Payroll Benefits Manager

Payroll & Benefits Manager

Industry: Hospitality

Position Overview

LarraStaff is partnering with a growing hospitality organization seeking an experienced Payroll & Benefits Manager to oversee payroll operations and benefits administration across multiple locations and states.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on payroll professional who thrives in a fast-paced, high-volume environment and brings strong technical expertise with UKG Ready. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience managing complex payroll processes, ensuring regulatory compliance, optimizing payroll systems, and supporting employee benefits administration.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage accurate and timely payroll processing for a workforce of 500 employees across multiple locations and states.
• Serve as the organization's primary subject matter expert for UKG Ready, including payroll processing, system administration, configuration, reporting, and troubleshooting.
• Maintain and optimize payroll system settings, workflows, employee data, deductions, and reporting functionality.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations, including wage and hour laws, tax requirements, and reporting obligations.
• Oversee payroll reconciliations, audits, reporting, and resolution of payroll discrepancies.
• Administer employee benefit plan enrollments, changes, deductions, and terminations, ensuring accuracy between payroll and benefits systems.
• Manage benefits-related billing, reconciliations, and reporting in coordination with insurance carriers and internal stakeholders.
• Support payroll and benefits operations in a high-turnover environment, including frequent onboarding, offboarding, and employee status changes.
• Partner with Human Resources, Finance, and operational leadership to ensure efficient payroll and benefits processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, streamline workflows, enhance reporting, and strengthen internal controls.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of current, hands-on UKG Ready experience is required, including payroll processing, administration, system configuration, reporting, and compliance.
• Demonstrated experience processing payroll for 500 employees, preferably within hospitality or another high-volume, high-turnover industry.
• Strong experience managing multi-state and multi-location payroll operations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations, tax compliance, and reporting requirements.
• Previous experience administering employee benefit plan enrollments, payroll deductions, benefits billing, and related reporting.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and meet strict payroll deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with HR, Finance, and operational teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience within hospitality, restaurants, hotels, entertainment, or other high-turnover, hourly workforce environments.
• Experience supporting complex payroll structures, including variable schedules, overtime, and tipped employees.
• Experience improving payroll processes, system configurations, and reporting capabilities.
• Payroll certifications such as CPP or FPC are a plus.

Why This Opportunity?

Join a dynamic hospitality organization where you'll play a critical role in ensuring accurate payroll operations and a positive employee experience. This position offers the opportunity to take ownership of payroll and benefits administration, leverage your UKG Ready expertise, and contribute to process improvements across a multi-location business.