Overview:We are looking for a Senior Payroll Compliance Analyst to join our Payroll team within the Compensation Operations Department. Our team is responsible for processing US multi-state and Canadian multi-province payrolls and tax remittances, ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements while maintaining accuracy and timeliness. We partner with HR, Legal, Finance, and others to ensure our payroll processes align with evolving business needs and regulations while delivering a high-class user experience. Additionally, we collaborate with our Product Teams to move from strategy to execution, designing and enhancing business processes with simplicity and transparency while creating capacity for our business areas to move the business forward. In collaboration with our Finance & Human Capital Transformation Office, our firm is implementing a new payroll system over the next two years. This Senior Payroll Compliance Analyst role will play a critical part in ensuring smooth transition, supporting the teams onboarding to the new system, updating documentation and processes, and ensuring the platform is performing as expected during implementation.
What you'll do:- Payroll Compliance & Tax Operations -Overseeing US and Canadian multi-jurisdictional payroll tax reconciliations, ensuring compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local regulations. This role will lead optimizing payroll compliance structures and serve as the primary backup for service partner payroll expertise. Monitoring payroll system controls and collaborating with Finance, HR, and Risk Management to strengthen payroll compliance and governance.
- Automation, Optimization & Payroll Data Strategy - Driving process optimization and automation initiatives to enhance payroll compliance, reconciliations, and reporting. Utilizing technology and automation tools to streamline processes, reduce manual intervention, and approve accuracy. Analyzing payroll data trends while providing insights for process improvements and compliance risk mitigation. Also, supporting system enhancements to align with evolving business and regulatory requirements.
- Governance & Strategic Influence - Serves as a key representative for payroll in strategic discussions and cross-functional initiatives, ensuring that payroll compliance considerations are proactively addressed in firm-wide decisions. Collaborates with key stakeholders and firm leaders to assess the payroll impact of new business strategies, system implementations, and regulatory changes. Partnering with external tax agencies and internal stakeholders to mitigate risks, resolve payroll issues, and strengthen governance frameworks.
- Controls & Compliance Risk Management - Establish and maintain payroll tax controls, ensuring accuracy, and preventing discrepancies in payroll reporting. Identify and address compliance control gaps, recommend and implement process improvements, and collaborate with internal audit, risk management, and finance teams to enhance payroll oversight.
- Informal Leadership & Partnership - In collaboration with the department leader, act as an informal leader within payroll, providing mentorship and technical and strategic guidance to associates. Manage service escalations, ensuring timely resolution of compliance-related issues, and support payroll process changes related to system updates, policy shifts, and evolving business needs. Providing coverage by maintaining a broad knowledge across payroll compliance functions to ensure business continuity and operational efficiency.
Position RequirementsWhat you'll need:- Education: Bachelor's Degree
- Experience: Minimum of 6 years of payroll experience, with exposure to payroll tax, compliance, data analysis, and process improvement.
- Skills & Technology:
- Strong knowledge of data analytics, reporting tools, and compliance and governance frameworks.
- Experience with automation tools, HCM/ERP system implementations, and financial reconciliations.
- Ability to analyze payroll trends and develop data-driven strategies for process improvements.
- Certifications:
- Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) - Preferred, but not required (If not held, must pursue if hired)
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) - Preferred, but not required
Candidates that live within a commutable distance from our Tempe, AZ and St. Louis, MO home office locations are expected to work in the office four days per week.
Salary InformationEdward Jones' compensation and benefits package includes medical and prescription drug, dental, vision, voluntary benefits (such as accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness), short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage. Short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage are provided at no cost to associates. Edward Jones offers a 401k retirement plan, and tax-advantaged accounts: health savings account, and flexible spending account. Edward Jones observes ten paid holidays and provides 15 days of vacation for new associates beginning on January 1 of each year, as well as sick time, personal days, and a paid day for volunteerism. Associates may be eligible for bonuses and profit sharing. All associates are eligible for the firm's Employee Assistance Program. For more information on the Benefits available to Edward Jones associates, please visit our benefits page.
