Payroll Analyst

Job Description:

Rakuten International oversees 7 businesses with over 4,000 employees globally. The brand is recognized for its leadership and innovation in e-commerce, digital content, advertising, entertainment and communications, bringing the joy of discovery and access to more than 1 billion members across the world. Our teams deliver on the company's mission to delight merchants and customers through innovation, optimism, and teamwork.

Rakuten Rewards is a leading e-commerce company that enhances the way people shop by offering Cash Back, deals and rewards from more than 3,500 merchants. Founded in 1999, Rakuten has grown to become the go-to shopping destination for consumers, having paid out nearly $2 billion in Cash Back to its 15 million members. The company also operates Cartera Commerce, a top rewards platform for airlines and banks. For more information, visit www.rakuten.com.

Job Summary:

The Payroll Analyst is a critical member of our team, responsible for the accurate, compliant, and timely processing of payroll for all employees. This role requires a strong understanding of the entire payroll lifecycle, with a particular emphasis on federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations. The Payroll Analyst will ensure payroll data integrity, process payments, generate reports, and act as a key resource for payroll tax compliance, minimizing risk and supporting our employees with exceptional service.

• Act as a subject matter expert on federal, state, and local payroll tax laws and regulations.
• Handle escalated issues, tax notices or tax audits for federal, state & local taxes.
• Investigate, determine root cause of, and resolve incoming tax agency notices timely.
• Monitor changes in payroll tax legislation and proactively recommend adjustments to payroll processes to maintain compliance.
• Update state or local payroll tax information within Workday. Provide support with monitoring of active payroll tax accounts.
• Register state or local payroll tax accounts and help set up online access.
• Verify payroll tax account online access. Assist with the recovery of payroll tax account information and/or online access
• Close inactive payroll tax accounts, as needed.
• Inform the tax administrator of payroll tax actions that may be needed.
• Ensure external payroll tax provider meets tax filing and remittance obligations and adheres to contractual SLAs

• Process multi-state payrolls for [1500+] employees on a bi-weekly basis, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Serves as liaison to employees and with third party payroll provider to ensure payroll processing accurately reflects company specific pay policies. Interprets pay policies, (e.g., vacation, LOA, disability, workers compensation, government regulations, withholding exemptions, etc.) and ensure appropriate amounts/deductions are calculated and applied to the various accounts correctly. Audits employees pay records for accuracy. Verifies compliance with federal and state payroll requirements; stays current with changes in the law. Documents payroll processes and procedures. May back up those who perform specialized tasks or activities such as stock option exercises.
• Prepare and generate various payroll reports for Finance, HR or Accounting teams. May assist with internal or external audits, including workers' compensation, tax filings and other related documentation.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries, issues, and requests (e.g., direct deposit, pay stubs, W-2s). Educate employees on payroll policies and procedures. Maintain strict confidentiality of all payroll and employee information.
• Builds productive internal/external working relationships to resolve mutual problems by collaborating on procedures or transactions. Focuses on providing standard professional advice and creating initial reports/analysis for other stakeholders.

• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in payroll tax regulations and labor laws across US federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUP).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and reconciliation skills.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Strong communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• High degree of integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field. Associate's degree with equivalent experience will be considered.
• 1-3 years of dedicated payroll processing experience including multi-state payroll processing.
• Experience with Workday is highly preferred.