Senior Payroll and Benefits Partner

About the role

The Senior Payroll & Benefits Partner is responsible for ensuring the accurate, compliant, and efficient administration of payroll, benefits, leave programs, and related People Operations processes. This role serves as the organization's operational expert and trusted partner for payroll and benefits administration while building strong cross-functional partnerships with Finance, IT, Compliance, and external vendors.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end payroll administration and processing
• Ensure payroll accuracy, reconciliations, tax coordination, reporting, and year-end activities
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll efficiency and reduce operational risk
• Own day-to-day administration of benefit programs
• Coordinate open enrollment, life events, vendor relationships, employee education, and benefit deductions
• Administer FMLA, state leave programs, ADA coordination, paid leave programs, and vendor relationships
• Build a trusted partnership with Finance to ensure payroll accuracy, reconciliations, budgeting support, audits, and financial reporting
• Manage relationships with payroll providers, benefits brokers, carriers, leave administrators, and other vendors
• Operate with a high degree of independence, exercise sound judgment, proactively identify opportunities for improvement, and drive operational excellence across one of the organization's most critical business functions

Requirements

• Operational excellence and ownership mindset
• Sound judgment and discretion with confidential information
• Strong cross-functional partnership skills
• Continuous improvement and systems thinking
• Excellent communication and customer focus
• Project management and analytical capabilities
• Experience independently managing payroll and benefits operations in a multi-state organization
• Experience with leave programs and HR technology platforms
• Experience improving operational processes through automation and technology