US Payroll Specialist

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.

We are seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to join our in-house North America (NAM) payroll team. This is a high-impact, hybrid role that owns the most complex payroll processing, escalations, and systems and compliance initiatives, while overseeing and reviewing the day-to-day transactional work delivered by the Payroll  team. As part of Toast’s internal payroll organization — not a third-party payroll bureau or outsourced provider — you will act as a subject-matter expert across payroll operations, compliance, and systems; mentor Payroll Specialists and help prepare them for advancement; and serve as a key backup to the Payroll Team Lead. Based in India, this position supports payroll for employees in the NAM region; it does not involve India payroll processing.

A day in the life (Responsibilities) 

• Payroll Operations: Serve as the primary processor for assigned US and Canadian payrolls, delivering accurate and timely end-to-end and off-cycle payroll processing for assigned employees, including new hires, terminations, leaves of absence, commissions, garnishments, time and absence entries, equity, bonuses, retroactive pay, and escheatments. Process clawbacks for overpayments. Perform year-end activities as needed.
• Payroll Support & Tax: Assist with research, resolution, and setup of payroll tax requests and adjustments as needed. Support the Senior Payroll Specialist and Payroll Team Lead with assigned tasks. Maintain the Equifax platform and respond to related inquiries. Perform SUI rate updates in Workday and ADP as needed. Responsible for Workday EIB data loads.
• Employee Ticketing & Tier 1 Support: Respond to ServiceNow tickets accurately on the first instance. Ensure SLAs are met when responding to employee inquiries and provide input on SLA creation and updates as needed.
• System & Data Management: Maintain and update employee payroll records to ensure accuracy and compliance with relevant laws and regulations. Ensure Workday is maintained as the primary source of data integrity. Participate in Workday testing cycles, including User Acceptance Testing (UAT), as assigned by the Payroll Team Lead.
• Reporting: Generate regular and ad hoc reports on payroll data, labor costs, and compliance metrics for the Senior Payroll Specialist, management, and finance teams. Build working knowledge of AI and Excel to support reporting needs.
• Compliance: Stay informed on federal, state, and local payroll laws, including multi-jurisdiction income tax requirements. Support audits, month-, quarter-, and year-end close, tax filing, and General Ledger activities as needed.
• Troubleshooting & Process Improvement: Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies and issues raised by employees or leadership. Review payroll processes to identify efficiency opportunities and support their implementation, including testing new features and resolving technical issues.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work with Total Rewards teams to ensure smooth integration of payroll processes with other business functions. Provide supporting data and documentation for variance queries and reconciliations led by the Senior Payroll Specialist.
• Documentation & Training: Assist in the development and implementation of payroll policies and procedures, including SOPs, workflows, and knowledge base content. Provide training and support to internal teams on payroll policies and systems.
• Record Keeping: Ensure all payroll documentation is accurate, complete, and stored securely for compliance and audit purposes.

What you'll need to thrive (Requirements)

• Experience: At least 5 years of payroll processing experience, including 3+ years working directly in the Workday Payroll module, preferably within medium-to-large multi-state organizations.
• Payroll Systems Proficiency (Hard Requirement): Demonstrated hands-on experience processing payroll in Workday is required; proficiency in ADP and CloudPay is also expected.
• Regional Expertise: Strong understanding of US and Canadian payroll regulations, including multi-jurisdiction requirements.
• Shift Commitment: Willingness and ability to work aligned to US Eastern business hours on an ongoing basis, including adapting to US daylight saving time transitions.
• Communication & Organization: Strong oral and written communication skills, with strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage deadlines.
• Team Orientation: Highly motivated and team-oriented, with the ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams.
• Education: Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical payroll experience preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certifications: FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) or CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) preferred.
• In-House / Corporate Payroll Environment: Experience operating within an in-house or corporate payroll function, as opposed to a third-party payroll bureau or BPO, is a plus.
• Reporting Tools: Familiarity with AI, Power BI, and Excel-based reporting.

AI at Toast

At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.

Our Total Rewards Philosophy

We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.