Senior Payroll Specialist - Term (18 Months)

The Opportunity:

The Senior Payroll Specialist provides advanced payroll processing expertise to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing within a complex payroll environment. This role focuses primarily on the execution and review of complex payroll transactions, payroll balancing, payroll reconciliations, year-end processing, and issue resolution. Working within established policies, procedures, collective agreements, and direction set by the Team Leader, Payroll the Senior Payroll Specialist applies expert knowledge of payroll legislation and payroll practices to ensure all payroll transactions meet legislative and organizational requirements.

This role serves as a senior technical resource to Payroll Advisors and Payroll Specialists by providing guidance on complex transactions, calculations, compliance requirements, and issue resolution, while not having formal people-management accountability.

The position plays a key operational role in payroll quality assurance through the review of payroll transactions, validation of payroll data, audit preparation, reconciliations, and statutory reporting. The Senior Payroll Specialist identifies payroll discrepancies, compliance risks, process gaps, and system issues, resolving or escalating matters as appropriate. The role also contributes to continuous improvement initiatives, payroll projects, testing activities, system enhancements, and documentation updates that support payroll accuracy, operational efficiency, strong internal controls, and service excellence.

Responsibilities include:
• Execute and support complex payroll processing activities, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and adherence to established policies, collective agreements, and legislative requirements
• Execute and coordinate year-end payroll processing and reconciliations, including T4 preparation, pension and benefit reconciliations, WCB reporting, and statutory filings, ensuring accuracy and audit readiness
• Coordinate and perform complex payroll processing activities, payroll balancing, payroll quality reviews, and payroll reconciliations, ensuring accurate and timely payroll results while maintaining compliance with legislative and organizational requirements
• Perform payroll quality assurance activities, including auditing payroll transactions, reviewing time entry irregularities, validating payroll calculations, and ensuring payroll data integrity. Support internal and external audit activities through documentation preparation, reconciliation analysis, and audit response activities
• Independently investigate, analyze, and resolve complex or high-risk payroll issues of a technical and transactional nature, including retroactive adjustments, overpayments, underpayments, system-related issues, and legislative compliance matters
• Act as a senior technical resource to Payroll Advisors and Payroll Specialists by providing guidance on complex payroll transactions, calculations, payroll legislation, collective agreement interpretation, payroll processes, and issue resolution, without formal supervisory responsibility
• Serve as a senior functional resource for the HRIS and payroll systems by supporting system configuration, testing, reporting, troubleshooting, data integrity reviews, upgrades, implementations, and process improvements. Identify system issues, data inconsistencies, process gaps, and control weaknesses, and recommend enhancements to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, compliance, and service delivery

You Bring:

• Post Secondary education in Business Administration, Accounting, Human Resources, or related field is an asset
• Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) designation required
• Payroll Leader Professional (PLP) – Considered an asset
• Minimum 5 - 7 years’ experience in a full cycle pay
• Advanced knowledge of Canadian payroll legislation and payroll
• Experience developing and validating HRIS and payroll reports to support operational, audit, and compliance requirements
• Advanced knowledge of HRIS and payroll systems, including payroll configuration, business process workflows, reporting, testing, troubleshooting, and data validation
• In‑depth knowledge of year‑end payroll processes, including T4 reporting, pension reconciliations, WCB reporting, and statutory filings
• Highly proficient with computer skills and technology, including Microsoft Office including Excel
• Analytical, problem solving and troubleshooting skills
• Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Highly self-motivated and self-directed
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to meeting deadlines and ensuring work is completed accurately and on time
• Maintains a high level of customer service with a focus on delivering timely, helpful, and respectful support
• Ability to build and maintain strong collaborative relationships within the team
• Maintains confidentiality and consistently demonstrates ethical behavior when handling sensitive payroll and employee data

We Offer:

Along with a competitive compensation program and City paid health and dental premiums, our employees also enjoy:

• Excellent health, dental, paramedical, and benefits plan
• Career development and tuition reimbursement
• Employee discounts, gym membership, social events, and health & wellness initiatives

Continuous learning through training and development is encouraged as are flexible work arrangements, when possible. We recognize that our people work best when they feel engaged in their environment and appreciated for their efforts and our overall benefits package reflects that.

Additional Information:

This is a 18-month temporary role scheduled at 37.5 hours per week. An extension of the term is dependent on operational needs.

This position is primarily remote; however, the successful candidate will be required to attend the office periodically for meetings, training, team events, or other business needs.

Please include a cover letter along with your resume.