Staff Payroll Accountant

Hybrid, 3 days in office, 2 days remote

Seattle, WA | Hybrid | 6-Month Contract-to-Hire

Seattle Search Group is partnering with a large, established Seattle-based organization to hire a Staff Payroll Accountant for an initial six-month contract-to-hire opportunity. The company has a strong preference to convert the successful candidate to a permanent employee and may consider an earlier conversion based on performance and fit.

This is an accounting-focused payroll position, not a payroll processing role. We are looking for an accountant who understands how payroll flows through the general ledger and can take ownership of payroll-related journal entries, reconciliations, accruals, close activities, and financial reporting.

The organization supports a large, complex workforce of approximately, making this an excellent opportunity for someone with multi-state or large-scale payroll accounting experience.

Responsibilities

• Own payroll-related accounting activities during monthly, quarterly, and year-end close.
• Prepare and review payroll journal entries.
• Reconcile payroll-related general ledger accounts and employee liabilities.
• Reconcile payroll taxes, accrued wages, PTO, bonuses, benefits, and other employee-related accruals.
• Research and resolve payroll accounting discrepancies, reconciling items, and system-interface exceptions.
• Perform monthly, quarterly, and annual variance analysis.
• Partner with Payroll, HR, Tax, Operations, IT, and Accounting to resolve payroll-related accounting issues.
• Support multi-state payroll accounting and related tax and compliance requirements.
• Prepare schedules, reports, and supporting documentation for internal and external audits.
• Assist with payroll system enhancements, testing, implementations, and process improvements.
• Support ERP and accounting-system initiatives.
• Document and improve standard operating procedures, accounting processes, and internal controls.
• Assist with acquisitions, special projects, and other accounting initiatives as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting preferred; Finance or equivalent relevant education/experience may be considered.
• 3+ years of accounting or payroll accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting and how payroll transactions impact the general ledger.
• Experience with journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, accruals, and month-end close.
• Exposure to multi-state payroll, payroll taxes, benefits, and employee-related accounting.
• Experience working through at least one complete year-end accounting/payroll cycle preferred.
• Working knowledge of GAAP.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills, including formulas, PivotTables, and analysis of large datasets.
• Experience with ERP and payroll systems.
• Experience with IFS, BlackLine, ADP Vantage, Dayforce, or AS400 is helpful but not required.
• Ability to investigate discrepancies and solve problems independently.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work effectively across multiple departments.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a hands-on accountant who happens to know payroll, rather than someone whose background is primarily payroll processing.

You should be comfortable working in a high-volume environment, digging into reconciliations, identifying why accounts don't balance, and working across systems to resolve discrepancies.

We're looking for someone who is proactive, collaborative, technically strong, and comfortable entering an environment where every process may not be perfectly documented.

Position Details

• Location: Seattle, WA
• Schedule: Hybrid, 3 days per week onsite
• Employment: 6-month contract-to-hire
• Conversion: Strong potential for permanent employment, including possible early conversion
• Start: As soon as possible

This position also offers longer-term growth potential for someone interested in developing toward a Senior Accountant career path.

Seattle Search Group is an executive search and recruiting firm with more than 20 years of experience connecting accounting and finance professionals with leading organizations throughout the Pacific Northwest.