Payroll Accountant

About RYZE: At RYZE, we believe daily rituals create the foundation for living your greatest life. Our mushroom coffee and superfood products fuel the body and clarify the mind—helping people everywhere unlock their highest potential. We're a fast-growing, mission-driven team passionate about wellness, innovation, and building a brighter future together. The Role: We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Payroll Accountant to support payroll operations and payroll accounting for our growing multi-state remote workforce. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, payroll reconciliations, payroll tax compliance, month-end close support, and payroll-related accounting activities. As a key member of the Finance team, you'll partner closely with Human Resources and Accounting to maintain strong internal controls, support financial reporting, and continuously improve payroll processes as RYZE scales. The ideal candidate combines payroll processing expertise with strong accounting fundamentals and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. What You'll Do Payroll Processing & Compliance Process and review semi-monthly payroll for salaried and hourly employees across a multi-state remote workforce using Workday, ADP, or similar payroll platforms. Ensure accurate payroll processing for compensation changes, bonuses, commissions, deductions, garnishments, PTO, and final pay requirements. Review payroll registers, payroll reports, and exception reports prior to payroll approval. Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and wage and hour requirements. Support quarter-end and year-end payroll activities, including payroll reconciliations and W-2 processing. Assist with payroll tax notices, agency inquiries, payroll audits, and regulatory reporting. Maintain payroll documentation and support strong internal payroll controls. Payroll Accounting & Financial Reporting Prepare payroll journal entries and payroll-related reconciliations within NetSuite. Reconcile payroll-related balance sheet accounts, including payroll liabilities, bonus accruals, benefits payable, payroll tax liabilities, and employee reimbursements. Reconcile payroll cash activity and ensure payroll reports accurately tie to the general ledger and bank activity. Monitor payroll funding requirements and coordinate payroll-related disbursements. Support month-end and year-end close activities related to payroll, employee accruals, and labor expense allocations. Assist with departmental labor reporting, payroll allocations, and financial reporting. Prepare payroll schedules and supporting documentation for external audits. Identify opportunities to improve payroll workflows, automation, and system integrations between payroll platforms and NetSuite. Benefits & Payroll Administration Support payroll deductions and funding for employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, and 401(k). Reconcile employee and employer 401(k) contributions between payroll reports and provider statements. Partner with Human Resources and benefit providers to ensure payroll-related benefit accuracy. Support workers' compensation audits, 401(k) audits, and payroll compliance reporting. Cross-Functional Partnership & Process Improvement Partner closely with Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, and Operations to ensure payroll accuracy and timely communication. Respond to employee payroll inquiries professionally and efficiently. Recommend and implement improvements to payroll processes, reporting, and internal controls. Maintain payroll documentation, SOPs, and process workflows. Support special projects and ad hoc reporting requests. Perform other related duties as assigned. What We're Looking For Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field preferred. 3–5+ years of payroll processing and/or payroll accounting experience. Experience supporting payroll for a multi-state remote workforce preferred. Experience using Workday, ADP, or comparable payroll systems preferred. NetSuite ERP experience strongly preferred. Experience in a high-growth startup, eCommerce, retail, or CPG environment preferred. Strong understanding of payroll accounting, payroll taxes, payroll compliance, and wage and hour regulations. Familiarity with employee benefits administration, 401(k) reconciliations, and payroll-related compliance. Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, and financial reconciliations. Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail. Ability to maintain confidentiality while handling sensitive employee and compensation information. Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across multiple departments. CPP (Certified Payroll Professional), FPC certification, or additional accounting credentials are a plus. What We Offer: Performance bonus eligibility Benefits: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, and flexible PTO A fully remote work environment and the opportunity to help build scalable financial operations at one of the fastest-growing wellness brands in the industry.