Program specialist Jobs in Ottawa, ON

Job Title: Canada Payroll Specialist
Location: Nepean, ON
Duration: 12+ months
Pay Rate: $21.00 / hr. - $23.00 / hr.

Position Summary:
The Payroll Specialist is responsible for the end-to-end procedures of payroll for Canadian employees, ensuring accurate and timely processing in compliance with federal and provincial legislation. This role ensures adherence to regulations established by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), and applicable provincial employment standards and tax authorities. The Payroll Specialist manages payroll transactions including new hires, terminations, salary changes, bonuses, taxable benefits, deductions, and statutory remittances. They analyze payroll audits and reporting, approve Records of Employment (ROEs) in accordance with Service Canada requirements, and support year-end activities. This position partners closely with Human Resources, Finance, and external vendors to ensure payroll accuracy, resolve discrepancies, and improve payroll processes. The ideal candidate possesses strong knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation, attention to detail, analytical skills, and experience with Workday payroll systems.

Essential Functions / Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Ensure compliance with all federal and provincial payroll regulations, including assisting payroll managers with year-end processing (T4s, RL1s), tax remittances, registrations, amendments, and statutory filings across all current and legacy legal entities.
• Ownership of Workers’Compensation and EHT reporting and remittances, ensuring timely, accurate filings and alignment with regulatory agency expectations.
• Review inputs, manual and off-cycle payroll transactions and partnering with Payroll leadership to ensure appropriate risk management and financial oversight.
• Provide oversight and direction to the third-party payroll processing team, ensuring accuracy of payroll entries, timely issue resolution, and audit readiness.
• Independently processes weekly and bi-weekly payroll for all Canadian employees, verifying time entries, validating pay codes, and ensuring accurate and timely compensation, including the maintenance and processing of hourly employee’s time from UKG.
• Assume full ownership of historical timekeeping corrections for Canadian entities, proactively resolving discrepancies to maintain accurate payroll and compliance.
• Review and process Livelink submissions independently, validating pay data to ensure compliance with applicable provincial payroll legislation and company policies.
• Independently runs end-to-end weekly and bi-weekly payroll audits for all Canadian employees, maintaining a high standard of accuracy and meeting all payroll deadlines.
• Work closely with the Payroll Manager to coordinate internal and external payroll audits, deliver thorough documentation, prompt audit support, and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.
• Accurately process all payroll-related reimbursements and top-ups, including expenses, OTP, STD, parental, and maternity leave, while coordinating with employees, internal HR teams and finance to ensure timely and accurate payments.
• Responsible for the set-up, maintenance and correspondence of Garnishments, Support and Tax Levies, serves as liaison between the employees and Garnishment agencies.
• Audit the Federal and Provincial withholding taxes for new hires and ongoing employees, including approval of tax elections based on Federal and Provincial requirements.
• Proactively identify and resolve ADP direct deposit discrepancies, minimizing payment delays and ensuring accurate payroll distribution.
• Respond to and manage ad hoc payroll report requests and inquiries from HR, employees and management, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely resolution.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for payroll inquiries, proactively managing Company cases and email communications to provide clear and accurate information and timely resolutions to employees and management.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or related field;or equivalent combination of education and progressive professional experience.
• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in Canadian payroll operations, including deep knowledge of federal and provincial payroll legislation, taxation requirements, statutory reporting, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven experience operating in complex, high-volume, and multi-entity payroll environments, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and operational change.
• Basis understanding of payroll tax filings, registrations, remittances, and regulatory frameworks across multiple provinces and legal entities.
• Experience operating within a shared services or matrixed environment, with a strong understanding of end-to-end HR, compensation, and financial cycles.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex payroll, tax, and workforce data, assess risk exposure, and make sound, independent decisions with appropriate escalation when required.
• Strong Excel skills, including data analysis, formulas, pivot tables, and reporting, applied to streamline payroll operations and ensure accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment while maintaining compliance, accuracy, and internal control standards.
• Strong organizational discipline and attention to detail, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with payroll and time & attendance systems, including ADP, UKG, and Workday.
• Experience operating within a SOX-controlled or highly regulated environment, including audit and internal control frameworks
• Experience processing payroll across multiple legal entities and/or provinces within a complex organizational structure