Payroll and Benefits Specialist

We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Payroll & Benefits Specialist to join our People team. This role is responsible for the day-to-day management of key HR operations, including payroll, benefits, 401(k), leave administration, and HR audits. Reporting to and working closely with the Senior Director of HR, this individual will serve as a key operational liaison between employees, HRIS (Trinet), benefits broker, benefit carriers, 401K providers, and other external partners.

The selected candidate will play an important role in ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time, benefits and leave programs are administered effectively, and employee information remains accurate and consistent across systems. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, comfortable managing processes from start to finish, and proactive in identifying and resolving discrepancies before they impact employees. This individual should be equally comfortable working through detailed data and reconciliations, navigating multiple systems and vendors, and providing timely, thoughtful support to employees.

Responsibilities to include:

Payroll

• Manage payroll processing through HRIS, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
• Review and process new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, deductions, reimbursements, and other payroll adjustments in partnership with Finance.
• Review payroll data and reports to identify and resolve discrepancies prior to payroll processing.
• Coordinate year end payroll activities, tax documentation, garnishments, and payroll related reporting and compliance requirements.
• Partner with the company's HRIS and internal stakeholders to research and resolve payroll related questions and issues.

Benefits & 401(k) Administration

• Administer employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other company-sponsored benefits.
• Support benefit enrollment throughout the employee lifecycle, including new hire enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, and employee questions.
• Serve as a primary operational liaison between the company's HRIS, benefits broker, benefit carriers, and employees to maintain accurate eligibility and enrollment information and resolve benefit-related issues.
• Coordinate annual benefits renewal and Open Enrollment activities, including system setup, employee communications, enrollment support, audits, and final reconciliation.
• Administer 401(k) plan including eligibility, enrollments, contribution changes, employee support, and ongoing plan administration.
• Reconcile 401(k) contributions between HRIS and 401K system to ensure accurate and timely funding and resolve discrepancies as needed.

Leave Administration

• Administer employee leave programs, including FMLA, parental, disability, personal, and applicable state leaves, ensuring documentation, deadlines, tracking, and employee communication are completed throughout the process.
• Maintain accurate leave records and proactively track key dates, documentation requirements, and return-to-work timelines.
• Coordinate leave activity across TriNet, payroll, benefits, and applicable carriers to ensure pay, deductions, coverage, and employee records remain accurate.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for day to day leave administration, partnering with the Senior Director of HR on complex leave and accommodation matters.

HR Operations, Audits & Compliance

• Conduct recurring payroll and HR audits to ensure employee data, compensation, PTO, benefits, employment status, and HR records remain accurate across systems.
• Maintain accurate employee records, HR systems, and process documentation across TriNet, Vestwell, benefit carriers, and internal HR records.
• Identify discrepancies across systems and partner with internal teams and external vendors to resolve issues and improve data accuracy.
• Support onboarding, offboarding, and employee changes by ensuring payroll, benefits, and HR system updates are completed accurately and on time.
• Support ongoing updates to Employee Handbook, HR policies, and procedures, partnering with the Senior Director of HR to keep materials aligned with company practices and applicable requirements.
• Coordinate HR compliance and external administration, including required reporting, employment verifications, unemployment claims, workers’ compensation, 401(k) and benefits audits, and other external requests.
• Maintain process documentation and identify opportunities to improve, streamline, or automate recurring HR operational processes

What You Will Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Organizational Psychology, or related field preferred.
• 4+ years of Human Resources operations experience, including management of payroll, benefits, and HR operations processes.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local employment laws, payroll requirements, and HR compliance.
• Experience administering employee benefits, 401(k) programs, leave programs, and employee lifecycle processes.
• Experience managing full cycle payroll processing.
• Experience working within HRIS (TriNet experience strongly preferred), payroll, benefits, and vendor platforms, with the ability to maintain accurate employee data across systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify discrepancies, reconcile data, and resolve employee or system issues.
• Strong project management and presentation skills, with experience using project management tools such as Asana to organize work, manage timelines, and track deliverables.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly support employees and partner with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong attention to detail and discretion when handling confidential and sensitive employee information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and AI tools, including ChatGPT and Claude, with comfort working across multiple HR, payroll, benefits, and vendor systems.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment where requirements and priorities may change.
• A self-starter with the ability to work independently, take accountability for assigned processes, and collaborate effectively as part of a team.