Payroll Specialist

About Us

Shipman’s value lies in our commitment -- to our clients, to the profession and to the community. We have one goal: to help our clients achieve their goals. How we accomplish it is simple: we devote our considerable experience and depth of knowledge to understand each client’s unique needs, business and industry, and then we develop solutions to meet those needs. With more than 140 lawyers in offices throughout Connecticut and New York, we serve the needs of local, regional, national, and international clients. Our clients include public and private companies, institutions, government entities, non-profit organizations and individuals, and we believe that effective knowledge management is key to achieving our goals.

Position Description:

The Payroll Specialist role at Shipman and Goodwin LLP is a collaborative and knowledgeable compensation professional committed to efficient and accurate administration of payroll. Responsible for all aspects of payroll including processing the bi-weekly employee payroll and monthly equity partner draw. Responsible for fully understanding ADP (Payroll service) features. This role also requires expertise in navigating the complexities of multi-state employment and taxation and offers a unique opportunity to combine payroll knowledge with system administration responsibilities.

*This is an on-site role and not fully remote. You must live in the surrounding area of Hartford, CT.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

·      Prepare and process bi-weekly employee payroll, including timecard exceptions, missing punches, and approvals, and following up with managers and supervisors for resolution.

·      Balancing timecards pay data batch to payroll preview. Prepare all necessary edits in ADP system including direct deposits, tax withholding elections, benefit deduction adjustments and personal account deductions.

·      Transmit payroll on a timely basis and analyze payroll output to ensure changes and updates are accurate. Process manual pay checks as required.

·      Process monthly equity partner payroll, which includes the monthly preparation of the Partner Draw excel document and balancing to ADP payroll preview prior to finalizing to ensure 100% accuracy.

·      Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies and respond to inquiries regarding payroll issues.

·      Ensure internal and external audit compliance for payroll processes. Prioritize accuracy and reconciliation for each transaction

• Partner with Human Resource and Finance departments to ensure positive collaboration efforts to provide efficient company-wide payroll operations
• Stay current on ADP payroll system updates and training to ensure the highest return on investment for payroll system

·      Assist with audit requests as required

• Stay up to date with changes in payroll laws and regulations and implement necessary adjustments.

·      Collaborate with vendors to adopt best practices and identify continuous improvement opportunities to streamline payroll practices

·      Overseeing year-end processes, including filing and issuance of year-end forms to employees and authorities

·      Acts as a strategic partner to the Human Resources leaders to determine how best to support the organization through HRIS and payroll data

·      Leads HRIS related projects relating to system upgrades, modifications, enhancements, and integrations for existing applications, as well as new system implementations.

·      Assesses HRIS system and user utilization to help identify and recommend training, customization, and enhancements to maximize value and efficiency of the HRIS

·      Provides ongoing assistance to users of HRIS systems and assists with developing and delivering user training

Job Requirements and Qualifications:

·      Bachelor’s degree in business-related field preferable

·      Minimum of 7 years’ experience in payroll processing, preferably 5 of those years in ADP

·      Strong knowledge of US federal and multi-state payroll tax requirements

·      Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to resolve complex payroll issues

·      Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel and data analysis

·      Exceptional attention to detail

·      Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information

·      Excellent communication and interpersonal skills