Payroll Specialist

Overview Element has an opportunity for a Payroll Specialist to join our Finance team. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely processing of payroll across the United States and Canada while maintaining compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local regulations. The successful candidate will play a critical role in supporting payroll operations, financial reporting, audits, and continuous process improvement initiatives within a fast-paced, high-volume environment. This is a hybrid role: 3 days in our Blue Ash Ohio office & 2 days remote Please note: Sponsorship is not available for this opportunity. Responsibilities Process and reconcile payroll for multiple U.S. and Canadian employee groups, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely execution. Maintain a strong understanding of federal, state, local, and provincial payroll legislation and ensure payroll practices remain compliant with evolving regulations. Support quarterly and year-end payroll activities, including tax reporting, reconciliations, and audit requirements across all payroll groups. Partner closely with Finance to complete month-end payroll reconciliations and support payroll-related accounting activities. Prepare, analyze, and distribute payroll reports while supporting ad hoc reporting requests from Finance, HR, and business leadership. Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee inquiries, and tax-related issues in a timely and professional manner. Maintain and continuously improve payroll processes, documentation, and internal controls, including ownership of payroll procedures and playbooks. Assist with internal and external audits by providing payroll data, supporting documentation, and compliance reporting. Identify opportunities to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, and employee experience through process enhancements and system optimization. Skills / Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent payroll experience will also be considered. 3-5 years of payroll experience supporting multi-state payroll environments; Canadian payroll experience strongly preferred. Working knowledge of payroll tax regulations, wage and hour laws, payroll accounting, and payroll compliance requirements. Strong attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy, quality, and continuous improvement. Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a high-volume, deadline-driven environment. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and reconciliation skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments. Experience supporting payroll audits and financial reporting activities. Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Experience with Ceridian Dayforce or similar enterprise payroll systems preferred. Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, take ownership of issues, and appropriately escalate concerns when necessary. Company Overview Element is one of the fastest growing testing, inspection and certification businesses in the world. Globally we have more than 9,000 brilliant minds operating from 270 sites across 30 countries. Together we share an ambitious purpose to ‘Make tomorrow safer than today’. When failure in use is not an option, we help customers make certain that their products, materials, processes and services are safe, compliant and fit for purpose. From early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals and into production, our global laboratory network of scientists, engineers, and technologists support customers to achieve assurance over product quality, sustainable outcomes, and market access. While we are proud of our global reach, working at Element feels like being part of a smaller company. We empower you to take charge of your career, and reward excellence and integrity with growth and development. Industries across the world depend on our care, attention to detail and the absolute accuracy of our work. The role we have to play in creating a safer world is much bigger than our organization. Diversity Statement At Element, we always take pride in putting our people first. We are an equal opportunity employer that recognizes diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our Vision of becoming “the world’s most trusted testing partner”. All suitably qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective work related criteria and without regard for the following: age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, race, religion, responsibility of dependents, sexual orientation, or gender identity or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws or other characteristics in accordance with the applicable governing laws. The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c) “If you need an accommodation filling out an application, or applying to a job, please email [email protected]”