John Ouellette

• Oversaw multi-state and global payroll for North America, South America, Europe and Asia including both exempt and non-exempt employees.
• Processed both monthly and quarterly supplemental wages including both bonuses and commissions, ensuring 100% on time and accurate processing.
• Served as subject matter expert (SME) for payroll operations, taxation, compliance, audits and federal, state and international reporting.
• Resolved discrepancies and maintaining regulatory alignment with appropriate agencies and laws.
• Conducted quarterly and annual audits, validated deductions and reconciled garnishments and court ordered withholdings.
• Administered benefits programs including 401K, managing open enrollment, deductions and compliance with both ACA and COBRA.
• Partnered with Finance, Legal, Operations and Procurement to ensure ISO and SOX2 documentation requirements.

• Provided documentation to support Rain’s exemption from tax liabilities in non-operational jurisdictions.
• Collaborated with state agencies to investigate and resolve tax discrepancies.
• Implemented corrective actions by separating wage types (regular, supplemental) & taxable fringe benefits with the goal of enhancing compliance and reducing errors.
• Communicated payroll changes to employees to improve understanding and prevent future issues.
• Worked in collaboration with payroll provider to ensure that correct withholding rates were being calculated correctly during supplemental pay periods to ensure accurate tax withholdings and sustained payroll compliance.
• Led a comprehensive backdated audit from Rain’s previous payroll providers from 2019 to 2023 to research and confirm if the company was liable for missed quarterly filings, backdated tax entries and incorrect multi-jurisdictional recaps.
• Successfully decreased amount owed from $5,000 to $1,500 and saved $3,500 for the company by negotiating a reduction in outstanding tax liabilities.

• Ensured end-to-end payroll processing, including benefits, leaves of absence, retirement plans, unemployment claims, multi-state tax compliance and reciprocity agreements were being calculated correctly.
• Spearheaded the creation of a payroll and benefits division within finance department to ensure regulatory compliance and operational excellence.
• Cultivated strong relationships with vendors and internal teams as well as oversaw payroll, benefits administration, and government compliance.
• Ensured accurate tax setups for employees across multi-state jurisdictions and conducted manual calculations.
• Maintained compliance with federal and state employment laws by directing filing of annual EEO-1 report and enforcement of state mandated health insurance.
• Contributed to launch of wellness, fertility, and family planning programs as well as a cell phone reimbursement policy.
• Successfully executed the 2023 Safe Harbor Audit and recovered $68,000 by implementing controls to prevent retirement overcontributions through ADP customization.

• Orchestrated payroll operations to ensure tax compliance through rigorous quarterly and annual reconciliation, quality control checks, variance analysis, and resolution of tax notices.
• Eliminated inefficiencies by implementing corrective actions and process improvements.
• Oversaw all W-2C processes and carried out detailed audits, paperwork reviews, and filings.
• Filed monthly reports with U.S. Department of Labor – Bureau of Labor Statistics Census bureau.
• Represented finance department in pride, diversity, and inclusion groups, contributing to event planning and discussions on LGBTQIA rights, social stigmatization, race, and trailblazers.
• Reconciled 7,000+ W-2s against quarterly and year-end state filings and collaborated with ADP to resolve government tax notices before quarter close.
• Headed and trained 50+ personnel through 10 seminars on legislative updates and compliance best practices.

• Conducted thorough compliance audits to enforce correct contributions allocations as per collective bargaining agreements (CBA) for both local and national funds.
• Scrutinized monthly reports, cross-referencing employee hours worked, and wages paid with accurate rates and contributions for precision.
• Ensured precise contributions based on individual employee benefits packages, encompassing health and welfare, pension, annuity, holiday, personal, sick, and vacation pay.
• Presented conclusive audit results and discrepancies to company, facilitating informed decisions on whether further actions were necessary to reconcile account balances.
• Tracked all reported discrepancies against employer and orchestrated comprehensive corrective action plans to effectively resolve identified problems.

• Partnered with tax filing team to transition finalized audit findings and recommendations before quarterly filings.
• Developed strategic action plans for account reconciliation to resolve backdated taxes, penalties, and interest.
• Delivered comprehensive audit results by outlining key findings and financial impact(s) to clients.
• Led initiatives in payroll tax analytics, client onboarding, data integration, and quality assurance.
• Ensured payroll and HR data transitions, adhering to strict balancing procedures and quality control measures.

Facilitated smooth data conversion and system setup while ensuring quality assurance through service integration guidance.

Evaluated risks in reporting and records, delivering critical data-driven insights for compliance.

Created personalized implementation timelines for clients, promoting accurate data migration and configuration.

• Presented audit findings to clients with actionable strategic plans for reconciling accounts.
• Oversaw management of over 500 client profiles during payroll audit, ensuring correct processing of deposits.
• Directed client onboarding initiatives to significantly enhance customer satisfaction.

• Worked within the Professional Employment Organization (PEO) department, transformed payroll services through in-depth analysis of payroll data, year-end reports, and quarterly tax filings to ensure full compliance.
• Leveraged resource tools and databases to swiftly address customer inquiries and resolve issues.
• Partnered cross-functionally with multiple departments to track and reconcile customer service matters, while driving retention.
• Earned TotalSource Region of Year award for two consecutive years (2013 & 2014) by achieving a 90.15% client retention rate, the highest in five years.
• Managed a portfolio of 130 mid-to-large businesses, ensuring accurate payroll, tax filings, W2 processing, and benefits administration.