Job Description

About Us

Stagwell empowers talented, passionate, and creative leaders with a vision to deliver breakthrough ideas on behalf of the world’s most ambitious clients.

We believe that the differences among us fuel innovation and drive us to achieve extraordinary results. We take great pride in a work force with rich diversity of age, race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, ability and background. As a network, we seek out a skilled and dynamic talent pipeline, invest in programs that help develop diverse talent for the future benefit of our industry, and strive to build an inclusive environment where all employees can bring their full selves to work.

Creating a collaborative environment at our state-of-the-art campuses, where we can bring people together at the office to inspire and innovate, is central to our culture-moving creative edge. We believe that by being together, we can transform marketing.

Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Payroll Specialist/Coordinator to support high-volume payroll operations across multiple internal brands and/or clients. This role is responsible for executing end-to-end payroll processing across various pay schedules, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery. The ideal candidate has strong knowledge of payroll processes, payroll tax fundamentals, and experience working with vendors and cross-functional stakeholders in a fast-paced, shared services environment.

Responsibilities

• Process end-to-end payroll for multiple pay groups, including biweekly, semi-monthly, and monthly payroll cycles, ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Support high-volume payroll processing across multiple entities, brands, or clients within a shared services model.
• Review and validate payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, and deductions.
• Perform payroll audits and reconciliations, including variance analysis against prior payrolls.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including wage and hour laws.
• Support payroll tax activities including basic tax setup research, employee tax profile updates, and coordination with Payroll Tax team or vendors.
• Partner with payroll vendors (e.g., UKG, ADP, or other providers) to resolve processing issues, system errors, and tax-related inquiries.
• Communicate directly with internal stakeholders (HR, Finance) and external clients/brands to resolve payroll inquiries and provide updates.
• Assist with payroll-related reporting, including standard reports, audit support, and documentation for compliance (e.g., SOX requirements).
• Support year-end processing activities including W-2 review and distribution.
• Maintain accurate payroll documentation and ensure all approvals and support files are properly stored for audit purposes.
• Identify opportunities for process improvements and support automation initiatives to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
• Participate in payroll system updates, testing, and implementations as needed.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of payroll processing experience, preferably in a high-volume, multi-state environment.
• Experience processing payroll across multiple pay schedules (biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly).
• Strong understanding of end-to-end payroll processes, including payroll tax fundamentals and compliance requirements.
• Experience working with payroll systems such as UKG, ADP, Workday, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with payroll tax setup, jurisdictional requirements, and coordination with tax teams or vendors.
• Experience working in a shared services or multi-entity environment preferred.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and priorities.
• Excellent communication skills with experience interacting with vendors, clients, and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to analyze payroll data, identify discrepancies, and resolve issues efficiently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and payroll reporting tools.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification preferred but not required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field (or equivalent experience).