Payroll and Operations Specialist

Overview

This role involves managing payroll, insurance, and benefits for a portfolio of 10+ nonprofit and campaign clients. The Payroll and Operations Specialist will process payroll across platforms such as Gusto and Rippling, oversee health and fringe benefits (including broker negotiations and open enrollment), and administer business insurance policies. Serving as a point of contact, the role requires explaining complex administrative topics clearly to clients and vendors.

Responsibilities

Client Payroll Administration

• Process payroll for 10+ clients on a timely basis, ensuring accuracy in wages, bonuses, overtime, and deductions.
• Manage new hire, termination, and other employee change requests.
• Set up, close, and transition payroll systems for clients using Gusto, Rippling, or Justworks, while meeting strict service delivery deadlines.
• Proactively communicate with clients and vendors throughout payroll setup, transitions, and ongoing processing.

State Payroll Accounts

• Set up and close state tax accounts.
• Respond to and resolve state payroll tax notices, including filing overdue reports.

Client Insurance and Fringe Benefits

• Procure and manage health and ancillary insurance policies (e.g., medical, vision, short- and long-term disability) for 10+ clients.
• Work with insurance brokers to secure new policies in accordance with client requirements and manage open enrollments each year thereafter.
• Ensure health insurance information is added to payroll systems for accurate deductions and contributions.
• Coordinate with insurance companies to shut down plans no longer needed.
• Procure and manage fringe benefits (e.g., retirement, HSA or FSA, commuter benefits) for 10+ clients.
• Work with providers to secure new benefits for clients from approved sources.
• Manage existing benefits by ensuring new hires are enrolled, updating billing information, completing required compliance reports, and guiding clients through renewals.

Business Insurance

• Procure and manage business insurance policies (e.g., directors and officers, general liability, workers' compensation) for 10+ clients.
• Procure new lines of coverage.
• Serve as an intermediary between brokers and clients for renewals.
• Complete audits, walk clients through the claims process, and process requested cancellations.

Client Entity Operations

• Coordinate with internal colleagues, third-party vendors, and clients to resolve service-related questions and technical issues.
• Gather information from multiple sources to develop informed recommendations and solutions to both large/small and interconnected/isolated problems.
• Develop deep knowledge of assigned clients, financial software, and other service lines to solve cross-functional issues (internal and client-facing), improve service delivery, and resolve organizational compliance issues.
• Manage annual state reporting for assigned clients.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of payroll, insurance, and benefits management experience, including health insurance, business insurance, and fringe benefits at a 501(c) organization or political campaign.
• Familiarity with Gusto, Rippling, and other payroll technologies.
• At least 2 years of client or project management experience demonstrated by:
  • Ability to adjust to diverse client needs, shifting priorities, and varying urgency for 10+ clients at any given time.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously from cradle to grave.
• Demonstrated ability to explain complex technical issues in simple terms, verbally and in writing, and fully implement recommended solutions.
• At least 1 year of experience with nonprofit accounting/finance or FEC campaign finance compliance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional or volunteer experience with community organizing, issue advocacy, or political campaigning.
• Certified benefits professional, or experience working at an insurance agency.
• At least 1 year of experience working at a fiscal sponsor, back office provider, or campaign finance compliance, or accounting firm.

Compensation & Benefits

• Starting salary: $70,000-$85,000 annually, commensurate with experience.
• This is a full-time, exempt position.

Location

• Fully remote.
• Expectation to attend team retreats and conferences 2-3 times a year.