Specialist, US Payroll and People Operations

Location: Berkeley Heights NJ

Job Type: Full-Time

About Us

As a developer, manufacturer, and supplier of essential medicines, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and its affiliates’ purpose is to put better health within reach, every day for millions of patients around the world.

We are a trusted, reliable partner and dependable source of over 760 high-quality generic, specialty and branded pharmaceutical products that hospitals, physicians and pharmacists need to treat their patients across North America, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

Through our global footprint of 30+ manufacturing plants, 8+ R&D centers, and 9,000+ empowered employees, we are committed to making high-quality medicines accessible to the people who need them.

Description

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are seeking a talented and motivated Specialist, U.S. Payroll and People Operations individual to join our team.

In this role you will be responsible for end-to-end U.S. payroll processing, 401k deductions processing and time administration using UKG Pro and UKG Pro Workforce Management, supporting a multistate employee population.

This role serves as a payroll subject matter expert, ensuring accuracy, compliance, audit readiness, and high-quality service delivery. The position partners closely with People Operations, HRIS, Finance, Benefits, and external vendors while driving reporting excellence and continuous process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Execute and own end-to-end biweekly U.S. payroll processing in UKG Pro, ensuring timely and accurate pay delivery
• Review and respond to employee and manager inquiries related to pay, taxes, timecards, PTO balances and policy, employment verifications, year-end requests for W2s, and historical timecard corrections.
• Support time and attendance processing in UKG Pro Workforce Management, including timecard audits, overtime validation, corrections and accurate timecard coding for employees on leave of absence based on leave status updates provided by the Leave team
• Process off‑cycle payrolls, retroactive adjustments, special earnings, and payroll corrections as needed
• Perform payroll balancing, validation, reconciliations, and approvals prior to payroll submission
• Identify and implement payroll process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and audit controls
• Participate in payroll and benefits related projects, including system enhancements, upgrades, integrations, and compliance initiatives
• Lead year end tasks as assigned and related to W2s, system review, employee data review.
• Support testing, validation, and documentation related to UKG system updates and enhancements
• Develop and maintain SOPs, job aids, and payroll documentation to support consistency and knowledge sharing
• Act as an escalation resource for complex payroll issues, providing expertise without formal supervisory responsibility
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local wage and tax regulations and apply it to every pay
• Prepare and support statutory and compliance reporting, and both internal and external payroll audits by producing required reports, reconciliations, and supporting documentation
• Provide tactical support for payroll and benefits related data audit requests, including but not limited to annual 401(k) audits, workers’ compensation audits, payroll system processing audits, and related reconciliation and documentation requirements.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily:

• 3-5 years’ experience in payroll processing experience supporting multi‑state payrolls
• Hands‑on, recent experience with configuration of UKG Pro and UKG Pro Workforce Management at an intermediate level
• Strong working knowledge of payroll compliance, wage & hour laws, tax reporting, audits, and payroll accounting principles
• Intermediate to advanced Excel skills for complex reporting
• Experience utilizing a case management system, to document, track, prioritize, and resolve payroll and time‑related inquiries in compliance with established controls and service‑level expectations
• Associates degree in Human Resources, Finance, Business, or a related field. Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Understand UKG’s Administrative tools including UKG Pro, Workforce Management, Plan Source (benefits platform)
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage complex payroll cycles independently, retro, gross-up, stock vest and bonus.
• Clear, professional communication and customer service orientation
• Ability to influence and collaborate cross functionally without direct authority

Compensation

Base Salary: $56,950.00 - $95,000.00 annually. The compensation for this position will be determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, work location, prior experience and job-related knowledge, relevant skills and expertise, current business needs, and market factors.

The Talent Acquisition team can provide more details about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

What We Offer*

• Annual performance bonus, commission, and share potential
• Auto enrollment in a Hikma-sponsored 401(k) program at a pre-tax contribution rate of 4% of eligible pay. Hikma will match 100% of the first 6% of eligible pay that you contribute
• A generous paid time off (PTO) bank starting with 20 days (prorated based on hire date). Additional days granted upon reaching work milestone anniversaries
• 3 personal days (prorated based on hire date)
• 11 company paid holidays
• Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, mental health, disability, life insurance, prescription drug coverage, and a variety of voluntary benefits
• Employee discount program
• Wellbeing rewards program
• Safety and Quality is a top organizational priority
• Career advancement and growth opportunities
• Tuition reimbursement
• Paid maternity and parental leave
• Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and depend on the job classification, role, and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change as well as specific plan or program terms.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

Agency Notice

Please note that Hikma has a set roster of approved recruiters for specific roles agreed to in advance and does not accept unsolicited resumes or calls from third-party recruiters or employment agencies regarding open positions. In the absence of a signed agreement and approval from Hikma’s Human Resources department to submit resumes for a specific

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