Senior Payments Specialist - US Payroll Operations

What You’ll Do

• Run end-to-end US payroll cycles for service-industry employers, including off-cycle, correction, and same-day runs.

• Own the tax filing lifecycle, including deposits, quarterly and annual returns, amendments, agency registrations, and year-end balancing.

• Investigate and resolve agency notices end to end by diagnosing the cause, tracing deposits, responding within required deadlines, and pursuing penalty and interest abatement.

• Handle employer escalations related to pay calculations, deductions, garnishments, tax setup, and funding, with clear explanations of the root cause.

• Protect funding and submission deadlines, and escalate early and specifically when a deadline is at risk.

• Partner with Product and Engineering on payroll defects, test cases, and compliance requirements, and collaborate with internal teams and vendors to resolve discrepancies.

Must-Have Qualifications

• 5–8 years of experience running US payroll for hourly and variable-pay workforces in the service industry, hospitality, retail, healthcare staffing, or a service bureau/PEO serving these industries.

• Hands-on gross-to-net payroll calculation experience, including:

  • Multiple pay rates for a single employee.

  • FLSA regular-rate-of-pay calculations for overtime, including commissions and nondiscretionary bonuses.

  • Tip credits, tipped minimum wage, and the distinction between tips and service charges.

  • Commission structures, shift differentials, retroactive pay, and corrections.

• Experience managing multi-state and multi-EIN payroll, including:

  • Resident and nonresident withholding and reciprocity agreements.

  • Local and municipal taxes.

  • SUI state determination for employees working across locations.

  • Wage-base continuation across EIN changes.

• Ownership of payroll tax filings, including Forms 941, 940, W-2, state withholding and SUI returns, and amendments such as Forms 941-X and W-2c.

• Experience with agency registrations, SUI rate updates, and quarter-end and year-end balancing.

• Full ownership of agency notice resolution, from diagnosis through penalty and interest abatement.

• Experience handling garnishments, levies, and child support orders, including CCPA limits and order prioritization when multiple orders apply.

• Strong deadline management, including pre-funding and impound cutoffs, ACH settlement timing, and a clear process for escalating deadline risks.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience working at a payroll provider, service bureau, or PEO supporting multiple employers, rather than managing payroll in-house for a single company.

• Familiarity with ACH/NACHA processes, including returns, reversals, prenotes, and funding flows.

• Experience working with Product and Engineering teams on payroll software.

• FPC or CPP certification.

Additional Skills and Competencies

• Ability to handle escalations and resolve issues quickly.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain payroll calculations to non-experts.

• Self-motivated and goal-oriented, with a strong sense of ownership.

• Comfortable collaborating across multiple teams to achieve results.

• Willingness to work shifts covering US time zones.

Why Zenoti?

• Be part of an innovative company that is revolutionizing the wellness and beauty industry.

• Work with a dynamic and diverse team that values collaboration, creativity, and growth.

• Opportunity to contribute to impactful projects and support the global success of Zenoti’s platform.

• Attractive compensation.