Sr. Payroll Operations Specialist

Leidos’ Corporate HR Organization is seeking a Sr. Payroll Operations Specialist to join our Payroll Services team. Our Payroll Services team supports complex payroll operations including union populations, expatriates, and other specialized pay scenarios for US based employees supporting missions around the world. The Sr. Payroll Operations Specialist serves as a subject matter expert responsible for payroll processing, compliance, issue resolution, audit support, process improvement initiatives, and operational excellence. This role supports complex payroll activities, mentors team members, and partners across Payroll, Time & Labor, HR, Finance, and external stakeholders to deliver accurate and timely payroll outcomes. Primary Responsibilities: Process day to day payroll activities in an efficient, accurate, and timely manner while ensuring compliance with payroll policies and regulatory requirements. Calculate, compile, validate, and submit payroll transactions and adjustments for assigned employee populations. Process complex payroll scenarios including union payroll, expatriate payroll, off cycle payments, special earnings, and other nonstandard pay situations. Calculate miscellaneous pay components in compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and tax requirements. Create, review, audit, and process manual checks and special payroll payments. Prepare and validate manual upload files and supporting data used in payroll processing. Perform payroll entries and review activities related to garnishments, deductions, and special payroll transactions. Support employee receivables and overpayment recovery processes. Detect, research, troubleshoot, and resolve routine and complex payroll anomalies and processing issues. Support employee escalations and provide advanced payroll guidance to help desk and shared services teams. Research and process tax adjustments and support resolution of complex payroll and tax matters. Partner across Payroll, Time & Labor, HR, Finance, and other business groups to identify and resolve recurring operational issues. Support system enhancements, integration testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and implementation activities. Lead small scale process improvement initiatives focused on increasing payroll accuracy, reducing manual effort, and improving operational efficiency. Develop, maintain, and update process documentation and standard operating procedures. Provide training, onboarding support, mentorship, and guidance to Payroll Operations Specialists and new team members. Support special projects and perform other duties as assigned. Basic Qualifications: High School Diploma with 7+ years of progressive payroll processing experience. Advanced payroll processing and troubleshooting experience supporting complex payroll scenarios. Experience processing large volume payroll for 10,000 headcount or above. Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel. Strong analytical, problem solving, and organizational skills. Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines in a fast paced environment. Strong attention to detail and commitment to payroll accuracy and compliance. US Citizenship required and ability to obtain security clearance as needed. Preferred Qualifications: Experience with UltiPro Payroll, Costpoint Payroll, and Deltek Time & Expense systems. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification preferred. Experience supporting union payroll, expatriate payroll, payroll tax processing, and audit activities. Experience supporting payroll integrations, testing, and process automation initiatives. Demonstrated ability to influence cross functional partners and lead process improvements. If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: September 10, 2026 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $52,000.00 - $94,000.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.