Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Overview

The organization is seeking a Payroll & Benefits Specialist to manage payroll and benefits operations, ensuring timely and accurate payroll processing and compliant benefits administration. This role supports state and local payroll tax compliance, open enrollment, reconciliations, reporting, and employee support. The specialist will partner closely with Finance & Accounting, employees, benefits providers, and a payroll/HRIS platform (Rippling or comparable) to resolve issues and maintain efficient operations.

Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Operations

• Manage end-to-end payroll for regular, off-cycle, bonus, and other payrolls as needed.
• Review and validate payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, benefits, PTO, reimbursements, garnishments, and other payroll adjustments.
• Perform thorough reviews to ensure payroll accuracy, completeness, and on-schedule processing.
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee payroll questions in a timely and professional manner.
• Partner with Finance & Accounting on payroll reporting, reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close activities.
• Support reviews related to acquisition targets as needed to identify potential payroll compliance gaps.

Payroll Tax Compliance

• Monitor state and local filing requirements, deadlines, tax rates, and regulatory changes.
• Complete state tax registrations for new-state expansions, coordinating timely registration with state agencies and ensuring ongoing payroll tax filings are accurate and compliant.
• Coordinate with a third-party tax filer on state and local payroll tax notices, agency correspondence, and compliance issues.
• Proactively manage new filing requirements as the organization grows into new jurisdictions.

Benefits Administration & Open Enrollment

• Manage day-to-day administration of employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and other benefits as applicable.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees regarding benefits eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, deductions, and general benefits questions.
• Partner with benefits brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and other external providers to resolve enrollment, eligibility, billing, and employee issues.
• Support annual open enrollment with Accounting leadership, including system setup, employee communications, and reconciliation.
• Process benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations in Rippling and with applicable benefit providers.
• Reconcile benefit deductions, employer contributions, and carrier invoices.
• Maintain accurate benefits records and ensure timely updates for new hires, terminations, leaves, and other employee status changes.

Process Improvement & Automation

• Develop and implement process improvements to reduce manual work and streamline payroll, tax compliance, benefits administration, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Help optimize the use of Rippling and other systems to improve payroll and benefits workflows, controls, reporting, and the employee experience.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of payroll, payroll tax, benefits administration, accounting, or related experience.
• Proven ability to independently manage payroll for a multi-state employee population.
• Strong knowledge of state and local payroll tax compliance, including filings, payments, registrations, reconciliations, and tax notices.
• Knowledge of employee benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life events, deductions, and provider coordination.
• Ability to manage or support annual open enrollment.
• Proficiency with a payroll or HRIS platform; Rippling experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities, recurring deadlines, and confidential information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with Finance & Accounting, employees, and external payroll and benefits providers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Rippling Payroll and Benefits experience.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, PivotTables, data analysis, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Familiarity with multiple state and local payroll tax jurisdictions.
• Experience handling payroll tax notices, audits, registrations, and agency correspondence.
• Accounting experience, including journal entries, account reconciliations, and month-end close support.
• Experience with payroll and benefits reporting and reconciliation.
• Experience with workflow automation, reporting tools, or process optimization initiatives.

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation Range: $65K - $75K

Location

Not specified.