Payroll & HR Specialist | Medical (Remote)

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Payroll & HR Specialist to take ownership of the organization's full payroll process while supporting key HR administration functions, particularly employee onboarding and offboarding.

In addition to payroll, this position will support the administrative side of the employee lifecycle, including new-hire onboarding, benefits enrollment coordination, employee record maintenance, leave-related payroll coordination, and employee offboarding.

This role is responsible for ensuring payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in compliance with applicable requirements. The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on experience managing full-cycle payroll, resolving payroll discrepancies, maintaining employee and payroll records, and coordinating payroll-related benefits and deductions.

Key Responsibilities

Full-Cycle Payroll

• Manage and process full-cycle payroll from beginning to end, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
• Review and verify employee timekeeping, pay rates, hours worked, overtime, PTO, deductions, reimbursements, bonuses, and other payroll transactions.
• Audit payroll before submission and identify and correct discrepancies or unusual transactions.
• Process payroll adjustments, corrections, retroactive payments, and off-cycle payrolls as needed.
• Maintain accurate employee payroll records, including compensation changes, tax elections, direct deposit information, deductions, and other payroll data.
• Process and maintain garnishments, levies, child support orders, and other legally required deductions.
• Ensure appropriate federal, state, and local tax withholding and payroll deductions.
• Support multi-state payroll requirements and appropriate employee tax setup.
• Reconcile payroll records and reports to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies and respond to employee payroll questions professionally and promptly.
• Coordinate payroll-related benefit deductions and ensure changes are accurately reflected in payroll.
• Assist with payroll tax reporting, audits, reconciliations, and compliance requirements.
• Support year-end payroll activities, including W-2 review and reconciliation.
• Prepare payroll reports and information for HR, Finance, management, auditors, and other authorized parties.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of employee compensation, payroll, tax, banking, and personal information.

New Hire Onboarding

• Coordinate the administrative onboarding process for newly hired employees.
• Prepare and distribute new-hire paperwork and required employment documentation.
• Ensure required employment forms are completed accurately and completely.
• Coordinate completion and maintenance of Form I-9 and other employment eligibility documentation.
• Enter and maintain new-hire information in payroll, HRIS, benefits, and other applicable systems.
• Establish employee payroll records, including pay rates, tax withholding, direct deposit, and deductions.
• Coordinate benefits enrollment and required documentation.
• Monitor onboarding requirements and follow up on missing information or documentation.
• Coordinate with managers and other departments to ensure employee setup is completed.
• Provide new employees with information regarding payroll, timekeeping, benefits, HR procedures, and applicable company policies.
• Maintain complete and organized employee personnel and payroll records.

Employee Offboarding

• Coordinate administrative offboarding activities for resignations, terminations, retirements, and other employee separations.
• Process employee status changes and termination information in payroll, HRIS, benefits, and other applicable systems.
• Coordinate final pay, including applicable wages, accrued PTO, deductions, and other payroll items.
• Coordinate termination of employee benefits and required continuation information.
• Ensure appropriate departments are notified of employee separations for system access, company property, and other offboarding requirements.
• Track completion and return of company property and required separation documentation.
• Maintain accurate separation records and supporting documentation.
• Assist with unemployment claims and employment verification information as assigned.

Benefits & Employee Administration

• Support employee benefits administration, including new-hire enrollment, qualifying life events, employee changes, and benefit terminations.
• Review benefit changes for completeness and ensure required documentation is obtained.
• Coordinate payroll deductions related to employee benefit elections and changes.
• Maintain accurate employee demographic, employment, compensation, benefits, and payroll information.
• Process approved employee changes in applicable HR and payroll systems.
• Assist employees with routine payroll and benefits questions and escalate complex matters when necessary.
• Support employee data verification, HR/payroll audits, and reporting activities.

HR & Compliance Support

• Provide administrative support for employee leave programs, including FMLA, ADA-related leave/accommodations, state paid leave programs, and other applicable leave requirements.
• Assist with employee leave tracking and ensure payroll and benefit deductions are properly coordinated during employee leaves.
• Support the consistent application and administration of HR policies and procedures.
• Assist with HR reporting, employee data audits, and compliance-related recordkeeping.
• Respond to routine employee questions regarding payroll, benefits, onboarding, offboarding, and HR policies.
• Assist with HR projects, annual processes, audits, and other departmental responsibilities as assigned.
• Maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive employee and company information.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3–5 years of hands-on payroll experience, including responsibility for full-cycle payroll processing.
• Demonstrated knowledge of payroll practices, wage and hour requirements, payroll taxes, deductions, garnishments, and payroll recordkeeping.
• Experience independently managing or owning the full payroll cycle.
• Experience with employee onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Experience maintaining confidential employee and payroll information.
• Strong ability to identify, investigate, and resolve payroll discrepancies.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to consistently meet payroll and HR deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Proficiency with payroll/HRIS systems and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating effectively with HR, Finance, managers, employees, and outside vendors.
• Associate degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with ADP and BambooHR.
• Experience using ADP for payroll processing, employee setup and maintenance, deductions, tax withholding, reporting, and year-end payroll activities.
• Experience using BambooHR for employee records, onboarding and offboarding workflows, employee status changes, document management, and HR reporting.
• Experience processing multi-state payroll.
• Experience with benefits administration and payroll deduction reconciliation.
• Working knowledge of FMLA, ADA, state leave requirements, wage and hour regulations, and other employment-related compliance requirements.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Payroll certification such as Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• Experience maintaining consistent employee information across payroll, HRIS, benefits, and timekeeping systems.