Payroll Implementation Specialist

Who We Are

At Justworks, you’ll enjoy a welcoming and casual environment, great benefits, wellness program offerings, company retreats, and the ability to interact with and learn from leaders in the startup community. We work hard and care about our most prized asset - our people.

We’re helping businesses get off the ground by enabling them to focus on running their business. We solve HR issues. We’re data-driven and never stop iterating. If you’d like to work in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment, are interested in building something meaningful and having fun while doing it, we’d love to hear from you.

We're united by shared goals and shared motivations at Justworks. These are best summed up in our company values, which are reflected in our product and in our team.

Our Values

If this sounds like you, you’ll fit right in.

Who You Are

You are focused on and committed to helping people. You excel at breaking down complex processes into clear, actionable steps. You take ownership in driving results while maintaining a focus on quality and efficiency. The Payroll Implementation Specialist at Justworks plays a critical role in ensuring that new clients transition seamlessly onto our payroll platform, with complete and accurate payroll history and tax data.

In this role, you will collaborate cross-functionally with Customer Support, Tax, Engineering, and our customers to ensure timely, compliant, and accurate implementations. You will bring a balance of operational excellence, analytical problem-solving, and customer focus to deliver an exceptional onboarding experience.

Your Success Profile

What You Will Work On:

• Fully review client information for completeness in advance of onboarding

• Set up Justworks Payroll clients in our payroll system, ensuring that all earnings, deductions, and taxes are configured accurately

• Load prior payroll history and reconcile data to previously filed tax returns to ensure accuracy

• Conduct parallel payroll processes and troubleshoot discrepancies prior to client go-live

• Provide clear, proactive communication with clients and internal partners throughout the implementation process

• Manage onboarding timelines and meet predetermined SLAs based on client size and complexity

• Identify and escalate potential issues early to minimize risks to implementation timelines

• Document and maintain standard operating procedures to ensure consistent execution and scalable workflows

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to automate, streamline, or enhance the implementation process

• Perform other duties as needed or assigned

How You Will Do Your Work

As a Payroll Implementation Specialist, how results are achieved is as important as the results themselves. The following competencies represent the foundation for success in this role:

• Execution Excellence – Consistently delivers high-quality work under tight deadlines, drives clarity in complex situations, and raises the standard for accuracy and efficiency across processes.

• Ownership & Accountability – Operates as an owner, proactively anticipates risks, takes responsibility for outcomes, and aligns cross-functional partners to achieve implementation goals.

• Builds for Scale – Develops and refines workflows, documentation, and tools that enable repeatable, scalable success across clients and teams.

• Innovation Mindset – Identifies and implements process or system improvements, including opportunities for automation, to enhance the customer and team experience.

• Consultative – Builds relationships through trust, curiosity, and active listening to understand client needs and deliver tailored solutions.

• Solution-Oriented – Approaches challenges analytically and creatively to identify effective, sustainable resolutions.

In addition, all Justworkers focus on aligning their behaviors to our core values known as COGIS. It stands for:

• Camaraderie - Day to day you can be seen working together toward a higher purpose. You like to have fun. You’re an active listener, treat people respectfully, and have a strong desire to know and help others.

• Openness - Your default is to be open. You're willing to share information, understand other perspectives, and consider new possibilities. You’re curious, ask open questions, and are receptive to thoughts and feedback from others.

• Grit - You demonstrate grit by having the courage to commit and persevere. You’re committed, earnest, and dive in to get the job done well with a positive attitude.

• Integrity - Simply put, do what you say and say what you'll do. You’re honest and forthright, have a strong moral compass, and strive to match your words with your actions while leading by example.

• Simplicity - Be like Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

Qualifications

• Minimum 2–3 years of payroll implementation experience with a payroll provider

• Strong research and analytical skills with the ability to adapt to varying client payroll structures

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail

• Demonstrated ownership, accountability, and initiative in managing multiple projects or clients

• Proven ability to identify and resolve complex payroll or tax issues with accuracy and efficiency

• Aptitude for learning new systems and explaining complex topics in a clear, customer-friendly manner

• Commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in processes, tools, or customer experience

The base wage range for this position based in our New York City Office is targeted at $36.30 to $39.93 per hour.

#LI-Hybrid #LI-CD1

Actual compensation is based on multiple factors that are unique to each candidate, including and not limited to skill set, level of relevant experience, and specific work location. Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location.

For more information about Justworks’ Total Reward Philosophy, including all of the perks and benefits we are proud to offer our team members, please visit Total Rewards @ Justworks.

Diversity At Justworks

Justworks is committed to maintaining a workplace where diversity of identity, culture, and life experience is the norm and is celebrated authentically and respected consistently. Diversity in our work, our people, and our product drives creativity and innovation, entrepreneurial leadership and integrity, competitiveness, and collaboration throughout our business and in the market. We depend on our differences to make our team stronger, our workplace more dynamic, and our product accessible to all of our customers.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or familial status, disability, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. Justworks is fully dedicated to providing necessary support to candidates with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations. We also provide reasonable accommodations to employees based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, as well as for other covered reasons consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. If you're in need of a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Your comfort and success matter to us, and we're here to ensure an inclusive experience.

Our DEIB Report