Description

Arnold & Porter is a global law firm with offices across the United States, Europe, and Asia. The firm advises clients on complex regulatory, litigation, and transactional matters across a broad range of industries, including more than half of the Fortune 100.

The Finance & Accounting Department is seeking a Senior Payroll Specialist to manage the accurate and timely processing of all U.S. payrolls, including multi-state payroll compliance, year-end reporting, and payroll-related reconciliations. This role partners closely with Human Resources, Benefits, and Accounting and requires strong payroll expertise, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced professional services environment.

This position may work fully remote in a firm-approved U.S. state.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end processing of all U.S. payrolls, including multi-state payrolls, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. 
• Review and approve employee tax elections, direct deposit changes, deductions, final pay, and PTO payouts. 
• Analyze payroll data to identify and resolve discrepancies before payroll processing. 
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax and wage laws, including multi-jurisdiction requirements. 
• Support payroll audits and maintain internal controls and audit-ready payroll records. 
• Prepare payroll workpapers, uploads, reconciliations, and supporting documentation for each payroll cycle. 
• Partner with Human Resources on salary changes, leave administration, onboarding, and terminations. 
• Coordinate with Benefits to ensure accurate payroll deductions. 
• Work with Accounting to resolve payroll issues and support accurate general ledger posting. 
• Maintain payroll tracking tools and reconciliation documents, including manual check logs. 
• Respond to employee and management payroll inquiries and explain payroll calculations and deductions clearly. 
• Complete employment verifications as requested. 
• Stay current on payroll tax regulations, wage and hour laws, and FLSA requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field preferred. 
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive payroll experience required. 
• Experience in a law firm or professional services environment strongly preferred. 
• CPP certification preferred; FPC certification accepted. 
• Strong experience processing multi-state payrolls and managing related tax compliance. 
• Proficiency with UKG (formerly Kronos/Ultimate Software) or a similar enterprise payroll/HRIS platform. 
• Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, data validation, and CSV/template creation. 
• Ability to troubleshoot payroll system, interface, and file transmission issues. 
• Strong understanding of payroll taxes, gross-to-net calculations, payroll accounting, and wage and hour compliance. 
• Experience preparing payroll journal entries and reconciling payroll liability accounts. 
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail. 
• Ability to manage multiple payroll cycles and meet strict deadlines. 
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with a client-service mindset. 
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and professionalism. 
• Flexibility to work additional hours during peak payroll periods and year-end processing. 
• Reliable team player who can work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $63,680 to $90,000 working a 37.5-hour work week. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

For benefits information, please click here https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/careers/professional-staff/benefits.

As a nonexempt position, this position is eligible for overtime.

The firm may provide a discretionary bonus annually.

Arnold & Porter is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy and childbirth (including breastfeeding and related medical conditions), age, marital or partnership status, familial status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family leave status, citizenship status, immigration status, ancestry, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations. Our Firm's equal opportunity policy applies to all employment practices and terms and conditions, including, without limitation, recruitment, employment, assignment, training, compensation, benefits, promotions, disciplinary action and terminations. For purposes of the firm's Anti-discrimination and Anti-harassment Policies, the term "race" includes, without limitation, traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles, such as braids, locks, and twists.

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP endeavors to make www.arnoldporter.com accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Director of Support Staff Stephanie Denmark at +1 202.942.6068. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

For our EEO Policy Statement, please click here. If you would like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please click Know Your Rights.

Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP uses E-Verify, which is a web-based system, to confirm the eligibility of our employees to work in the United States. As an E-Verify employer, we verify the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired employees by electronically matching information provided by employees on the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, against records available to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We use E-Verify because we are a federal contractor containing the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) E-Verify clause. Please see the posters for details regarding E-Verify or contact Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP’s Human Resources Department for more information. E-Verify Participation Poster and Right-to-work Poster.