Interim People Operations & Payroll Specialist

Overview

This role is a 6 to 9 month independent contractor engagement (1099) focused on People Operations and payroll. The position is hands-on and operational—responsible for keeping payroll, benefits, 401(k), HRIS, and front-line employee support running smoothly while supporting planning for the longer-term structure of the People team.

You will work directly with the Head of People and partner closely with Finance/Accounting, business leaders, Paylocity, benefits broker and carriers, and retirement plan providers.

Engagement Details

• Type: Independent contractor (1099)
• Compensation structure: Hourly, invoiced biweekly
• Term: 6 to 9 months, with the option to extend
• Start date: As soon as possible
• Location: Remote (preference for the Phoenix, Arizona or Cheyenne, Wyoming area)
• Hours: Up to 40 hours per week; coverage needed during core business hours, roughly 8 to 5 Arizona or Mountain time, Monday through Friday
• Rate: Competitive hourly rate, based on experience

Responsibilities

Payroll

• Prepare and process regular payroll in Paylocity
• Review changes, deductions, earnings, bonuses, reimbursements, and other inputs before every run
• Resolve timecard and payroll exceptions
• Check payroll reports for accuracy before submission
• Keep payroll records and documentation current
• Handle payroll tax notices and issues with Paylocity and Finance/Accounting
• Support multi-state payroll
• Maintain HRIS administration and assist with Canada payroll administration
• Support year-end tasks, including W-2 preparation and reconciliation
• Maintain payroll controls and segregation of duties
• Escalate final payroll approval and sensitive payroll changes to the Head of People and Finance/Accounting

Benefits

• Serve as the first point of contact for employee benefits questions for US and Canada
• Process enrollments, changes, qualifying life events, and terminations
• Coordinate with the benefits broker and carriers
• Support annual open enrollment
• Reconcile eligibility and enrollment data
• Support COBRA and other continuation processes
• Keep benefits records and employee communications current

401(k) and Retirement Plan Administration

• Handle routine plan administration with the recordkeeper and third-party administrator
• Answer employee questions on enrollment, contributions, loans, and plan basics
• Monitor payroll deductions and plan file feeds
• Support plan reporting and reconciliation
• Coordinate participant transactions with plan providers
• Maintain administrative documentation current

Any transaction that touches your own payroll, benefits, or retirement account is reviewed and approved by the Head of People or another authorized plan fiduciary.

HRIS and People Operations

• Maintain employee records in Paylocity
• Process compensation, job, manager, department, location, and status changes
• Support onboarding and offboarding administration
• Maintain personnel files and employee documentation
• Run routine HRIS workflows
• Pull HR and payroll reports on request
• Ensure employee data remains accurate across systems
• Coordinate with IT and other teams on onboarding and separations

Employee Support

• Monitor the People inbox and respond to routine questions
• Assist employees with payroll, benefits, PTO, HRIS, and general policy questions
• Provide timely, clear, professional responses consistently
• Escalate employee relations, performance, discipline, accommodation, leave, and other sensitive matters to the Head of People

Leave and Administrative Support

• Handle the administrative side of employee leaves
• Maintain leave documentation and system records
• Coordinate with third-party leave and disability administrators
• Support compliance reporting and routine People projects
• Maintain People team calendars, trackers, documentation, and recurring processes

Requirements

• Strong hands-on payroll administration experience
• Paylocity experience (strongly preferred)
• Benefits administration experience
• Experience supporting 401(k) or retirement plan administration
• Working knowledge of payroll taxes and multi-state payroll
• Working knowledge of Canada payroll and benefit administration (retirement experience preferred)
• Strong HRIS and employee-data management skills
• Experience with onboarding, offboarding, and day-to-day People Operations
• Ability to manage recurring deadlines without being chased
• Discretion and confidentiality (non-negotiable)
• Sharp attention to detail
• Service mindset with employees
• Ability to step into a live environment and become productive quickly with limited training

Preferred Qualifications

• Canada payroll, benefits administration, and retirement administration experience

Compensation & Benefits

• Hourly rate: Competitive hourly rate, based on experience
• Engagement structure: Independent contractor (1099), invoiced biweekly
• Coverage hours: Up to 40 hours per week during core business hours, roughly 8 to 5 Arizona or Mountain time, Monday through Friday