Payroll & Benefits Administrator

LMC is a leading buying group for a network of independent family-owned building material companies across the US. As their buying group, LMC negotiates and facilitates procurement opportunities for the most desired brands in the lumber and building materials industry. We also work to provide operational support with focus on logistics, capital equipment, technology, and marketing. By leveraging the billion-dollar buying power of our members, LMC ensures our members have a competitive edge to capture more of their local market share.
The Payroll & Benefits Administrator is responsible for the accurate and timely administration of payroll, employee benefits, and HRIS administration. This role serves as the primary point of contact for payroll and benefits-related inquiries and ensures compliance with all federal, state, and local regulations. The Payroll & Benefits Administrator partners closely with employees, managers, Finance, and Human Resources to support an exceptional employee experience while maintaining data integrity and confidentiality.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Payroll Administration

• Process bi-weekly payroll accurately and on schedule.
• Review, audit, and reconcile payroll data including salaries, bonuses, deductions, taxes, and benefit elections.
• Ensure all employee time records are reviewed and approved prior to payroll processing.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee inquiries.
• Maintain payroll records in accordance with company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Process new hires, promotions, transfers, salary changes, terminations, and other employee data changes within the HRIS/payroll system.
• Reconcile payroll registers, payroll history reports, and payroll-related general ledger accounts.
• Coordinate year-end payroll activities, including W-2 processing and payroll tax reconciliation.
• Support audits by providing payroll documentation and reports as needed.

Benefits Administration

• Administer employee benefit programs including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability, FSA/HSA, and 401K retirement plans.
• Coordinate employee enrollments, changes, and terminations in benefit programs.
• Facilitate the annual open enrollment process, including employee communications and system updates.
• Collaborate with the benefits broker and employee advocacy representatives to assist employees with complex benefits concerns, carrier issues, and claims escalations while promoting awareness and utilization of available advocacy resources.
• Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and partner with Finance to ensure payment of invoices.
• Maintain compliance with benefit plan requirements and applicable regulations.

Retirement Plan Administration

• Administer day-to-day activities related to the Company's 401(k) retirement plan, including eligibility, enrollments, contribution changes, distributions, and employee communications.
• Serve as a member of the Company's 401(k) Committee and act as the primary liaison between the Committee, fiduciary advisor, recordkeeper, and plan administrator, coordinating governance activities, plan reviews, compliance requirements, and committee follow-up.
• Partner with the organization's 401(k) fiduciary advisor, plan administrator, and recordkeeper to support plan governance, employee education initiatives, participant communications, and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate annual audits, compliance testing, and required retirement plan reporting activities.

HRIS and Data Management

• Maintain accurate employee records and ensure data integrity across HR and payroll systems.
• Establish, maintain, and monitor secure data integrations and file transfers between the HRIS, payroll, benefits, and other HR technology platforms, ensuring data accuracy, confidentiality, regulatory compliance, and timely resolution of interface-related issues.
• Generate and analyze payroll, benefits, and headcount reports.
• Assist with system testing and implementation of HR and payroll process improvements.
• Ensure confidentiality and security of employee information.

Headcount Planning & Workforce Analytics

• Prepare workforce cost projections, including salary adjustments, incentive payouts, benefit costs, and planned staffing changes, for inclusion in the annual operating budget.
• Support the annual headcount and compensation budgeting process by preparing employee census data, salary projections, bonus projections, payroll cost analyses, and benefits cost forecasts.
• Monitor vacancies, new hires, promotions, transfers, and terminations to ensure accurate workforce planning and budget tracking.
• Partner with Finance to provide reporting and analysis related to headcount, labor costs, benefit expenses, and staffing trends.

Compliance and Regulatory Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and employment regulations.
• Maintain knowledge of payroll tax laws, wage and hour regulations, benefit compliance requirements, and retirement plan regulations.
• Assist with ACA, COBRA, FMLA, and other regulatory processes as applicable.
• Prepare information required for audits, government filings, and compliance reporting.

Employee Support

• Provide exceptional customer service to employees and managers regarding payroll, benefits, and retirement programs.
• Educate employees on payroll practices, benefit offerings, retirement savings opportunities, and HR policies.
• Support onboarding activities related to payroll, benefits enrollment, and retirement plan participation.

• All other duties as required.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or equivalent required.
• 5+ years of payroll and benefits administration experience required.
• Experience with and strong knowledge of payroll/HRIS platforms.  Experience with ADP is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of payroll practices, payroll taxes, and wage and hour regulations.
• Demonstrated experience administering 401(k) retirement plans.
• Understanding of employee benefits administration.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and HRIS/payroll systems.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Customer service orientation with the ability to build effective relationships across the organization.