Posted July 25, 2026
Sr. Payroll Analyst
Robert Half
Providence, RI, US
Full Time
57.1USD - 66.11USD per hour
Job Description
Job Description
We are looking for an experienced Sr. Payroll Analyst to support a Contract assignment based in Providence, Rhode Island. This role will partner closely with payroll operations and cross-functional stakeholders to strengthen Workday payroll processes, improve controls, and enhance reporting visibility. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in large-scale payroll environments and can translate operational needs into reliable system solutions, testing strategies, and measurable process improvements.
Responsibilities:
• Partner with payroll operations leaders to shape the Workday payroll governance approach, prioritize system enhancements, and establish quality measures that track accuracy and performance.
• Configure and validate payroll elements such as earnings, deductions, eligibility criteria, retroactivity handling, and off-cycle processing rules while maintaining organized system records.
• Oversee the functional direction of payroll-related interfaces, monitor inbound and outbound data flows, and coordinate resolution efforts when integration issues affect downstream teams.
• Build and maintain reports, calculated fields, and dashboards that highlight exceptions, retro activity, settlements, and other key payroll indicators while supporting data accuracy and audit readiness.
• Lead payroll and absence release activities in Workday by coordinating testing, managing regression coverage, and recommending feature adoption based on business value.
• Work with treasury and related stakeholders to support settlement controls, approval routing, bank file oversight, and investigation of reconciliation discrepancies.
• Strengthen compliance practices by reinforcing source-level issue correction, supporting segregation of duties, conducting periodic access reviews, and preserving documentation for audits.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex payroll system issues, driving root-cause analysis and partnering with technical and operational teams to implement lasting fixes.
• Maintain process documentation, operating procedures, validation artifacts, and configuration inventories while guiding payroll users on updated controls and best practices.
• Translate business requirements into practical system designs, support structured project delivery, and create validated templates for high-volume data updates with successful posting outcomes.• Demonstrated experience managing full-cycle payroll in high-volume environments supporting more than 500 employees.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of Workday Payroll, including configuration, testing, controls, and issue resolution.
• Proven ability to develop payroll reports, calculated fields, dashboards, and audit-supporting documentation.
• Experience working across payroll, finance, tax, treasury, and operational teams to resolve complex process or systems issues.
• Solid understanding of payroll compliance principles, access controls, segregation of duties, and quality assurance practices.
• Background in release management, regression testing, and user support for payroll-related system changes.
• Familiarity with compensation and benefits processes as they relate to payroll accuracy and employee data management.
Responsibilities:
• Partner with payroll operations leaders to shape the Workday payroll governance approach, prioritize system enhancements, and establish quality measures that track accuracy and performance.
• Configure and validate payroll elements such as earnings, deductions, eligibility criteria, retroactivity handling, and off-cycle processing rules while maintaining organized system records.
• Oversee the functional direction of payroll-related interfaces, monitor inbound and outbound data flows, and coordinate resolution efforts when integration issues affect downstream teams.
• Build and maintain reports, calculated fields, and dashboards that highlight exceptions, retro activity, settlements, and other key payroll indicators while supporting data accuracy and audit readiness.
• Lead payroll and absence release activities in Workday by coordinating testing, managing regression coverage, and recommending feature adoption based on business value.
• Work with treasury and related stakeholders to support settlement controls, approval routing, bank file oversight, and investigation of reconciliation discrepancies.
• Strengthen compliance practices by reinforcing source-level issue correction, supporting segregation of duties, conducting periodic access reviews, and preserving documentation for audits.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex payroll system issues, driving root-cause analysis and partnering with technical and operational teams to implement lasting fixes.
• Maintain process documentation, operating procedures, validation artifacts, and configuration inventories while guiding payroll users on updated controls and best practices.
• Translate business requirements into practical system designs, support structured project delivery, and create validated templates for high-volume data updates with successful posting outcomes.• Demonstrated experience managing full-cycle payroll in high-volume environments supporting more than 500 employees.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of Workday Payroll, including configuration, testing, controls, and issue resolution.
• Proven ability to develop payroll reports, calculated fields, dashboards, and audit-supporting documentation.
• Experience working across payroll, finance, tax, treasury, and operational teams to resolve complex process or systems issues.
• Solid understanding of payroll compliance principles, access controls, segregation of duties, and quality assurance practices.
• Background in release management, regression testing, and user support for payroll-related system changes.
• Familiarity with compensation and benefits processes as they relate to payroll accuracy and employee data management.
