Payroll Specialist

Job Summary

We are seeking a Payroll Specialist for a direct hire opportunity in Portland, OR, supporting an organization within the aerospace and defense industry. This role is ideal for a payroll professional with 3 to 5 years of experience who is detail-oriented, dependable, and comfortable working in a highly regulated, deadline-driven environment.

The Payroll Specialist will play an important role in ensuring accurate and timely payroll processing, supporting compliance requirements, and partnering with internal teams to resolve payroll-related questions. This is a strong opportunity to join a stable industry with a professional accounting and finance team, supportive leadership, and a collaborative work environment where accuracy, communication, and accountability are valued.

Key Responsibilities

- Process payroll accurately and on schedule while ensuring compliance with internal policies and applicable regulations.
- Review payroll data, timekeeping records, deductions, adjustments, and employee information for accuracy.
- Research and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee inquiries, and related documentation needs.
- Maintain payroll records and support reporting, audits, reconciliations, and compliance-related requests.
- Collaborate with accounting, finance, human resources, and operations teams to support smooth payroll administration.
- Use Microsoft Office tools to prepare reports, organize data, and communicate payroll information clearly.

Compensation and Benefits

- Direct hire opportunity.
- Salary range: $65,000.00 to $73,000.00 per year.
- Location: Portland, OR.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

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For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Additional Skills

Required Qualifications and Skills

- Process and review payroll for accuracy, timeliness, and compliance.
- Maintain payroll records, reports, deductions, and employee payroll data.
- Resolve payroll discrepancies and respond to payroll-related questions from internal stakeholders.
- Support payroll reporting, reconciliations, and audit preparation.

- 3 to 5 years of payroll experience.
- Experience working in the aerospace industry.
- Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills, including the ability to work accurately with spreadsheets, reports, and payroll data.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail, organization, and follow-through.
- Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
- Ability to work effectively in a deadline-driven accounting or finance environment.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience in aerospace and defense or another highly regulated industry.
- Familiarity with payroll compliance, audit support, and cross-functional coordination with accounting or human resources teams.