HR Specialist - Payroll & HRIS

The HR Specialist – Payroll & HRIS is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, maintaining HR data systems, and supporting compliance and operational excellence across all HR functions. This role plays a critical part in maintaining data integrity, streamlining workflows, and ensuring employees are paid correctly and on time.

Key Departmental Responsibilities

• Process biweekly US and Canada payroll
• Collect, verify, input payroll changes
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage laws
• Manage year end payroll tasks, including W-2, ACA, S-Corp reporting
• Maintain and update employee records in the HRIS
• Generate reports for HR metrics.
• Trouble shoot system issues and serve as the primary HRIS administrator
• Create and manage workflows (onboarding, offboarding, job changes) within HRIS
• Complete monthly benefit invoice reconciliations
• Create and maintain benefit carrier feed files from HRIS to benefit carrier sites
• Setup annual open enrollment process in HRIS
• Help track and manage FMLA, STD, personal leaves, and Worker’s Compensation
• Support ADA, EEO, and other compliance tracking as needed
• Coordinate benefit enrollments, life changes, and carrier feed files
• Identify inefficiencies in payroll and HR data processes and recommend automation or simplification
• File workers compensation claims
• Operate in conformance with the requirements of the Alliant Power quality management system.
• Assist other employees both in and out of the department.
• Perform other related duties and assignments as required.
• Provide feedback on system needs/changes.

Performance Factors
All Alliant Power employees shall exhibit the following:

1. Attendance and dependability: The employee can be depended on to report to work at the scheduled time and is seldom absent from work. Employee can be depended upon to complete work in a timely, accurate, and thorough manner and is conscientious, about assignments.
2. Communication/listening: The employee communicates effectively and appropriately. Uses good judgment as to what to communicate to whom as well as the best way to get that accomplished. Listens to others and allows them to make their point.
3. Relationships with others: The employee works effectively and relates well with others including superiors, coworkers, and individuals inside and outside the company. The employee exhibits a professional manner in dealing with others and works to maintain constructive working relationships.
4. Safety and security: The employee actively promotes and personally observes safety and security procedures and uses equipment and materials properly.
5. Quality and continuous improvement: The employee promotes organizational effectiveness by anticipating and dealing with problems. Encourages others to suggest improvements to work processes, and persistently focuses on quality, as well as on results. Seeks ways to improve productivity and effectiveness by identifying sources of mistakes and determining or suggesting a course of action to prevent their recurrence.
6. Teamwork: The employee is a team player who contributes valuable ideas, opinions and feedback. Communicates openly and honestly and can be counted on to fulfill commitments made to others.

Skills & Qualifications

3+ years of HR or payroll, or similar experience. Proficiency in HRIS/payroll systems. Strong Excel and data management skills. Knowledge of payroll regulations and basic HR compliance. High attention to detail and confidentiality. Familiar with process documentation and SOPs. Exposure to benefit administration and compliance tracking.  Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with a customer service focus. Strong problem-solving skills. Ability to work cooperatively with all levels of management and employees to maximize performance, creativity, problem solving and results.