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Payroll Specialist

Argonne National Laboratory · Lemont, IL · $52,445–$82,748 a year · Full time

Posted Sep 9, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Tell me about a time you caught a mistake in your own work after it was submitted. What did you do?

What they are checking: Honesty and accountability, which matter more than a perfect record in a role handling pay.

Tell me about a time you worked with another department, like HR or Accounting, to fix a problem that crossed both areas.

What they are checking: Ability to build working relationships with the departments payroll depends on.

What would you do

You find an employee's pay rate in the system doesn't match the rate on their latest HR action. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they verify against the source record and loop in HR rather than quietly fixing it themselves.

An employee says their paycheck is short and they're upset because rent is due. How do you handle the call?

What they are checking: Calm, empathetic service paired with accuracy, since payroll mistakes hit people's lives directly.

You have a stack of tickets and a payroll deadline tomorrow. How do you decide what to do first?

What they are checking: Prioritization under a hard deadline without letting employee inquiries go unanswered for too long.

About the work

Walk me through how you'd review timecards before a bi-weekly payroll closes. What are you looking for?

What they are checking: Whether they have a careful, repeatable review habit that catches errors before people get paid wrong.

What do you know about how federal and state tax withholding works, and how would you answer an employee who asks why their withholding changed?

What they are checking: Basic payroll tax knowledge and the ability to explain it plainly without giving tax advice.

Argonne pays under a Prime Contract with DOE. Why might a federal contractor's payroll have extra rules compared to a private company?

What they are checking: Awareness that cost allowability and DOE oversight shape how payroll records are kept and reviewed.

How do you keep employee payroll data secure in daily work, from email to printed reports?

What they are checking: Practical habits for protecting sensitive personal and financial data.

What Excel skills do you use to validate data, and can you give an example of a check you built?

What they are checking: Whether their technical skills include practical reconciliation tools, not just data entry.

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The full job description

As published by Argonne National Laboratory.

Argonne is currently looking for a Payroll Specialist to join their team. In this role you will be responsible for supporting the daily transactional activities of the Payroll Department, assisting with payroll processing and related administrative functions with Prime Contract, Department of Energy (DOE) regulations, federal and state laws, and FMPS policies, under established procedures and supervision. Responsibilities: • Payroll processing – assist with bi-weekly and monthly payroll activities including data review and validation, timecard review for completeness and accuracy, rate verification, and system validation. • Employee and customer support – respond to payroll inquiries and tickets in a timely manner, processing of service requests, and providing resources or references • Reporting and records maintenance – maintain and update employee records, ensure secure handling of files and data, and assist with standard reports as assigned. • Teamwork – support Payroll team members working collaboratively or cross-functionally as needed; create a strong relationship with other adjacent and interdependent departments such as Human Resources, Legal, and Accounting. Position Requirements Required Skills and Qualifications: • PA1: Minimum of a Bachelor's degree in a related field and 0+ years of experience, or equivalent • Strong technical skills and abilities in systems and Office products • Basic to intermediate Excel skills and abilities • Effective interpersonal and communication skills required to interact effectively, tactfully and discreetly with all internal/external contacts and to develop effective working relationships • Strong numerical, organizational, and time management skills • Ability to prioritize, organize and handle multiple assignments simultaneously in a fast-paced environment, while being detail oriented and using sound independent judgment to accomplish tasks on time • Ability to maintain high standards of data confidentiality and security • Ability to model Argonne’s core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork Preferred Skills and Qualifications: • 1 or more years of payroll processing experience • Experience with Workday HCM • Experience with ADP • Working knowledge of payroll tasks and processes This position description documents the general nature and level of work but is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all activities, duties and responsibilities required of job incumbent. Consequently, job incumbent may be required to perform other duties as assigned. Job Family Professional Administrative (PA) Job Profile Accounting 1 Worker Type Regular Time Type Full time The expected hiring range for this position is $52,445.00 - $82,748.25. Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package. Click here to view Argonne employee benefits! As an equal employment opportunity employer, and in accordance with our core values of impact, safety, respect, integrity and teamwork, Argonne National Laboratory is committed to a safe and welcoming workplace that fosters collaborative scientific discovery and innovation. Argonne encourages everyone to apply for employment. Argonne is committed to nondiscrimination and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Argonne employees, and certain guest researchers and contractors, are subject to particular restrictions related to participation in Foreign Government Sponsored or Affiliated Activities, as defined and detailed in United States Department of Energy Order 486.1A. You will be asked to disclose any such participation in the application phase for review by Argonne's Legal Department. All Argonne offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes an assessment of criminal conviction history conducted on an individualized and case-by-case basis. Please be advised that Argonne positions require upon hire (or may require in the future) for the individual be to obtain a government access authorization that involves additional background check requirements. Failure to obtain or maintain such government access authorization could result in the withdrawal of a job offer or future termination of employment.

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