Payroll & Benefits Manager

Position Summary

The Payroll & Benefits Manager owns the accurate, timely, and compliant execution of payroll, employee benefits, and related tax and regulatory filings for our multi-state healthcare organization. We operate with employees in Louisiana, New Jersey, Florida, and additional remote work states, and we are the employer of record for all staff. This is a hands-on, individual-contributor role for someone who is deeply systems-savvy, unusually detail-oriented, and comfortable being the sole internal owner of these functions.

Paylocity is our core HRIS and payroll platform. The right person for this role will be fluent in Paylocity or capable of becoming fluent quickly, and will be comfortable working across multiple connected platforms (benefits administration, broker portals, carrier sites, state agency portals) to keep data accurate and filings current.

Core Responsibilities

Payroll Processing & Tax Compliance

Process and review payroll in Paylocity across all operating entities on the established pay schedule, ensuring accuracy of hours, deductions, PTO, terminations, and compensation changes prior to submission.

Own payroll tax compliance, including federal, state, and local filings, quarterly returns, year-end W-2 processing, and resolution of any agency notices.

Manage multi-state tax setup and agency registrations (SUI, SIT, workers' compensation accounts, new state registrations) as the company hires into new states, and resolve multi-state tax discrepancies as they arise.

Validate and process final pay, PTO payouts, severance calculations, bonuses, commissions, garnishments, and compensation changes.

Troubleshoot and resolve timecard issues, missed punches, deduction errors, and payroll-to-GL discrepancies.

Partner with finance on payroll funding, GL mapping, reporting, and year-end reconciliation.

Benefits Administration

Serve as the primary internal owner of all employee benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life and disability, 401(k), and voluntary benefits.

Manage open enrollment end-to-end: system setup, employee communications, elections, carrier feeds, payroll deduction configuration, and post-enrollment audits.

Administer ongoing benefits operations, including new hire enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, COBRA coordination, and dependent verification.

Reconcile benefits invoices against enrollment data and payroll deductions; resolve discrepancies with carriers and the broker.

Oversee HSA funding and reporting, and ensure data integrity across Paylocity, the benefits administration platform (Employee Navigator or comparable), and carrier systems.

Serve as the day-to-day liaison with the benefits broker and carriers; support renewal cycles and broker transitions.

Compliance & Filings

Complete annual and recurring compliance filings, including Form 5500 for health & welfare and 401(k) plans, ACA reporting (1094/1095), EEO-1 (if applicable), and state-specific filings.

Coordinate workers' compensation audits, including payroll classifications, wage reconciliation, and audit response.

Support 401(k) audits by preparing census data, responding to auditor requests, and working with the plan administrator.

Maintain ERISA plan documents, SPDs, SBCs, and required employee notices, including state-specific notices.

Serve as point of contact for the registered agent, service of process, and routine regulatory correspondence; keep the company in good standing across all operating states.

Systems, Data & Process

Act as the Paylocity administrator for payroll, benefits deductions, time & attendance, and reporting; build and maintain the reports leadership and finance rely on.

Continuously improve workflows by eliminating manual workarounds, tightening data integrity between systems, and documenting standard operating procedures for recurring work.

Maintain accurate employee records in Paylocity, including job changes, compensation changes, and status changes.

Serve as the first point of contact for employee questions on pay, benefits, PTO, and related policies; escalate non-routine HR matters to leadership.

Scope Boundaries

To set clear expectations, the following are outside the scope of this role and are owned by company leadership: employee relations investigations and terminations, performance management design, organizational design and role leveling, compensation strategy, policy and handbook development, and operational projects outside of payroll and benefits. The Payroll & Benefits Manager may provide data, documentation, or system support for these areas, but does not own them.

Required Qualifications

5 years of progressive payroll and benefits experience, with at least 2 years owning end-to-end payroll in a multi-state environment.

Demonstrated hands-on expertise with Paylocity, including payroll processing, tax setup, reporting, and benefits deductions. (Candidates with deep expertise in a comparable modern HRIS — ADP Workforce Now, UKG, Paycom, Rippling — will be considered if they can show they learn new systems quickly.)

Strong working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax compliance, including SUI/SIT setup, agency registrations, and year-end processing.

Experience administering group health, dental, vision, HSA/FSA, life, and 401(k) plans, including open enrollment, COBRA, and ACA reporting.

Familiarity with Form 5500 filings, workers' compensation audits, and 401(k) plan audit support.

Working knowledge of FLSA, FMLA, ERISA, HIPAA, and multi-state wage and hour rules.

Systems fluency: comfortable living in multiple platforms simultaneously, building reports, and using data to catch errors before they become problems.

Exceptional attention to detail, discretion with confidential information, and a track record of meeting recurring deadlines without reminders.

Comfort working independently and remotely as the sole owner of these functions in a lean organization.

Preferred Qualifications

Prior experience in healthcare, social services, or another multi-site, multi-state employer.

CPP (Certified Payroll Professional), FPC, PHR, SHRM-CP, or CEBS certification.

Experience with Employee Navigator or a comparable benefits administration platform.

Experience supporting a company through a benefits broker transition, carrier change, or HRIS build-out.