Payroll and Benefits Specialist

Overview

This role is responsible for the day-to-day administration of weekly payroll and employee benefits, including 401(k) and leave programs. You will work closely with People Operations, managers, employees, Accounting, insurance brokers, and outside consultants to help ensure employees are paid accurately and on time and that benefit programs are administered correctly.

Responsibilities

• Own weekly payroll in Rippling, including:
  • Working with managers on timecards and approvals
  • Assisting employees with missed punches and edits
  • Ensuring payroll accuracy and on-time processing
• Enter and validate commissions, mileage and expense reimbursements, on-call pay, stipends, retroactive adjustments, and other supplemental earnings; apply the appropriate taxable or non-taxable treatment and escalate complex questions as needed
• Maintain the weekly Payroll Tracker in Smartsheet throughout the workweek and ensure every documented change is accurately reflected in payroll
• Verify new hires, terminations, pay and rate changes, department changes, stipends, taxes, benefit deductions, 401(k) deferrals and employer match, and other employee changes are calculating correctly
• Perform pre- and post-payroll audits; research discrepancies; process corrections and catch-up deductions; partner with Accounting to confirm payroll entries
• Partner with the payroll consultant when employees are added in new states to establish applicable state and local payroll taxes and resolve tax notices or withholding issues
• Manually calculate PTO anniversary adjustments and employee commute time as required until automated processes are established; update calculations when circumstances change
• Support final pay, garnishments, payroll recordkeeping, and year-end payroll activities, including W-2 review and reconciliation
• Administer benefits through Employee Navigator, including:
  • New-hire eligibility notifications
  • Enrollment follow-up
  • Qualifying life events
  • Terminations
  • Benefit deduction changes
• Audit carrier enrollments monthly and perform quarterly reconciliations among carrier billing, Employee Navigator elections, and payroll deductions; research and resolve discrepancies and communicate timing differences, corrections, and write-offs to Accounting
• Assist employees with benefit questions and coordinate with insurance brokers for additional support and STD, LTD, and life claims
• Administer and track FMLA and other applicable leaves, including required notices, documentation, certification and leave dates, and related payroll and benefit impacts
• Coordinate Open Enrollment communications and deadlines; audit rates, enrollment materials, Employee Navigator setup, elections, and payroll deductions
  • Provide census information to Shepherd and Walton and applicable carriers for renewals and enrollment
• Support administration of the Human Interest 401(k) plan, including auditing employee deferrals and employer match, monitoring the 8% auto-enrollment process, and resolving contribution or deduction discrepancies with Accounting and Human Interest
• Maintain accurate, confidential payroll and benefits records and follow issues through to resolution

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on payroll, benefits, or HR operations experience with meaningful payroll responsibility
• Experience independently processing payroll or serving as a primary payroll administrator; weekly payroll experience strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of payroll taxation, including taxable and non-taxable earnings, reimbursements, deductions, and fringe benefits
• Experience administering employee benefits and reconciling carrier invoices against payroll deductions
• Strong spreadsheet skills and comfort working with detailed payroll and reconciliation data
• Exceptional attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to recognize when a calculation or system result does not look right
• Strong organization and follow-through across recurring weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual deadlines
• Clear, professional communication with employees, managers, Accounting, brokers, consultants, and vendors
• High discretion with confidential employee and payroll information and strong ownership through resolution

Preferred Qualifications

• Multi-state payroll experience
• Experience with Rippling, Employee Navigator, Human Interest, Smartsheet, or similar platforms
• Experience with 401(k) administration and contribution reconciliation
• Experience administering FMLA or other employee leaves
• Experience supporting payroll year-end activities and resolving payroll tax notices

Compensation & Benefits

• 100% company-paid medical coverage premiums for you and your family
• Company-paid group life insurance
• Employee paid dental, vision, critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity, long-term disability, short-term disability, and supplemental life options available
• 401(k) with 4% matching
• Flexible PTO

Work Environment

• Remote position with regular collaboration across People Operations, Accounting, managers, brokers, consultants, and vendors
• Fast-paced, growing environment with a weekly payroll cadence and recurring deadline-driven work
• Extended computer and systems work is required; occasional travel or onsite support may be requested as business needs evolve

Current Programs & Systems

• Payroll & HRIS: Rippling (weekly payroll), Smartsheet payroll tracking
• Benefits Administration: Employee Navigator
• Employer Paid: Aetna Medical – Employee and Family Coverage; Mutual of Omaha Group Life – 1x annual salary up to $300,000
• Employee Paid: Principal Dental and Vision; Mutual of Omaha Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Supplemental Life (Employee, Spouse & Child), STD, and LTD
• 401(k): Human Interest (Traditional and Roth employee contribution options; 100% employer match up to 4% of eligible compensation)