Director Of Payroll & Benefits

POSITION SUMMARY

The Payroll & Benefits Director is responsible for overseeing payroll, benefits, systems, and compliance and supporting projects and additional tasks as needed. This position requires strong attention to detail and the ability to work under strict payroll deadlines while maintaining an approachable culture of hospitality and support toward our employees.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Develops, implements, administers, and maintains health and wellness benefits programs, policies, and procedures.
• Salary pay dates are the 1st (for work performed between the 16-31st) & 16th (for work performed between the 1-15th) of each month.
• Peer reviews all employee changes to ensure they are captured and accurately reflected in upcoming payroll cycles.
• Evaluates existing benefits programs against peer organizations to determine competitiveness and trends.
• Assists with labor law compliance, employee payroll, time tracking, and benefits education.
• Supports development and implementation of metrics and analytics to provide insights, drive decision making and measure engagement and effectiveness of benefit programs.
• Serves as a wellness advocate who develops and implements creative incentive and health promotion programs to maintain a high level of employee engagement.
• Monthly reporting (number of employees per department/location, salary range breakdown, overtime per department/location, etc.).
• Uses reporting and survey results to identify areas of opportunity and trends to find solutions and measure the improvement of program results.
• Responsible for conducting ongoing data integrity audits within the HRIS and other compliance items (I9s, new hire paperwork, retention requirements, etc.).
• Coordinates with Human Resources and Safety to ensure the proper administration of leave of absence and workers compensation.
• Makes recommendations to keep benefit and wellness programs relevant. Some essential functions of the role are listed below but should not be considered an all-inclusive list of job duties.
• Develop and maintain payroll SOPs.
• Responds to employment verifications and unemployment claims, ensuring timely and accurate responses.
• Support management requests for updating information in the payroll system.
• Process payroll for hourly employees (paid weekly every Friday).
• Send payroll previews to GMs and RVPs capturing overtime, hours worked, and other relevant items.
• Responsible for processing multi-state payroll; ensuring payroll compliance, multi-state tax laws, location regulations, and Wage and Hour laws are adhered to.
• Process garnishments and other payroll deductions.
• Manage and improve all aspects of benefits (ACA Reporting, family leave, onboarding, terminations, health insurance, etc.).
• Assume primary responsibility for working with the HRIS/benefits administration system to accomplish 100% online enrollment and interface files with benefits vendors.
• Enhance this function of the business by maintaining strong internal controls.
• Ensure compliance with ACA, HIPAA, FMLA, PDL, CFRA, ADA, ERISA, IRS, DOL, and COBRA.
• Conducts audits of payroll, benefits, or other HR programs and recommends corrective action.
• Compliance Administration
• Responsible for the safe and effective operation of our corporate gyms and fitness programs.
• Processes required documents through payroll to ensure accurate record-keeping and proper deductions.
• Benefits Administration
• Responsible for overseeing employee maintenance and HRIS entry (new hires, terminations, job changes, merit changes, etc.).
• Uses solid foundational knowledge to maintain applicable regulatory compliance for all life, health, and fitness benefit programs, including but not limited to preparing for filings such as 5500 and PCORI, ensuring Section 125 rules are consistently administered, and working with vendor partners to provide mandated reporting such as necessary for CAA, ERISA, HIPAA, etc.
• Leads the annual open enrollment process, evaluating new programs, carriers, vendors, or partners.
• Ensure compliance with ACA, HIPAA, FMLA, PDL, CFRA, ADA, ERISA, IRS, DOL, and COBRA.
• Ensures programs are equitable, meet employee needs, comply with legal requirements, and support corporate objectives.
• May also include supporting calculating employee contribution rates, budget estimating, and quarterly forecasting.
• Process payroll for salaried employees.
• Manage paid time off accruals.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Ability to perform advanced-level Excel functions and manipulations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Proficient with or the ability to quickly learn HRIS software.
• Experience managing payroll for large companies with multiple legal entities and employment types.
• Ability to remain organized while handling competing priorities and assigned projects.
• Proactive and independent with the ability to take the initiative.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Familiarity with laws, regulations, and best practices applicable to HR & Payroll.
• Critical thinking and process improvement skills.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with good negotiation tactics.
• Expert understanding of timekeeping and payroll compliance requirements.
• Able to maintain total confidentiality and discretion.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint).

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of progressive experience with multi-entity and multi-jurisdictional payroll and timekeeping environments required.
• 5+ years of supervisory/management experience required.
• APA Certified Payroll Professional or other certification preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, economics, accounting, or related field of study; or a combination of education and work experience that demonstrates the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities required.
• Experience managing Payroll for large companies with multiple legal entities and employment types.

WORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Ability to travel (locally or domestically) up to 10% of the time.
• Prolonged periods are sitting at a desk and working on a computer.