Payroll Administrator

LOCAL CANDIDATES ONLY

Applicants must currently live in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area to be considered.

Payroll Administrators:

Ready to Take Your Career to the Next Level? If you've mastered the fundamentals of payroll administration and are ready for more, this may be the career opportunity you've been waiting for. This is not a traditional payroll position. Employer's Guardian supports more than 100 employers across 35 states, giving our payroll professionals exposure to a broad range of payroll, timekeeping, implementation, and wage-and-hour compliance challenges—experience that simply isn't available in a typical in-house payroll role. We are seeking a payroll professional who wants to move beyond routine processing and build a long-term career as a payroll subject-matter expert. Successful candidates will receive structured training and professional development to advance into a Payroll & Timekeeping Implementation Specialist role. You'll develop expertise in implementing and optimizing payroll and timekeeping systems, solving complex payroll challenges, and helping employers establish practices designed to reduce wage-and-hour compliance risk and prevent costly litigation. Why This Opportunity Is Different You won't spend your career processing the same payroll for the same organization. You'll work across a diverse employer client base, encounter increasingly complex payroll and timekeeping issues, and continuously expand your professional expertise.

• A defined professional development path from payroll administration into implementation and consulting-level expertise.
• Exposure to more than 100 employers across 35 states and a wide variety of payroll, timekeeping, and compliance environments.
• Advanced payroll and wage-and-hour knowledge that can significantly expand your professional value.
• Multiple career-track opportunities as your expertise develops.
• Compensation growth tied directly to demonstrated mastery and professional development.

If you are a payroll administrator who is ready to stop simply processing payroll and start building expertise, we want to hear from you. About Employer's Guardian Employer's Guardian provides industry-leading Human Capital Management systems and services designed to mitigate risk and enhance customer service, productivity, and profitability. Our HR, Payroll, Safety, and Technology teams work together to deliver exceptional results for clients and an outstanding work environment for team members. We are a UKG Premier Payroll Service Bureau. UKG's heritage is workforce management—not simply payroll. UKG integrates employee records, time, pay rules, accruals, scheduling, and payroll calculations into a single database. Its payroll engine continuously processes changes and supports complex rules such as shift differentials and employees working multiple positions. Payroll Administrator Success Profile The successful Payroll Administrator has a solid foundation in payroll and an aptitude for technology, analysis, and problem-solving. This individual understands that accurate payroll depends on the interplay among employee data, time records, pay rules, deductions, taxes, and system configuration—and is motivated to deepen their expertise. The ideal candidate is confident, resourceful, and solutions-oriented—someone who investigates, tests, consults the right resources, and provides well-supported recommendations. Through training and demonstrated mastery, this role is designed to develop into a Payroll & Timekeeping Implementation Specialist position supporting accurate pay, reliable time records, defensible compliance, and a successful client experience. Essential Duties Payroll Administration, Client Discovery, and Requirements

• Support and perform payroll administration activities while learning each client's payroll, timekeeping, HR, scheduling, compensation, accrual, approval, and workforce-management processes.
• Participate in client discovery, evaluate current practices, identify risks or inefficiencies, and help recommend practical system solutions supporting accuracy, efficiency, and compliance. System Configuration and Compliance Support
• Configure and support payroll and timekeeping components, including earnings, deductions, pay frequencies, calendars, classifications, departments, locations, tax settings, schedules, work rules, approvals, pay codes, and time-entry workflows.
• Configure and validate overtime, meal, and rest-period functionality, rounding, premiums, accruals, PTO programs, and other wage-and-hour rules.
• Develop an understanding of how compensation components affect regular rate of pay, overtime calculations, wage statements, and payroll accuracy.
• Configure or validate user roles, permissions, approval structures, and access controls. Data Conversion, Testing, and Go-Live Readiness
• Map, import, validate, and reconcile employee, payroll, compensation, deduction, tax, timekeeping, accrual, and historical data from legacy systems.
• Resolve data discrepancies, configuration exceptions, and implementation issues before go-live.
• Support go-live readiness by validating configuration, data, testing results, client training, open issues, and transition requirements. Client Support and Relationship Management
• Train and support client payroll, HR, management, and timekeeping administrators on system functionality, processes, workflows, and implementation decisions.
• Provide hands-on support during payroll processing and transition to production.
• Build credibility as a trusted advisor by balancing client needs with system integrity, payroll accuracy, and compliance considerations. Problem Solving, Escalation, and Documentation
• Investigate payroll and timekeeping discrepancies across data, configuration, process, calculation logic, integrations, and user behavior.
• Research and test solutions, document findings, and engage internal resources or escalate when appropriate. Qualifications Required
• 1+ year of hands-on payroll administration or payroll processing experience. Experience may be gained in an in-house payroll department, a payroll service bureau, an accounting environment, an HR/payroll function, or a similar setting.
• Working knowledge of payroll fundamentals, including payroll calculations, timekeeping, pay codes, deductions, overtime, accruals, employee classifications, and the relationship between time records and payroll results.
• Experience using a payroll, HRIS, workforce-management, or timekeeping system; prior implementation experience is not required.
• Basic understanding of wage-and-hour concepts and a demonstrated ability and desire to develop deeper expertise in payroll compliance.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, including data review, root-cause analysis, and validation of results.
• Ability to communicate clearly and professionally with clients and colleagues and to explain payroll or technical information in understandable terms.
• Exceptional attention to detail, organization, and commitment to payroll accuracy and quality.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and ability to learn complex software platforms.
• Must currently reside in the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area. Preferred
• Experience with UKG, ADP, Workday, Dayforce, Paylocity, Paychex, or similar payroll and timekeeping platforms.
• Exposure to payroll, HRIS, workforce-management, or timekeeping implementations, conversions, system configuration, or testing.
• Knowledge of California wage-and-hour and/or multi-state payroll and timekeeping requirements.
• CPP, FPC, PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, or similar certification—or interest in pursuing payroll or HR certification.
• Experience supporting multiple clients, payrolls, projects, or workstreams simultaneously. Core Competencies

Payroll and Timekeeping Expertise:

Understands how system configuration affects pay calculations, time records, reporting, wage statements, and compliance outcomes.

Technical Aptitude:

Learns complex system functionality quickly and translates requirements into practical configurations.

Analytical Problem Solving:

Investigates issues systematically, validates results, and follows problems through resolution.

Client Communication:

Builds trust through clarity, professionalism, and plain-language explanations of complex issues.

Consulting Judgment:

Evaluates client requests, identifies risk, recommends better alternatives when appropriate, and knows when to escalate.

Quality and Ownership:

Takes responsibility for implementation accuracy, documentation, knowledge transfer, and a successful client experience.

Adaptability and Continuous Learning:

Manages changing priorities, multiple implementations, software updates, and evolving payroll or compliance requirements.

Pay:

$60,000.00 - $75,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Employee assistance program Flexible spending account Health insurance Health savings account Parental leave Professional development assistance Retirement plan Vision insurance Application Question(s): Microsoft Excel skill level (1 to 10 with 10 being advanced)

Education:

High school or equivalent (Preferred)

Experience:

Payroll processing: 1 year (Preferred) Payroll, HRIS, work-force management: 1 year (Preferred)

Work Location:

In person