Payroll, Benefits, & Retirement Plans Specialist

Job Summary

Reporting to the Senior Manager, HR Operations, the Payroll, Benefits & Retirement Plans Specialist serves as the subject matter expert responsible for end-to-end payroll processing, benefits administration, and retirement plan management for Abacus Group’s US operations. This critical role ensures accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery of all payroll and benefits functions for approximately 800-900 US employees across multiple states.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll processing in Workday for 800-900 US employees across multiple states
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations including wage-hour laws, garnishments, and multi-state requirements
• Configure and maintain Workday payroll rules, deductions, and earnings codes with precision and accuracy
• Process off-cycle payrolls including bonuses, commissions, severance payments, and corrections
• Reconcile payroll accounts and resolve discrepancies proactively to prevent errors
• Manage payroll tax filings and year-end W-2 processing
• Serve as primary point of contact for payroll vendor, managing relationships and escalations
• Identify and resolve payroll errors before they impact employees, acting as compliance safety net
• Support SOC 2 and DOL audit requirements related to payroll controls and documentation
• Administer health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans
• Support open enrollment and new hire benefits onboarding processes
• Manage benefits vendor relationships and resolve escalations
• Ensure accurate benefits deductions and reconciliations in Workday
• Support leave of absence administration including STD, LTD, and FMLA coordination
• Ensure accurate benefits deductions and reconciliations in Workday
• Administer 401(k) plan including eligibility, enrollments, and contributions
• Coordinate annual compliance testing including ADP, ACP, and Top-Heavy testing
• Manage 401(k) vendor relationship with Fidelity or other provider
• Process loan and distribution requests in compliance with plan documents
• Support plan audits and Form 5500 filing preparation
• Ensure accurate 401(k) deductions and employer contributions in payroll system
• Serve as Workday payroll power user, troubleshooting system errors and optimizing workflows
• Configure and maintain Workday payroll rules, deductions, and system parameters
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, and compliance controls
• Develop and maintain payroll and benefits procedures documentation
• Train HR Operations team members on payroll and benefits processes as needed
• Generate and analyze payroll reports and metrics for leadership review

Skills

• Technical Expertise - Payroll
• Technical Expertise - Benefits & Retirement
• Compliance & Risk Management
• System & Technical Skills
• Problem-Solving & Analytical Skills
• Communication & Collaboration

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: Required/Preferred Bachelors Degree in Business, Accounting, Human Resources, or related field
• Experience: Required/Preferred 5+ Years Multi-state payroll processing experience, 2+ Years Required Workday Payroll experience required (hands-on configuration and processing), Experience Benefits administration including health, dental, vision, life, and disability plans, Experience 401(k) plan administration including compliance testing and vendor management
• Licenses and Certifications: Required/Preferred CPP or FPC Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), CEBS Certified Employee Benefits Specialist or similar benefits certification, Workday Certification Workday Payroll certification or comparable advanced Workday training