Job Description

Payroll Coordinator

PCN 689

Position Overview

Responsible for electronic processing of Student, Adjunct and Non-Exempt payroll and payroll reporting for Merrimack College. Assist and provide back up to the Director of Payroll Services. Assist the Director of Payroll Services with special projects as assigned.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Administer the college’s online Time & Attendance system, ensuring accurate employee time entry, supervisor approvals and timely submission of payroll data. Monitor workflow, identify outstanding approvals, resolve exceptions, and provide guidance to supervisors and employees regarding timekeeping policies and procedures.
• Independently coordinate and oversee the end-to-end processing of approximately 600 bi-weekly student employees.
• Compile necessary data, verify for accuracy, and transmit timely to ADP the payroll for approximately 600 bi-weekly student employees. Accountable for collecting student time sheets from supervisors and performing follow up, reconciling hours and rates of pay for all student employees. Enter W4, direct deposit, and accrual coding into the ADP web based system.
• Compile necessary data, verify for accuracy, and transmit timely to ADP the bi-weekly non-exempt payroll for approximately 150 employees. Accountable for collecting time sheets from staff and ensuring that the hours submitted are recorded correctly. Enter W4, direct deposit, and accrual coding into the ADP web based system when online onboarding does not apply. Collaborate with the Director of Payroll Services to resolve any exceptions and collaborate with Human Resources to process any adjustments to benefits. Maintain accrual balances report and provide managers with employee balances as requested.
• Compile necessary data, verify for accuracy, and transmit monthly to ADP the Adjunct Faculty payroll for approximately 300 employees. Accountable for collecting Adjunct spreadsheets from the Provost Office. Enter W4, direct deposit and accrual information into the ADP web based system when online onboarding does not apply to new hire.
• Collaborate with the Student Employment Office to coordinate the timely onboarding of student employees into the payroll system. Audit and track Tax Treaty forms and YTD earnings to ensure accuracy and compliance. Provide YTD tax treaty earnings to Bursar for 1042-S annual reporting.
• Responsible for verifying and completing any paper tax and direct deposit documents submitted by students. Assist international students with completing the form 8233 (tax treaty exemption) if applicable (approximately 35-45 students). Audit and track YTD earnings to ensure that their earnings do not exceed their tax treaty limit. Provide YTD tax treaty earnings to Staff Accountant and Bursar for 1042-S reporting annually.
• Work in conjunction with the Student Employment Center to ensure that new student workers are authorized to work and properly set up in ADP. Update and maintain a spreadsheet with all student payroll authorizations received to ensure proper department and rate of pay. Adjust earnings from Federal Work Study to College funds when assigned a different pay type by Financial Aid. Send the Federal Work Study Earnings Report to Financial Aid after every Student payroll is processed.
• Develop instructional materials for student employee timekeeping best practices each semester.
• Retrieve payroll reports from ADP’s I-Reports module after each payroll and backup these reports on the payroll server. Provide Fiscal Affairs with copies of the Statistical Summary report and Company Payroll Totals report after each payroll. Produce the TIAA report for Fiscal Affairs.
• Process manual checks as needed and/or requested by Human Resources. Record information on the Payroll Check Register and record positive pay transactions utilizing online banking systems. Enter Reissue Refund for any direct deposits that were rejected or became stale, notify the employee and record details for Fiscal Affairs.
• Upon request provide analytical reports to requesting departments using ADP Report Writer. This may entail creating or modifying existing reports.
• Respond to employee inquiries via email, phone, and walk in regarding earnings, accruals, pay schedule, and WorkForce Now ADP portal access. Provide copies of W-2’s or earnings statements upon request.
• Complete employment verification requests and respond to requests from private and governmental agencies for current and former employees.
• Assist the Director of Payroll Services on projects and tasks. For example – assist /create reports with ADP Report Writer, preparation of annual worker’s compensation audit worksheets, attend meetings. Collaborate on ways to streamline tasks for efficiency.
• File new hire paperwork, special payment forms, HRAAF/HRFAF forms with SharePoint electronic filing system. Distribute live checks after each payroll.
• Maintain the student database, rehire or terminate records when necessary. Coordinate with the Registrar’s Office each semester and terminate any graduated students in the ADP system.
• Update student records using ADP Workforce Now Mass Update for academic year and summer sessions.
• Update the Student Payroll Schedule, other student forms as needed each year.
• Document/update the payroll procedures manual for the Payroll Office.
• Develop content and delivery training to employees on the College’s web based timekeeping system.
• Process the semi-monthly payroll for exempt faculty and administrators in the absence of the Director of Payroll Services.

Qualifications

• High school diploma. Minimum of two years payroll experience.
• Prefer an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
• Proficient with web based payroll and report writing software.
• Microsoft Excel and basic working knowledge of Microsoft Word.
• A working knowledge of State and Federal wage an hour regulations.
• Ability to work independently, set priorities and meet deadlines.
• Good communication and customer service skills.
• Detail oriented and mindset to follow through on tasks and initiatives.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Now and ADP I-Reporting desirable.
• Experience in higher education is a plus.

Application Materials Should Include:

• Resume
• Cover letter stating motivation and interest in the position, citing experience relevant to the qualifications and including experience with, and commitment to, our Catholic Augustinian mission and our values.

This position is subject to the successful completion of a criminal background check.

Statement on Our Mission

Merrimack College is a Catholic Augustinian institution of higher education committed to building an accepting and respectful community. Our mission is to enlighten minds, engage hearts and empower lives and is inspired by our Catholic faith and the Augustinian tradition of seeking truth through inquiry and dialogue.

Merrimack College seeks candidates who understand, respect, and can contribute to Merrimack’s Catholic and Augustinian mission. All candidates should describe in their application how they will foster a culture that supports our mission.

About Merrimack College

The only Catholic, Augustinian institution of higher education in New England, Merrimack College is a private, independent, coeducational institution with more than 4,100 undergraduate, 2,500 graduate students and 50 doctoral students from 48 states and 63 countries. The College features more than 160 career-focused undergraduate, professional and graduate programs, all taught by exceptional faculty who are passionate about their subject and student success. The College has six schools: arts and sciences, engineering and computational sciences, nursing and health sciences, education and social policy, the Girard school of business and the graduate school of counseling and social work. The College’s suburban 220-acre campus is just north of Boston in North Andover, Massachusetts. Merrimack is a Master’s Colleges and Universities/Larger Programs (M1) institution in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Merrimack is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in the country and has steadily climbed up in the U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of Best Colleges, ranking 38th in the Regional Universities North category in 2026. Merrimack is a NCAA Division I athletic institution.

Merrimack College is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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