Job Description
National Payroll Tax Specialist

It's more than a job

As a finance professional at Kuehne+Nagel, your work ensures accurate payroll tax reporting and filings. You also help make ordinary and special moments possible for people around the world. Because your financial diligence allows your colleagues across the company to stay focused on the core of their work, whether it's getting vital healthcare products to those who need them or fresh fruit to children playing in the park. Finance work at Kuehne+Nagel, means more than we imagine.

How you create impact

The Payroll Tax Specialist’s role is to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll tax reporting, filing, and payment across all applicable jurisdictions, protecting the organization from regulatory and financial risk. The scope of the role includes payroll tax calculations, reconciliations, agency relationship management, audit support, and monitoring of legislative changes. The role serves as the primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authorities, coordinating responses to tax notices, audits, and regulatory inquiries while ensuring accurate and timely resolution.

 

  • Ensure accurate calculation, filing, and timely remittance of all payroll taxes (federal, state, and local)
  • Verification and revision of payroll tax returns, including Forms 941, 940, W‑2/W‑3, and state/local equivalents
  • Perform payroll tax reconciliations between systems, tax filings, and the general ledger
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for federal, state, and local tax authorities
  • Respond to payroll tax notices, audits, and inquiries, resolving discrepancies and assessments
  • Monitor payroll tax law and regulatory changes and assess business impact
  • Coordinate with payroll tax vendor to ensure accurate reporting and compliance
  • Support month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end payroll tax and accounting close activities
  • Maintain documentation and support internal and external audits, including SOX compliance
  • Advise Payroll, Finance, and HR on payroll tax matters to mitigate risk and ensure compliance
  • Manage mapping of new jurisdictions between systems
  • Assist National Payroll Manager with employee wage and tax movement between jurisdications
  • Back up and support for primary payroll team

What we would like you to bring

  • 5+ years of payroll tax experience in a multi-state and/or complex payroll environment
  • Hands-on experience with payroll tax filings, reconciliations, and tax agency correspondence
  • Experience supporting payroll tax audits and responding to government inquiries
  • Strong knowledge of U.S. payroll tax regulations, including federal, state, and local requirements
  • Knowledge of wage and hour laws, payroll tax, and compliance requirements
  • Experience with payroll systems and tax compliance tools (e.g., ADP, SmartCompliance, UKG, or similar)
  • Experience performing payroll and payroll tax reconciliations between systems, tax filings, and the general ledger
  • Experience preparing and filing payroll tax returns, including Forms 941, 940, W-2/W-3, and state/local equivalents
  • Experience with wage garnishments and tax levies
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, v-look ups and formulas
  • Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and organizational skills
  • Strong communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills
  • Analytical and problem-solving abilities
  • Ability to think outside of the box and work indepenently and/or within a team
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment and integrity

 

This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for current or future employer sponsorship.

What's in it for you

At Kuehne+Nagel we strive daily to inspire, empower, and deliver not only to our customers, but also to our colleagues. We offer a dynamic global work environment with opportunities for excellent training programs and career mobility. The target base salary range for this position is between $115,000 and $120,000. Base salary is part of a competitive total rewards package that includes health and welfare benefits, a 401k retirement savings plan, tuition reimbursement, and incentive compensation for eligible roles. Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by a number of factors including experience, skills, job location, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations. Kuehne+Nagel reviews pay ranges regularly to ensure competitive and fair pay based on industry market data. #LI-TD1 

 

Kuehne+Nagel participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9. 

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used to assist in specific processes [e.g. screening applications, interview scheduling]. These tools analyze information to support decision-making, but final decisions are made by human reviewers. 

Who we are

Logistics shapes everyday life - from the goods we consume to the healthcare we rely on. At Kuehne+Nagel, your work goes beyond logistics; it enables both ordinary and special moments in the lives of people around the world.

As a global leader with a strong heritage and a vision to move the world forward, we offer a safe, stable environment where your career can make a real difference. Whether we help deliver life-saving medicines, develop sustainable transportation solutions or support our local communities, your career will contribute to more than you can imagine.

We kindly advise that placement agencies refrain from submitting unsolicited profiles. Any submissions of candidates without prior signed agreement will be considered our property and no fees will be paid.