Payroll Administrator

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Job Requisition ID:
2026-00509

Time Type:
Full time
Employee Group:
Staff
Job Category:
Human Resources Operations
Employment Type:
Temporary
Department:
Human Resources - Payroll
Hiring Range:
$55,062.53 - $68,828.17
Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
Term: 2 years
There are 2 positions available.

Job Description:
Primary Purpose
The Payroll Administrator provides a high level of customer service to both internal and external customers and applies their knowledge of payroll related legislation, University policy, and established processes and procedures to ensure employees and other payees are paid in a manner that is compliant, accurate, and timely. The scope and nature of payroll in the university environment is extensive and varied and requires a broad understanding of various employment scenarios, earnings types, and taxation requirements as well as the ability to apply professional expertise and judgment.

Key Accountabilities
Accurately calculate, enter and review pay related information in Workday
Review pay related submissions for completeness and compliance with government legislation, University policy, and established processes and procedures
Follow up with other teams within HR or campus departments where data is incomplete or non-compliant, or where clarification is needed
Validate retroactive earnings and deductions, and calculate and validate top-up payments for eligible employees on maternity/parental/adoption leave
Enter payroll data such as voluntary and involuntary deductions, retroactive pay items not handled by Workday’s retro functionality, additional pay items, payments on termination, pre-paid benefit amounts, manual salary transfers, garnishments, special letters, and CPT30 forms

Review and balance the bi-weekly and monthly payrolls to ensure employee pay data is accurate before the pay is confirmed and released
In coordination with other members of the payroll team, run payroll calculations, incoming interfaces, and balancing and audit reports
Review earning, deduction, and tax data and compare to supporting documentation to verify accuracy
Make corrections in Workday where necessary, or coordinate with other teams within HR to have corrections made
Run outgoing interfaces and distribute deduction reports once pay processing is complete
Organize, maintain, and file documentation related to the payroll function for audit purposes 
Produce off-cycle payments or adjustments as required

Process bi-weekly and monthly payrolls from beginning to end in coordination with the Assistant Payroll Manager while adhering to strict deadlines (Senior Payroll Administrators)
Run all processes in Workday needed to facilitate data entry, verification, confirmation and transmittal of the pays
Coordinate production and distribution of pay advices, cheques, payroll registers and remittance reports, etc.
Transmit electronic credit and debit files to the bank, verify acceptance, and deal with any rejected deposit amounts as required
Place bank recalls for direct deposit amounts and stop payment requests for cheques as necessary

Communicate with internal and external customers in person, via the telephone and through email
Respond to inquiries in a timely fashion as per Human Resources’ service standards
Perform research where necessary to provide an accurate answer
Communicate policy, procedural, and legislative requirements to customers who often have little or no understanding of payroll
Provide functional assistance with regard to Workday Payroll self-service features and Time Tracking data entry
Deal with sensitive or personal information in a confidential and professional manner
Confer with, or escalate matters to, senior level team members as appropriate

Other duties include, but are not limited to:
Prepare cheque requests for government remittances, garnishments, general deductions, etc., and forward to Finance
Process pay reversals and adjustments in Workday to maintain accuracy of employee records
Prepare foreign fund payments for processing in coordination with Finance department
Prepare and file Records of Employment (ROEs) electronically with Service Canada for employees who terminate or have a break in service
Assist with year-end adjustments and corrections as required and respond to customer inquiries related to year-end slips
Participate in annual and adhoc audits, providing back-up paperwork and commentary on process where necessary
Participate in user acceptance testing for upgrades, updates and implementation of new functionality as required
Contribute to creation and maintenance of standard operating procedures
Assist with training of new team members and co-op students as required
Look for continuous improvement opportunities related to efficiency and payroll best practice and bring forward to Payroll Manager
Special projects as assigned

Required Qualifications
Education
2-3 year post-secondary education in business accounting or similar course of study
Has attained, or is working towards, National Payroll Institute, Payroll Compliance Professional certification (PCP)

Experience
2-5 years of progressive payroll experience in a large scale, fast paced environment
Experience in the Higher Education sector preferred

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
Strong knowledge of Canadian tax provisions, provincial/federal programs including CPP, EI, provincial healthcare, workers compensation, etc., and provincial employment standards
Strong customer service, and oral and written communication skills
Ability to work as a member of a team
Accuracy and attention to detail in work, proven analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to multi-task and prioritize work, at times with conflicting priorities
Experience with Workday Payroll and Time Tracking or other in-house payroll system
Intermediate skills in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook)

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at  or View phone number on jobs-ca.com.