Payroll & Benefits Associate

Payroll & Benefits Associate

Confidential Investment Management Firm

Compensation: $100–$120k DOE discretionary bonus

About the Opportunity

A growing investment management firm is seeking a detail-oriented and highly reliable Payroll & Benefits Associate to oversee payroll operations and benefits administration across several subsidiary companies. This role will serve as the primary payroll resource for multiple business units, partnering closely with HR, Finance, and external vendors to ensure accurate payroll processing, compliance, and an exceptional employee experience.

The organization has several subsidiary businesses with their own HR support teams; however, payroll expertise is centralized within this role. This position will act as the primary point of contact for payroll matters while also supporting benefits administration and employee programs.

This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll and benefits professional who enjoys working in a fast-paced environment, managing complex payroll populations, and contributing to process improvements within a growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Administration

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing across multiple entities, including salary, bonus, and commission payments
• Ensure payroll accuracy, compliance, and timely execution for exempt and non-exempt employee populations
• Coordinate with Finance on payroll funding, accruals, reporting, and bonus payments
• Maintain payroll records, audits, reconciliations, and year-end processes, including W-2s and state filings
• Serve as a key point of contact for payroll vendors and tax providers
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations across multiple states

Benefits Administration

• Support administration of health, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, commuter benefits, retirement plans, leave management, and employee wellness programs
• Manage employee enrollments, status changes, terminations, and annual open enrollment
• Coordinate with benefits brokers, carriers, and plan administrators
• Assist with employee benefit programs and wellness initiatives, including flu shot clinics and employee communications
• Respond to employee inquiries with professionalism, discretion, and a service-oriented approach
• Support benefits compliance efforts, including COBRA, ERISA, FMLA, and required filings and notices

HR Operations & Compliance

• Partner closely with HR on onboarding, offboarding, and employee data management
• Assist with payroll and benefits audits
• Maintain internal controls, documentation, and process improvements
• Support compensation reporting and ad hoc requests from leadership
• Contribute to system implementations and ongoing process optimization

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field preferred
• 5 years of payroll and benefits administration experience
• Strong experience supporting both exempt and non-exempt employee populations
• Extensive knowledge of U.S. payroll tax regulations and benefits compliance
• Experience managing multi-state payroll
• Experience supporting bonus-heavy and/or commission-based compensation structures
• Experience with acquisitions, workforce integrations, or complex organizational structures is highly preferred
• Exceptional attention to detail, discretion, and organizational skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities

Systems Experience

• Required: ADP
• Preferred: Rippling
• Experience working with benefits brokers and vendors is a plus

Ideal Background

The ideal candidate will come from insurance, financial services, investment management, or another highly regulated industry and will have experience supporting mixed employee populations in a fast-paced, high-accountability environment.