Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for **Timesheet Specialist**

🎯 Role Definition

As our Timesheet Specialist, you will be the guardian of our company's most critical resource: our people's time. You are the central point of contact for all timekeeping matters, ensuring every hour is recorded accurately, processed efficiently, and compliant with all internal policies and external regulations. This role serves as a vital link between our employees, project managers, and the payroll department, directly impacting financial accuracy, client billing, and employee satisfaction. We're looking for a proactive problem-solver who thrives on accuracy, demonstrates an unwavering commitment to data integrity, and excels at clear communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Data Entry Clerk
Administrative Assistant
HR Assistant
Junior Accounting Clerk

Advancement To:

Senior Timesheet Specialist
Payroll Specialist / Administrator
Payroll Analyst
HR Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Accounts Payable/Receivable Clerk
Project Coordinator
Compliance Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Perform daily and weekly comprehensive audits of all employee timesheets to guarantee accuracy, completeness, and proper submission in accordance with strict deadlines.
Systematically review, validate, and correct time entries, leave requests, and overtime calculations to ensure full compliance with company policies and federal/state labor laws (e.g., FLSA).
Act as the primary, service-oriented point of contact for employees and managers regarding all timesheet-related inquiries, providing clear guidance and timely resolution to complex issues.
Process and reconcile intricate timesheet corrections, prior period adjustments, and manual time entries, ensuring all changes are meticulously documented and properly approved.
Generate and distribute daily and weekly missing timesheet reports to functional managers and leadership, proactively following up to ensure 100% submission before critical payroll deadlines.
Collaborate closely with the Payroll department to provide clean, validated time data files, investigating and resolving any discrepancies to ensure accurate and on-time payroll processing.
Maintain and update employee records and profiles within the timekeeping system (e.g., ADP, Kronos, Deltek), including new hires, terminations, transfers, and changes in work schedules or pay rules.
Assist in the setup and configuration of new projects, charge codes, and labor categories within the timekeeping system to ensure proper cost allocation and project accounting.
Provide comprehensive training and ongoing support to new and existing employees and managers on the compliant and efficient use of the timekeeping system and related policies.
Develop, prepare, and maintain detailed documentation of timesheet procedures, policies, and best practices to ensure consistency and serve as a valuable training resource.
Support month-end and year-end closing activities by running labor accrual reports, reconciling hours, and assisting the accounting team with labor-related journal entries and variance analysis.
Investigate and resolve timesheet rejection issues, working directly with employees and managers to educate them on proper coding, comment entry, and submission procedures.
Monitor, manage, and reconcile Paid Time Off (PTO), sick leave, and other leave-of-absence balances, ensuring system accruals are accurate and usage is correctly recorded and approved.
Assist in gathering and preparing detailed timesheet and labor data for internal and external audits, including DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency), financial, or client-specific reviews.
Generate a variety of standard and ad-hoc labor utilization reports for project managers, finance, and human resources to support project budgeting, forecasting, and resource management.
Ensure the integrity and accuracy of the data interface between the timekeeping system and other core business systems, such as the HRIS, payroll engine, and accounting software.
Identify opportunities for process improvement within the timekeeping cycle and recommend system enhancements or procedural changes to increase efficiency, compliance, and accuracy.
Manage user access levels and security permissions within the timekeeping system, ensuring appropriate levels of authority are granted for employees, approvers, and administrators.
Serve as a subject matter expert on all time collection policies and system functionality, providing critical input on policy changes or system upgrades.
Diligently review timesheets for compliance with specific project or contract requirements, ensuring hours are charged to the correct and allowable charge codes.

Secondary Functions

Assist the Payroll and HR teams with special projects and reporting initiatives as needed.
Support new system implementations or upgrades by participating in user acceptance testing (UAT).
Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for various departments.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

High proficiency in enterprise-level timekeeping systems such as Deltek Time & Expense, UKG Kronos, ADP Workforce Now/Vantage, Workday, or similar platforms.
Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel, including the use of VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, and conditional formulas for data analysis and reconciliation.
Strong, foundational understanding of payroll principles and the end-to-end payroll processing cycle.
Working knowledge of federal and multi-state wage and hour laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), overtime rules, and meal/rest break regulations.
Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and an understanding of how timekeeping data integrates.
Ability to generate, reconcile, and analyze complex labor reports and timesheet data sets.
Experience with government contract compliance, particularly DCAA (Defense Contract Audit Agency) timekeeping requirements, is highly desirable.
Familiarity with Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) and the flow of data between HR, timekeeping, and payroll modules.
Exceptional data entry proficiency with a high degree of speed and accuracy.
Basic understanding of accounting principles related to labor costing and project accounting.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and an unwavering commitment to accuracy and data integrity.
Strong organizational and time management skills, with a proven ability to manage multiple priorities and meet strict, recurring deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills for interacting professionally and clearly with employees at all levels.
Proven problem-solving and analytical skills to independently investigate and resolve discrepancies.
High level of discretion and professionalism in handling sensitive employee and financial information.
A customer-service-oriented mindset with patience and a genuine desire to help others.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
Proactive and resourceful, with the ability to anticipate issues before they arise.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent (GED).

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Finance
Business Administration
Human Resources

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-4 years of direct experience in timesheet processing, timekeeping administration, or a payroll-focused role.

Preferred:

Experience in a government contracting, professional services, engineering, or project-based business environment is a significant plus.
Experience processing timesheets for a large, multi-state employee population.