HR Payroll & Benefits Specialist

ABOUT US

We're a growing Financial Services firm serving clients across the U.S. We're hiring our next HR Benefits / Rewards & Payroll Specialist — someone analytical, organized, and dynamic, who's ready to help us evolve our payroll, benefits, and compensation programs while supporting day-to-day people operations.

This is a high-impact, high-trust role. You'll touch payroll, total rewards, compensation analytics, and HR operations — and be involved in helping improve operations. If you like building, fixing, and owning your work end-to-end (instead of being a small cog inside a giant payroll department), keep reading.

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THE ROLE

We're a small but mighty People team supporting 100+ employees across multiple state jurisdictions. You'll work cross-functionally with finance, leadership, and external vendors, and you'll be expected to bring ideas. Bonus points if you have interest and experience in AI-assisted HR workflows, dashboards, and finding the cleaner way to do something.

You won't be alone. You'll be supported by experienced HR and finance leadership, and your work will be visible to ownership.

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CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

PAYROLL

• Manage end-to-end semi-monthly payroll processing for 100+ employees, including bonuses, commissions, and equity-related items

• Ensure accurate calculation and recording of wages, taxes, deductions, and benefits

• Resolve payroll discrepancies and respond to employee inquiries with empathy and accuracy

• Reconcile payroll reports against general ledger entries and partner with Finance on month-end

• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax laws across multiple state jurisdictions

• Administer payroll system updates, integrations, and audits

BENEFITS:

• Administer and continuously improve employee benefits programs — medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, and 401(k)

• Serve as the day-to-day liaison with brokers, carriers, and the 401(k) recordkeeper

• Lead annual open enrollment communications, system setup, and employee education

• Manage 401(k) administration — Safe Harbor matching, eligibility tracking, contributions, audits, and 5500 filings

• Own annual non-discrimination and census reporting (ACA, EEO, 401(k))

• Support compliance with ERISA, ACA, FLSA, and state-specific leave laws

COMPENSATION & STRATEGY

• Partner with leadership on compensation review cycles, market benchmarking, and pay equity analysis

• Build and maintain compensation models, total rewards statements, and analytics dashboards

• Help shape long-term compensation philosophy and total rewards strategy

• Provide data-backed recommendations on bonus design, leveling, and benefits cost trends

HR OPERATIONS & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

• Maintain accurate employee data across HRIS, payroll, and benefits platforms

• Identify and implement process improvements — automation, AI tools, cleaner workflows

• Support onboarding, offboarding, and lifecycle changes from a systems and rewards lens

• Ensure documentation, audit readiness, and clean records across all programs

• Contribute to a positive, accountable culture aligned with our company core values

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The five things that matter most:

1. PAYROLL OWNERSHIP — NON-NEGOTIABLE

You've run payroll. You know what a tax notice looks like, what a retro adjustment is, and why the GL didn't tie last month. Multi-state experience is strongly preferred.

2. INTEREST IN BECOMING A BENEFITS EXPERT

You may not have done a 5500 filing yet — that's okay if the interest is real. We'll teach the technical details. If medical benefits and 401(k) administration sound interesting, this role grows fast.

3. ANALYTICAL

You're comfortable in Excel. You can model out a Safe Harbor match, run an annual census, and explain what the numbers mean — not just produce them.

4. DYNAMIC AND STARTUP-MINDED

We need someone who wears many hats, is comfortable with ambiguity, can prioritize fast, and likes building.

5. REAL PROBLEM SOLVER WHO KNOWS THE WHY

You don't just process — you understand. When a number looks wrong, you investigate. When a process is broken, you propose the fix.

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SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of progressive HR experience, with at least 3 years owning payroll

• Bachelor's degree required (HR, Business, Finance, or related field preferred)

• Hands-on experience with a modern payroll/HRIS platform — Paycor a plus

• Working knowledge of FLSA, ACA, ERISA, and multi-state payroll tax compliance

• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, modeling)

• Comfort using AI tools to accelerate analysis, drafting, and reporting

• Excellent attention to detail, communication, and discretion with confidential data

• Curiosity, ownership, and a high standard for your own work

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BENEFITS

• Medical, Dental & Vision — comprehensive plans with employer contribution

• 401(k) with Company Match

• Bonus

• 17 Days Paid Time Off — time to rest, travel, and recharge

• Paid Parental Leave — be present for the moments that matter

• Free Financial Advising — a perk you'll genuinely appreciate working here

• Professional Development Allowance — external courses, certifications, conferences

• Team Lunches & Events — we invest in the team, on and off the clock