Senior Payroll Specialist

Introduction Welcome to Gallagher - a global community of people who bring bold ideas, deep expertise, and a shared commitment to doing what’s right. We help clients navigate complexity with confidence by empowering businesses, communities, and individuals to thrive. At Gallagher, you’ll find more than a job; you’ll find a culture built on trust, driven by collaboration, and sustained by the belief that we’re better together. Whether you join us in a client-facing role or as part of our brokerage division, our benefits and HR consulting division, or our corporate team, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career, make an impact, and be part of something bigger. Experience a workplace where you’re encouraged to be yourself, supported to succeed, and inspired to keep learning. That’s what it means to live The Gallagher Way. Overview Senior Payroll Specialist (Oracle Experience required) We are seeking an experienced Senior Payroll Specialist to support payroll operations in a fast-paced, complex environment. This role focuses primarily on payroll processing while supporting Oracle Payroll activities. The successful candidate will process payroll accurately, manage complex payroll transactions, resolve payroll issues, and contribute to continuous process improvements. This position offers an opportunity to grow over time. This role will be a hybrid role, based in Gallagher's global headquarters in Rolling Meadows. Ideal Candidate A hands-on payroll professional with a strong operations mindset who enjoys processing payroll, solving complex payroll issues, and delivering exceptional customer service. Oracle experience is preferred, but the primary focus is operational payroll excellence with the potential to grow into a leadership role. How you'll make an impact Primary Responsibilities Payroll Processing Process biweekly payroll accurately and on time. Review payroll calculations, earnings, deductions, and taxes for accuracy. Research and resolve payroll discrepancies. Process off-cycle payrolls, retroactive payments, and payroll adjustments. Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations. Complex Payroll Activities Acquisitions and employee conversions Benefit and medical deduction adjustments HSA adjustments, overrides, and returns Imputed income adjustments New hire and rehire audits Payroll error resolution Retroactive payroll tracking Workers' Compensation wage requests Social Services verifications Unemployment forms and employee transfers Intern payroll administration Oracle Payroll Support Maintain employee payroll data in Oracle. Support Oracle payroll transactions, including mass uploads when needed. Participate in payroll testing for Oracle updates and enhancements. Partner with HRIS and Payroll leadership on process improvements. Process Improvement & Growth Identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy and efficiency. Document payroll procedures and best practices. Participate in payroll projects and continuous improvement initiatives. Develop skills and capabilities for future leadership opportunities. About You Preferred Qualifications 3–5 years of multi-state payroll processing experience. Experience using Oracle Payroll or Oracle Cloud HCM highly preferred. CPP certification preferred but not required. Strong knowledge of payroll laws, taxes, deductions, garnishments, and payroll compliance. Experience with payroll audits and reconciliations. Familiarity with Oracle mass uploads or spreadsheet loaders is a plus. Strong Excel and analytical skills. Behaviors: Ability to manage multiple projects or tasks simultaneously while meeting deadlines. Detailed oriented Ability to work independently and effectively with team members. Required: College degree or commensurate experience + 5 years related experience required. Good working knowledge and understanding of current payroll legislation and statutory requirements. A minimum of 3 years experience working with HRMS, specifically Oracle and/or Ceridian. Proficient in MS Word and Excel. Compensation and benefits We offer a competitive and comprehensive compensation package. The base salary range represents the anticipated low end and high end of the range for this position. The actual compensation will be influenced by a wide range of factors including, but not limited to previous experience, education, pay market/geography, complexity or scope, specialized skill set, lines of business/practice area, supply/demand, and scheduled hours. On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits. Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve: Medical/dental/vision plans, which start from day one! Life and accident insurance 401(K) and Roth options Tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA) Educational expense reimbursement Paid parental leave Other benefits include: Digital mental health services (Talkspace) Flexible work hours (availability varies by office and job function) Training programs Gallagher Thrive program – elevating your health through challenges, workshops and digital fitness programs for your overall wellbeing Charitable matching gift program And more... **The benefits summary above applies to fulltime positions. If you are not applying for a fulltime position, details about benefits will be provided during the selection process. We value inclusion and diversity Click Here to review our U.S. Eligibility Requirements Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organization. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work. Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest. Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non-conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as “protected characteristics”) by applicable federal, state, or local laws. Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business. Primary Responsibilities Payroll Processing Process biweekly payroll accurately and on time. Review payroll calculations, earnings, deductions, and taxes for accuracy. Research and resolve payroll discrepancies. Process off-cycle payrolls, retroactive payments, and payroll adjustments. Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations. Complex Payroll Activities Acquisitions and employee conversions Benefit and medical deduction adjustments HSA adjustments, overrides, and returns Imputed income adjustments New hire and rehire audits Payroll error resolution Retroactive payroll tracking Workers' Compensation wage requests Social Services verifications Unemployment forms and employee transfers Intern payroll administration Oracle Payroll Support Maintain employee payroll data in Oracle. Support Oracle payroll transactions, including mass uploads when needed. Participate in payroll testing for Oracle updates and enhancements. Partner with HRIS and Payroll leadership on process improvements. Process Improvement & Growth Identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy and efficiency. Document payroll procedures and best practices. Participate in payroll projects and continuous improvement initiatives. Develop skills and capabilities for future leadership opportunities. Preferred Qualifications 3–5 years of multi-state payroll processing experience. Experience using Oracle Payroll or Oracle Cloud HCM highly preferred. CPP certification preferred but not required. Strong knowledge of payroll laws, taxes, deductions, garnishments, and payroll compliance. Experience with payroll audits and reconciliations. Familiarity with Oracle mass uploads or spreadsheet loaders is a plus. Strong Excel and analytical skills. Behaviors: Ability to manage multiple projects or tasks simultaneously while meeting deadlines. Detailed oriented Ability to work independently and effectively with team members. Required: College degree or commensurate experience + 5 years related experience required. Good working knowledge and understanding of current payroll legislation and statutory requirements. A minimum of 3 years experience working with HRMS, specifically Oracle and/or Ceridian. Proficient in MS Word and Excel.