Amara P.

Senior Payroll Specialist

Canada6+ years experience$7,200/mo

Notable Highlight

Managed global payroll across seven entities (Canada, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, and Australia), supporting 1,500+ employees across multiple payroll frequencies and jurisdictions.

Experience Summary

Amara is a Senior Payroll Specialist with over 6 years of experience managing complex, multi-country payroll operations across North America, Europe, and APAC regions. She developed extensive expertise in full-cycle payroll processing, benefits administration, payroll compliance, employee lifecycle management, and global payroll operations across technology companies, nonprofits, and multinational corporations, including CH. In her most recent role, Amara managed 7 global payroll entities, supporting more than 1,000 employees in Canada and over 500 in the United States, plus payroll operations across the UK, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. She processed payroll for salaried, hourly, part-time, and independent contractor populations. Her responsibilities encompassed end-to-end payroll processing, reconciliations, audits, gross-to-net validations, funding approvals, garnishments, retirement contributions, tax withholdings, severance calculations, vacation payouts, leave programs, and year-end reporting. She collaborated extensively with global payroll providers, EOR platforms, and international payroll partners to ensure multi-jurisdictional compliance. Amara brings strong expertise in benefits administration and employee payroll support, managing benefit enrollments, terminations, salary-related benefit updates, open enrollment activities, invoice reconciliations, pension and retirement plans, COBRA administration, disability programs, maternity top-up payments, and employee communications. Her technical proficiency includes Paylocity, ADP Workforce Now, Workday, Rippling, Dayforce, BambooHR, NetSuite, and Sage 300. She has participated in payroll system migrations, configurations, global payroll integrations, and process improvement initiatives. Her certifications include CHRL, PCP, and SPHRi, combining deep payroll knowledge with strong compliance expertise across Canada, the United States, and global payroll environments.

Key Achievements

* Managed payroll operations across seven global payroll entities spanning Canada, US, UK, Singapore, Japan, and Australia * Processed bi-weekly payroll for over 1,000 Canadian employees and 500+ US employees * Managed payroll for salaried, hourly, part-time, and independent contractor populations * Administered end-to-end employee benefits programs including RRSP, DPSP, TFSA, 401(k), COBRA, disability, and healthcare plans * Conducted payroll audits, gross-to-net reconciliations, payroll variance analysis, and compliance reviews * Managed year-end payroll reporting including T4s, T4As, T2200s, W-2s, W-2Cs, RL1s, 1095-Cs, and 5500 filings * Coordinated payroll funding approvals between HR, Finance, payroll providers, and banking partners * Led payroll reconciliations for retirement plans, benefit invoices, payroll general ledger accounts, and pension contributions * Supported payroll system migrations, integrations, and payroll process improvements * Served as primary contact for global payroll vendors, PEOs, EOR providers, and benefit administrators

Skills

DayforceADP Workforce NowBambooHRPaylocityWorkdayNetSuiteSage300RipplingVLOOKUPMulti-jurisdiction payrollCRA complianceWSIB managementPayroll tax filingsBenefits administrationEmployee lifecycle managementGlobal payroll integrations

Work Experience

Senior Payroll Specialist

Oan. · August 2024 – Present

Manage full-cycle payroll and employee benefits administration in a multi-jurisdiction Canadian environment.
Process bi-weekly payroll for over 1,800 employees across Canada and US, including salaried and hourly employees.
Process accurate bi-weekly full-cycle payroll for all employees, including payroll changes, retroactive pay adjustments, vacation pay accruals and payouts, on-call premiums, shift premiums, quarterly commissions, and bonus payments.
Coordinate employee lifecycle payroll and benefits administration, including hiring, onboarding, payroll setup, terminations, final pay, and benefit cancellations.
Manage payroll for Manitoba, CRA compliance requirements for all provinces, and all tax filings.
Coordinate benefits sessions for new hires and support annual renewal and open enrollment for existing employees.
Manage WSIB account and payments for Ontario, WCB for other provinces, and CNESST for Quebec.
Manage the COBRA process in the US for terminated employees to ensure continuous benefits coverage and prevent lapses.
Prepare and submit payroll tax filings, including T4s, T4As, RL1, T2200s, W2s, W2-Cs, 1095-C, and 5500s in a timely and accurate manner.
Maintain payroll systems and databases, ensuring accuracy and security of employee data.
Run payroll audit for every pay period, including salary, benefits, and 401(k).
Ensure 401(k) funding of BPAS is processed in a timely and accurate manner.
Maintain deep expertise in the end-to-end payroll lifecycle within Bamboo HR, including US/Canada payroll and global payroll integrations.
Manage time tracking and absence in Bamboo HR and accounting systems.
Assist with finance operations, including accounts payable/receivable support, expense tracking, budgeting support, and payroll-related reports (payroll summaries, payroll registers, and cost centre reports).
Manage employee inquiries regarding Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA) through iSolved.
Ensure payroll data is validated before uploading the spreadsheet loader to ADP platform.
Work closely with People Operations team on tasks affecting payroll, including new hires, terminations, and benefits.
Administer employee benefits programs and vendor relationships, including enrollments, updates, terminations, and ongoing plan support for Manulife, Fidelity Health Spending Account (HSA), and Equitable Life.
Manage the company's Group RRSP plan, including enrollments, contribution changes, updates, terminations, and ongoing employee support, including onboarding acquired employees.
Reconcile payroll reports with RRSP, DPSP, and TFSA reports before uploading to Manulife advisor portal.
Support payroll audits, remittances, and compliance documentation, including coordination with government agencies, benefit providers, and external partners.
Prepare payroll-related journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and month-end reporting to ensure accurate financial records.
Reconcile payroll general ledger and upload to Sage for the finance team.
Manage relationships with international payroll providers and EOR partners to ensure accurate payroll processing for global employees.
Process retroactive pay, bonuses, terminations, severance, accruals, leaves of absence, and year-end calculations for employees.
Manage end-to-end benefit process for new hires, terminations, salary changes, and invoice reconciliation and processing.
Process new hire benefits and ensure exited employees are terminated from benefits and invoices.
Update employee status changes with benefits providers in a timely manner.
Process and reconcile payroll for Maternity Top-Up and Short-Term Disability payments.
Carry out year-end payroll procedures, including preparing T4s, W-2s, UK P11ds, and other required statutory filings.
Serve as the primary contact for all global PEO, ensuring agreed SLAs are met.
Reconcile Gross to Net preview report before final approval is initiated.
Process end-of-year T4As and T4 reports for end-of-year reconciliation.
Resolve complex payroll processing issues before final pay date.

