Benefits & Payroll Specialist

Organizational Profile

At The Global Orphan Project, our mission is to break the orphan cycle by addressing its root causes—relational and economic—strengthening families before they break. We believe the family is the essential cell of civilization. When families fracture, children pay the highest price, often entering destructive downstream systems such as street life, prison, and human trafficking.

When our ministry began, we sought to respond to this crisis by building physical orphanages around the world. But along the way, we discovered something that changed our trajectory: up to 90% of children living in orphanages globally have at least one living parent who could care for them if they had the means. Many were placed in orphanages not because of abuse or abandonment, but because their parents—often single mothers—felt unable to provide for them.

We soon recognized the same reality in our own nation. In the richest country the world has ever known, the leading reason children enter foster care is not abuse its neglect, most often tied to poverty. This conviction drives us today: to come alongside families, churches, and communities, offering hope and tangible solutions so that children can grow up where they belong—within the love and stability of a family.

Position Summary

Benefits & Payroll Specialist

The Benefits & Payroll Specialist is responsible for administering employee benefits and payroll programs while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.  This role encompasses strategy as well as execution of both the benefits and payroll disciplines.   

Location: Kansas City Office

Reports To: HR Director of People Operations

Your Responsibilities Include

Benefits

• Serve as the main point of contact for employee benefits questions, claims, and coverage updates.
• Manage day-to-day enrollment, changes, and terminations across health, dental, vision, life, and 401(k) plans.
• Direct, along with the Director of People Operations, the annual Open Enrollment process, including vendor setup, material distribution, and employee meetings.
• Reconcile monthly insurance billing statements against payroll deductions to ensure precise data matching.
• Process leaves of absence, FMLA requests, short/long-term disability, and Workers' Compensation claims.
• Serve as contact for benefits reporting and audits.
• Comply with all benefits laws and regulations including ACA.
• Work directly with benefits vendors to solve issues.
• Provide excellent customer service to employee base on all benefits inquiries.

Payroll

• Serve as a primary administrator for multi-state, bi-weekly payroll processing, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws.
• Review payroll registers, resolve discrepancies, and ensure proper approvals prior to payroll submission.
• Coordinate with the Finance team to reconcile payroll, tax, and benefit expenses to the general ledger and answer questions as needed.
• Proactively monitor for compliance with state, federal and local payroll laws.
• Serve as contact for all payroll reporting and audits.
• Provide excellent customer service to employee base on all payroll inquiries.

Other Duties

• Protect employee data and maintain confidentiality of employee information.
• Help address employee concerns and foster a positive and inclusive workplace culture.
• Attend team and office meetings as requested.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and Skills, You Bring to the Organization

• BS/BA in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, or related field, professional certification is a plus.
• 4+ years of related human resources and/or payroll experience.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and oral mediums with associates at all levels of an organization.
• Experience with an integrated payroll software system. (Paycom experience preferred)
• Understanding of multi-state payroll and taxes.
• A strong desire to learn and grow with our organization with a commitment to continuous improvement personally and in processes oversee.
• Highly analytical with robust problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.  Advanced Excel skills a plus.
• Authorized to work lawfully in the United States. The organization will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position.

Core Competencies

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Works effectively across departments, especially with Finance, Talent, and Leadership teams. Builds strong relationships and proactively coordinates with stakeholders to resolve issues and refine processes.
• Team-Oriented Mindset: Approaches work with a spirit of service and success. Contributes positively to team goals. Values unity, humility, and mutual respect in all interactions.
• Communication and Relationship Building: Communicates clearly, respectfully, and proactively with employees, managers, and external partners. Builds trust through transparency, responsiveness, and follow-through.
• Attention to Detail and Accountability: Demonstrates a high level of accuracy in payroll, benefits, and employee data. Take ownership of responsibilities and commitments and ensure compliance with policies and regulations.

The above description is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather a focused list of priorities. Success provides the opportunity to not only build a career but also bring much-needed support and care to local children and families in crisis across the United States. Successful candidates, like all GO Project LLC employees, are expected to live and work consistent with GO’s vision, mission, and values.

GO Project offers a competitive benefits package for full-time positions (30+ hours per week) including health, dental, vision and employer paid life insurance, retirement savings and generous PTO plan and a highly competitive, market-indexed compensation when compared to similar non-profit roles. Compensation is commensurate with relevant skills and experience.

The Global Orphan Project is a 501c3 nonprofit located at 3161 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO 64111.

GO Project associates are at-will employees.www.goproject.org