in making that happen. Our shared ownership program means employees don't just work here, they have a stake in it.

About the role

The Payroll Specialist owns payroll for all of Digs, every location and state. They are accountable from start to finish for making sure every teammate is paid accurately and on time. The role reports to the Head of HR and works closely with Finance, and our Ops leaders in the field.

You'll run bi-weekly payroll from timecard review, commission and tip pool calculations, and through final approval. You'll handle every off-cycle payment and correction, and you'll be the first person teammates hear from when something on their pay needs attention. You'll also run a regular audit schedule so problems are caught before they reach a paycheck.

This is a great fit for a detail-driven payroll professional who likes owning a process completely and wants to help build payroll operations for a growing multi-state hospitality business.

Responsibilities

• Own and run full-cycle payroll for the entire company on weekly and monthly schedules, across all locations, entities and states.
• Verify timecards, review payroll submissions, and process bonuses and commissions.
• Calculate and distribute tip pools.
• Process reimbursements and administer all deductions, including garnishments and benefits.
• Reconcile each payroll before approval and make sure funding, tax deposits and filings go out on time.

Off-cycles and corrections

• Own every off-cycle payment from start to finish, including missed hours, overpayments, final pay, and other payroll errors.
• Find the root cause of each correction and fix the process so it doesn't happen again.
• Make sure final pay meets each state's timing rules.

Teammate support and outreach

• Serve as the main contact for payroll questions, and resolve discrepancies promptly.
• Reach out to teammates, General Managers and Area Managers right away when there's a payroll issue, such as missing timecards, a garnishment order, a tax or address problem, or an overpayment to recover. Follow each one through to resolution.
• Explain pay, deductions and corrections in plain language that frontline teammates can easily understand.

Reporting

• Prepare periodic payroll reports for 401(k) and HSA/FSA contributions, plus wage and headcount reporting for each state where we operate.
• Partner with Finance on payroll accruals, journal entries and month-end close.

Tax, compliance and year-end

• Review and complete the year-end payroll checklist for all W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.
• Research and resolve state and local tax issues.
• Support new state entry by following the company's process for setting up new tax and unemployment accounts.
• Keep pay practices current with minimum wage, overtime, tip credit and pay-frequency rules in every state and locality where we operate.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of hands-on, full-cycle payroll experience. Adjust the years to the level you're hiring for.
• Experience with multi-state payroll and state and local payroll taxes.
• Working knowledge of garnishments, benefit deductions, off-cycle processing and year-end (W-2/1099).
• Experience with an HRIS or payroll platform. Rippling is a plus.
• Strong Excel skills, including reconciling large data sets.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented; you double-check data before acting on it.
• Clear communicator who reaches out early and explains pay issues kindly to frontline teammates.
• Able to manage busy periods: payroll deadlines, quarter-end and year-end.

What We Offer

At Digs, we take care of our pack. Dental and vision benefits kick in shortly after your start date, and at 90 days you're eligible for a 401(k) with up to 4% company match. At 6 months, medical benefits become available to full-time teammates, and after one year you can join our DigIn Shared Ownership Program, because we believe the people who build Digs should share in its success. Many locations also offer teammates discounted DayPlay as a little extra perk.

Compensation range for this role starts at $50,000 and includes a 10% bonus + equity.

Digs Dog Care is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We are committed to diversity and inclusion and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.