Payroll Specialist

CH · June 2023 – August 2024

Process Canada and US payroll timely through ADP Workforce Now.
Provide payroll reports, including Wages & Tax reports, to the finance team.
Reconcile info type reports and ensure payroll accuracy.
Process end-of-year T4As and T4 reports for year-end reconciliation.
Resolve complex payroll processing issues before final pay date.
Validate Spreadsheet Loader (SSL) accurately before moving to live production in ADP.
Ensure payroll accuracy to reduce off-cycle payroll every quarter.
Manage employee data while ensuring compliance by sharing payroll documents and reports through approved channels.
Ensure payroll is processed with standard payroll SOP, which follows employment agreements.
Maintain payroll data integrity by ensuring all payroll documents are password encrypted.
Prepare WSIB reports and annual returns for different provinces.
Ensure all ROE of terminated employees (including parental leave) is submitted to Service Canada each pay period.
Manage employee inquiries regarding Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), and Health Savings Accounts (HAS) through iSolved.
Ensure payroll data is validated before uploading the spreadsheet loader to ADP platform.
Work closely with People Operations team for tasks affecting payroll, including new hires, terminations, and benefits.
Administer employee benefits programs and vendor relationships, including enrollments, updates, terminations, and ongoing plan support for Manulife, Fidelity Health Spending Account (HSA), and Equitable Life.
Manage the company's Group RRSP plan, including enrollments, contribution changes, updates, terminations, and ongoing employee support, including onboarding acquired employees.
Reconcile payroll reports with RRSP, DPSP, and TFSA reports before uploading to Manulife advisor portal.
Support payroll audits, remittances, and compliance documentation, including coordination with government agencies, benefit providers, and external partners.
Prepare payroll-related journal entries, accruals, reconciliations, and month-end reporting to ensure accurate financial records.
Reconcile payroll general ledger and upload to Sage for the finance team.
Manage relationships with international payroll providers and EOR partners to ensure accurate payroll processing for global employees.
Process retroactive pay, bonuses, terminations, severance, accruals, leaves of absence, and year-end calculations for employees.
Manage end-to-end benefit process for new hires, terminations, salary changes, and invoice reconciliation and processing.
Process new hire benefits and ensure exited employees are terminated from benefits and invoices.
Update employee status changes with benefits providers in a timely manner.
Process and reconcile payroll for Maternity Top-Up and Short-Term Disability payments.
Carry out year-end payroll procedures, including preparing T4s, W-2s, UK P11ds, and other required statutory filings.
Serve as the primary contact for all global PEO, ensuring agreed SLAs are met.
Reconcile Gross to Net preview report before final approval is initiated.
Process end-of-year T4As and T4 reports for year-end reconciliation.
Resolve complex payroll processing issues before final pay date.

Technical Sourcing Recruiter

Mic. · May 2022 – Sept 2022

Identified and engaged passive candidates through new and effective sourcing strategies.
Managed candidates' expectations and maintained engagement throughout the recruitment process.
Gathered accurate candidate details to support effective background checks.
Managed and participated in the screening and interview process of candidates.
Collaborated with the hiring team to ensure an effective hiring process.
Sourced and led sourcing efforts to create a steady candidate funnel.
Developed and coordinated employee onboarding process, collected payroll information, facilitated integration, and participated in probationary review process.

Payroll Specialist

Con. · Feb 2019 – May 2022

Maintained payroll data integrity by ensuring all payroll documents are password encrypted.
Ensured all ROE of terminated employees (including parental leave) is submitted to Service Canada each pay period.
Resolved employee inquiries regarding EI, CPP, and pay stub clarification.
Processed garnishments for employees.
Ensured all payroll expenses are accurately accounted for with the correct code.
Onboarded new hires into the payroll system.
Processed timesheets for hourly employees for payroll cutoff date.
Coordinated bi-weekly payroll in a timely manner through the HRIS.