Payroll Analyst

About Instawork

Instawork’s vision is to create economic opportunities for local businesses and skilled hourly workers in communities around the world. With an AI-first approach, we’re supercharging the leading online labor marketplace and looking for exceptional talent to help us build the future of hourly work. Backed by world-class investors like Benchmark, Spark Capital, Craft Ventures, Greylock, Y Combinator, and more, we want you to help us continue to scale quickly and make an even greater impact.

Founded in 2015, Instawork is the nation’s leading online labor marketplace for food services, hospitality, light industry, and logistics, connecting more than 7M skilled workers with local restaurants, hotels, warehouses, stadiums, and more. Our AI-powered platform serves thousands of businesses across more than 50 major markets in the United States and Canada. We're not just helping fill shifts, we're supporting local economies—and we're just getting started!

Role Overview

Seeking a detail-oriented, analytical Payroll Analyst to support our payroll operations, reporting, and data integrity efforts. You’ll play a critical role in handling complex inquiries, supporting audit readiness, auditing payroll accuracy, and stepping in during emergencies. This is a hands-on role ideal for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, is comfortable navigating ADP, Mode, Excel, and large data sets, and enjoys solving payroll-related puzzles with a cross-functional lens.

Who You Are

• 2 years of experience in payroll data analysis
• Proficiency in ADP Workforce Now, SQL for building queries, Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables, error checking), Mode or similar BI/reporting platforms
• Familiarity with multi-state tax compliance
• Strong attention to detail, data integrity, and documentation practices
• Ability to communicate clearly with cross-functional teams

Soft Skills

• Highly organized
• Follows established procedures and checklists with consistency
• Proactively identifies and suggests process improvements
• Self-motivated and dependable
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability
• Analytical and solutions-oriented
• Empathetic and collaborative
• Intellectually curious with a strong desire to learn

What You’ll Do

• Retrieve payroll records for Legal to support audits.
• Research and resolve payroll tax edge cases outside vendor coverage or Compliance scope.
• Serve as an emergency backup for the Payroll Manager during PTO.
• Identify data anomalies and provide insights
• Build reports and dashboards using Mode and SQL.
• Respond to and help resolve an average of 200 monthly inquiries, including, but not limited to failed direct deposits, paid sick leave, withholdings, and overtime
• Support Payroll Manager during payroll processing by:
  • Working with ADP to clear errors
  • Inputting data for records dropped during import processes
  • Provide an additional layer of audit scrutiny

Qualifications

For U.S. Based Applicants:

• Location: Remote (U.S.-based)
• Employment Type: Contractor
• Pay: $37 per hour
• Hours: 30-40 hours per week

Our Values

• Empathy, Trust & Candor: We put ourselves in the shoes of our colleagues and customers and don’t shy away from uncomfortable conversations, instead building trust through honest and direct feedback.
• Bias for Action: We practice high-velocity decision-making, clear-eyed that we often operate with incomplete information. Growing quickly means it’s OK to be wrong, so long as we learn from our mistakes and course correct!
• Always Be Learning: We’re a curious bunch, and with AI transforming our workplace we encourage everyone to learn from each other, compounding our knowledge and experience to help us change an entire industry.
• Act Like an Owner: We work long, hard, and smart, building products that delight our users and drive growth. Your ability to impact Instawork is limited only by your courage and conviction, not your job description.