Position: Payroll and Benefits Coordinator
Organization: Glooscap First Nation & Glooscap Ventures, Hantsport, Nova Scotia
Work Arrangement: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours per week, with the option to work remotely on Fridays.
Benefits: Eligible for group insurance and pension benefits following three months of continuous service.
Compensation: $50,000–$60,000 per year.
Employment Type: One-year fixed-term position, with the possibility of extension or transition to permanent employment; three-month probationary period.
Reports To: Financial Controller
Key Interfaces: Human Resources, Accounts Payable, ADP Workforce Now, Sage Intacct
Glooscap First Nation and Glooscap Ventures are seeking a skilled Payroll and Benefits Coordinator to join our team. This role offers an experienced payroll professional the opportunity to support our employees and ensure payroll and benefits services are accurate, timely, and compliant across the organization.
Reporting to the Financial Controller, the Payroll and Benefits Coordinator will manage day-to-day payroll operations, perform reconciliations, maintain accurate records, and support payroll controls. Working with Human Resources and Finance, the coordinator will help deliver a seamless employee experience and support ongoing improvements to payroll processes.
Key Responsibilities
Payroll Processing & Cycle Ownership
- Coordinate and prepare the end-to-end payroll cycle, subject to independent approval, from input collection through distribution and filing, meeting each pay-run deadline.
- Prepare and process payroll while maintaining appropriate segregation of duties. Final approval of the payroll register and any payroll-related entries prepared by the Payroll and Benefits Coordinator must be completed by an authorized independent approver.
- Collect and validate payroll inputs for each pay run, including manager-approved timesheets and hours, approved leave, new hires, terminations, rate and status changes, and one-time payments. Confirm that all supporting documentation has been properly authorized and retained.
- Enter or import approved changes into ADP Workforce Now as a payroll preparer, keeping data entry separate from the run approval.
- Prepare the pre-run review: review the ADP preview / pre-processing register for gross-to-net, exceptions, new employees, terminations, and large variances against the prior run, and present the reviewed register for independent approval.
- Process the approved pay run for transmission against the reviewed and approved register.
- Prepare and post the payroll journal entry to Sage Intacct by entity and dimension, supported and filed against the ADP register.
- Compile the complete run package (register, approvals, reconciliation, and supporting authorizations) to the retention standard.
- Prepare off-cycle payments, manual adjustments, and exceptions when authorized, documenting the reason and approval for each.
- Coordinate year-end payroll activities, including balancing payroll accounts, preparing and reviewing T4s and other annual payroll reporting, and resolving year-end payroll discrepancies.
- Provide onboarding support to new employees by explaining payroll processes, pay schedules, direct deposit, employee self-service, time entry, and other ADP Workforce Now functionality.
- Provide ongoing coaching and support to employees and managers on the use of ADP Workforce Now, including timesheet entry, leave requests, employee self-service, pay statements, tax forms, and other system functionality.
Reconciliations & Controls
- Reconcile ADP payroll output to the general ledger and bank transactions following each pay run. Confirm that net pay, deductions, and remittances agree, and promptly escalate any reconciling items.
- Reconcile the vacation and leave liability to the general ledger, supporting the monthly close.
- Maintain segregation of duties within payroll: the preparer role (data entry) must remain separate from the approval role, and the monthly reconciliation is performed by someone independent of the payroll process.
- Complete required steps in the ADP portal for statutory remittances, confirming accuracy and completeness even where ADP administers the remittance mechanics by direct debit.
- Review and reconcile WCB assessable earnings, premiums, classifications, and ADP remittance reports each pay period and at year-end, escalating discrepancies to the Financial Controller and ADP.
- Complete required Blue Cross and Canada Life reporting through the applicable provider portals, reconcile payroll deductions and employer contributions to provider invoices and direct-debit amounts, and record the appropriate transactions in Sage Intacct.
- Reconcile any other required deductions and remittances, such as garnishments, family support orders, union or association dues, and insurance deductions, where applicable, to source authorizations and remitted amounts.
- Maintain accurate, up-to-date documented payroll procedures so that no single absence stops a run or forces a control to be bypassed.
- Support internal and external audits by preparing payroll reconciliations, reports, supporting schedules, and documentation requested by the auditor.
HR–Finance Interface & Employee Lifecycle
- Process final pay on termination based on HR-provided information, regular earnings, accrued vacation payout, approved adjustments, deductions, and amounts owing, and issue the Record of Employment (ROE) within the required timeline.
- Apply approved new-hire, rate, status, and banking changes only from properly authorized, retained source documentation; never action a rate change from a verbal instruction.
- Confirm hours and exceptions (overtime, on-call, shift premiums) are approved by the appropriate manager before entry; where a manager cannot approve in time, confirm and action per the established process.
- Apply statutory holiday and leave entitlements consistently across all entities in pay processing.
Compliance, Records & Continuity
- Ensure payroll accuracy and completeness for statutory compliance, coordinating with the Controller and HR on the division of responsibility documented in the ADP service agreement.
- Retain run packages and supporting authorizations, treating payroll information as confidential.
- Serve as a documented point in the payroll continuity plan and support cross-training of a backup preparer so payroll is resilient to absence.
- Maintain ADP support and escalation contacts and understand the provider's continuity commitments.
Reporting & Management Support
- Prepare and distribute regular payroll and workforce reports to managers, Human Resources, and Finance to support operational decision-making.
- Produce payroll reports on employee hours worked, overtime, vacation balances, sick leave, and other leave utilization, as requested by Human Resources, Finance, or management.
- Support managers by responding to payroll-related inquiries and providing information to assist with workforce planning, budgeting, and variance analysis.
- Develop and maintain standard payroll reports and dashboards, identifying opportunities to improve reporting through ADP Workforce Now and Sage Intacct.
- Prepare ad hoc payroll, employee, and labour reporting for management, Finance, Human Resources, auditors, and external agencies as required.
Qualifications & Experience
- Post-secondary education in accounting, payroll, business administration, or a related field.
- Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation, or working toward it, is strongly preferred.
- Minimum 3 years of hands-on, full-cycle payroll experience, including reconciliations.
- Experience with ADP Workforce Now and a general ledger / ERP system; Sage Intacct experience is an asset.
- Sound understanding of Canadian payroll legislation, statutory remittances, ROE issuance, and vacation/leave accrual.
- Strong attention to detail, discretion with confidential information, and comfort working to fixed pay-run deadlines.
- Ability to work within a controlled process and maintain segregation of duties between preparation, approval, and reconciliation.
Assets
- Experience working within Indigenous organizations, economic development corporations, or community-owned enterprises.
- Experience with multi-entity payroll and posting by entity/dimension.
- Familiarity with First Nation governance and reporting environments.
Performance Measurement
- Every pay run is processed accurately and on time, with a complete and retained run package.
- Payroll is reconciled to the GL and bank with each run, with reconciling items identified and resolved promptly.
- Segregation of duties between preparation, approval, and reconciliation is maintained without exception.
- Statutory remittances, ROEs, and final pays are complete and issued within required timelines.
- Payroll procedures are documented and current, reducing key-person risk.
Work Location
159 Smith Road, Hantsport, NS B0P 1P0.
Working Conditions
- Regular interaction with management, finance staff, and human resources staff.
- Exposure to confidential and sensitive financial information.
- Structured office environment requiring accuracy, professionalism, and discretion.
Additional Requirements
- Employment is conditional upon satisfactory criminal record and reference checks.
Pay: $60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Dental care
- Employee assistance program
- Extended health care
- Flexible schedule
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
- RRSP match
- Vision care
- Wellness program
- Work from home
Work Location: In person
