Payroll Specialist Consultant

General Scope and Summary

Sage Therapeutics is seeking a highly-motivated, resourceful, technical thinker to join our growing Finance team. The Payroll Specialist Consultant will be a key member of the Finance team, reporting to the Senior Payroll Manager. This position will assist with aspects of payroll processing activities, payroll tax administration, maintaining payroll related business systems, and may assist with payroll accounting duties. This is a hands-on position and the ability to multitask and work with others is essential.

Roles and Responsibilities

Payroll Processing:

• Execute payroll related activities during each pay period, including but not limited to:

  • Running full cycle payroll for our salaried exempt, salaried non-exempt, and hourly employees on a semimonthly schedule.

  • Receiving and auditing HR provided payroll data via Workday EPIP files and external sources.

  • Pulling and preparing various external vender reports for payroll reporting purposes.

  • Preparing payroll batches for input into ADP and auditing for necessary corrections prior to finalizing payroll.

  • Calculating pro-rated salary for mid period new hires and terminations.

  • Preparing and storing back-up documentation to support payroll processing.

  • Ensuring recent state and local tax changes are processing correctly prior to finalizing payroll.

  • Processing period changes/refunds for company Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

  • Escalating issues with payroll impact to Payroll Manager or Payroll Analyst as they arise so they can be addressed prior to finalizing payroll.

• Ensure payrolls are correct per post-reports auditing practices.

• Assist with processing off-cycle payroll runs as needed.

• Assist with answering inquiries from employees, business partners, and external entities on a range of topics.

• Provide support for Sarbanes-Oxley testing, other periodic reviews, and yearly audits.

• Follow effective key control environment in assigned areas.

• Work closely with P&E (HR) and ensure all new hires and terminations are updated in payroll system in a timely manner.

• Assist with maintaining payroll resources shared with outside stakeholders.

• Work with P&E (HR) and other internal stakeholders to accommodate changes in company benefit enrollments within a timely manner.

• Assist with quarter year end processes to ensure smooth W2 processing and distribution.

• Assist with annual compensation cycle changes and annual bonus payout.

• Support special projects; provide ad hoc analysis and support.

Payroll Tax:

• Support ongoing maintenance of state and local jurisdictions, to include SDI, SUI, FMLI, and PFLI on the state side, local tax, local service tax, and misc. assessment taxes/fees.

• Maintain ADP smart compliance regarding rate changes, filing frequency changes, and received correspondence.

• Work with municipalities to set up registrations as needed for state and local jurisdictions.

• Track employee location changes to manage payroll tax implications.

• Interact with ADP services to maintain payroll systems, including ADP Garnishment Services, ADP Tax Services, ADP Reporting, ADP SmartCompliance, and others as needed.

Workday Time Tracking:

• Verify that employee time tracking inputs are captured and in line with policies (OT, Holiday, PTO, etc.). All identified exceptions are to be reviewed and corrected prior to payroll processing.

• Perform periodic audits of unsubmitted time blocks to identify any time that would have resulted in pay, and work with P&E (HR) to clear out any unnecessary time blocks.

• Assist our hourly non-exempt and salaried non-exempt employee population with time tracking questions.

• Assist with build out and maintenance of a comprehensive time tracking resource to include documenting process and procedures and creating job aids.

Business Systems Administration:

• Assist with maintaining Workday system payroll calendars and period schedules.

• Coordinate with members of P&E (HR) and DEC (IT) to maintain special pay calculations on designated company holidays.

• Assist with maintenance of user registration and account access rights in ADP.

• Analyze and resolve data discrepancies between Payroll system (ADP) and external systems and/or vendor platforms.

• Escalate any identified system issues to Payroll Manager as needed.

Accounting Support:

• Assist with maintenance of G/L file mapping in ADP.

• Assist with preparation of payroll account entries for upload to Oracle ERP.

• Assist with reconciling payroll related items from the bank statement that are not captured within regular on-cycle payroll processing.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills

• Must thrive working in a fast-paced, innovative environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient.

• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders; ability to analyze issues to develop relevant and realistic plans, programs, and recommendations.

• Excitement about the vision and mission of Sage.

• Embrace our core values: Put People First, Improve Lives, Cultivate Curiosity, Do Right, and Forge New Pathways.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 4+ years of relevant corporate payroll experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience processing payroll with ADP required.

• Experience in processing multi-state payroll required.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills required.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, required.

• Experience with local tax withholding requirements is strongly preferred.

• Experience in Workday is a plus.

• Experience with GL accounting and booking journal entries is a plus.

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time at the sole discretion of Sage.