Payroll Specialist (TS/SCI Required) (Fairfax)

Job Title: Payroll Specialist

Location: Fairfax, VA (On-site / Secure Facility)

Position Type: Full-time

Clearance Requirement: Active TS/SCI

Position Overview:

Zeta Associates is seeking a Payroll Specialist with 3 to 5 years of experience to join our accounting team. In this role, you will manage the monthly payroll processing for both full-time and part-time employees, labor distributions, and timekeeping compliance within a secure government-contracting environment.

The ideal candidate will possess a background in government contracting regulations, hands-on experience-tracking labor via Deltek Costpoint, and proficiency finalizing payroll distributions through Paycor, Zeta’s outside Payroll provider.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review timesheets twice a month for accuracy and strict compliance with DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) guidelines and company policies.
• Track, calculate, and process labor adjustments (as needed)
• Onboard new employees, terminate, and other changes to employee information in Paycor
• Administer and process monthly payroll for our full-time and part-time employees
• Monthly Payroll reconciliation for both payrolls
• Monthly calculation of COLA and Housing payments for our PCS employees in the UK and AUS
• Support internal and external audits by preparing accurate labor distribution reports and payroll tax documentation.
• Special projects as needed

Qualifications and Skills:

• Experience: 3 to 5 years of professional payroll processing and timekeeping experience, preferably within the defense contracting industry.
• Active TS/SCI Clearance with ability to obtain a CI Polygraph while working
• Systems Expertise: Direct, hands-on experience using Deltek Costpoint (Time & Expense / Labor modules) and Paycor payroll software.
• Compliance Knowledge: Solid understanding of DCAA labor compliance standards, FLSA regulations, and multi-state payroll taxation.
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a business-related field is preferred.
• Technical Skills: Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables) for data reconciliation.
• Competencies: High level of discretion when handling sensitive or classified personnel data; exceptional attention to detail; strong analytical and problem-solving skills.