POSITION TITLE: Lead Payroll and Benefits Specialist

DEPARTMENT: Payroll/Human Resources

REPORTS TO: Manager, Payroll

POSITION LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN (100% in office)

FLSA STATUS: Exempt

WORKER CATEGORY: Full-Time

COMPANY SUMMARY:

Penske Entertainment is a leading provider of world-class sports and entertainment. The organization consists of three prominent entities:

• Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and annually hosts the world’s most prestigious auto race: the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
• INDYCAR is the Indianapolis-based governing body for North America's premier open-wheel auto racing series, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and its developmental series, INDY NXT by Firestone.
• IMS Productions is a multifaceted broadcast and multimedia division that helps bring INDYCAR and IMS events to life for global audiences.

The Penske Entertainment experience is fast-paced, diverse and impactful. Through its business units, the organization reaches audiences on an international scale, focused on delivering exceptional products from start to finish. Employees of Penske Entertainment are challenged daily in a demanding, yet rewarding environment that is best suited for dedicated professionals who want to reach their ultimate potential amid the excitement, tradition, and pageantry of the World’s Greatest Race Course and our premier open-wheel racing series.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Lead Payroll and Benefits Specialist role is an ideal opportunity for an individual who enjoys payroll and is looking to grow their knowledge across the HR function and ultimately have a career in Human Resources. This person will work closely with cross-functional Payroll and HR colleagues, and other staff throughout Penske Entertainment to support a large workforce. The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability in payroll processing and be a self-starter who provides high-level service and support. They should possess strong relationship-building capabilities and the ability to provide solutions that help us achieve our business goals while fostering an active and diverse culture.

SPECIFIC DUTIES:

Payroll

• Run and review payroll on a bi-weekly basis, which includes collecting, reviewing, entering and balancing all manual timecards and timesheets and preparing payroll imports.
• Take the lead on the day-to-day operations of all payroll activities and serve as the point of contact for escalated employee payroll inquiries.
• Maintain the timekeeping system, HRIS records and payroll reporting.
• Maintain employee files and payroll records as required by law and company policy.
• Prepare interrogatories, timecard and W-2 research, earnings review, and any other projects, as needed.
• Provide support and training to other departments for payroll-related activities.

Benefits

• Conduct New Hire benefit orientation and enrollments.
• Administer COBRA notices for offboarded employees.
• Serve as the on-site point of contact for employee benefit inquiries.

• Administer the employee educational assistance benefit(s) including tracking requests, approvals, employee use and related reimbursement/payment processes.
• Champion and educate employees on the company perks and other value propositions.
• Coordinate wellness initiatives.

General

• Assist in the development of, and compliance with, policies and procedures related to HRIS data management, payroll processing, and benefits administration.
• Ensures payroll and benefit programs and processes are documented and compliant with established policies and governmental regulations.
• Provide support for various pay and/or benefit related activities (i.e., open enrollment, management report requests, annual total reward statements).
• Train in various areas of HR, with the goal of providing some back up support as needed, and the understanding that benefit related responsibilities may grow over time.
• Evaluates current processes and makes recommendations for HR process improvements based on findings, with a focus on minimizing operational errors and to gain efficiencies.
• Other duties and special projects as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position does not have supervisory responsibilities

Education

• High School diploma or GED required; advanced education preferred
• Interest in obtaining FPC certification is preferred.

Skills/Experience

• 3 years of experience running payroll is required
• Proficient grasp of payroll concepts, including federal, state, and local regulations
• Proficient grasp of federal and state employment regulations and compliance procedures.
• Multi-state tax compliance experience preferred.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational, time management, and prioritization abilities.
• High integrity and confidentiality, with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to be innovative, solution oriented and implement process improvements.
• Exceptional customer service.
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative and accountability.
• Advanced skills in the MS Office suite preferred.
• Ability to identify and resolve or escalate problems in a timely manner.
• Must be a flexible, results-oriented team player with outstanding communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills essential for fostering a positive culture, building trusted relationships with staff, and effective collaboration within the team.
• Must not have been convicted of any civil or criminal charges that would suggest a risk to the company.
• Commitment to working with people from diverse backgrounds and dedication to cultural competency.
• Ability to uphold and consistently demonstrate the Penske Entertainment Standards.

Travel/Work Hours

• General on-site office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm
• Longer hours and weekends required for major racing events and/or heavy payroll seasons (i.e., event season, year-end merit).
• Penske Entertainment acknowledges that the need for flexibility varies across all companies/departments and is not best addressed by a one size fits all flexible work policy. As such, the company encourages supervisors to work with their employees to leverage flexibility as needed to support a healthy balance.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Physical demands are light, consisting primarily of sitting, standing, and walking.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work is primarily performed in an office environment and occasionally outdoors, and in close proximity to other people.
• Employee will be exposed to those conditions normally encountered in a business office environment.
• Employee will be faced with frequent interruptions and must meet with others on a regular basis.
• The noise level in the work environment can be loud, due to professional racing events.

COMPANY BENEFITS:

Full-time employees enjoy a very competitive benefit package. Benefits include: Medical (including tax-advantaged Health Savings Account), Dental, Vision, 401(k) with 100% company match up to 5%, Paid Vacation, Personal & Sick Days, 12 Paid Holidays, Company Paid Life Insurance, Pet Insurance, Tuition Assistance, Short-Term & Long-Term Disability, Generous Paid Parental Leave, On-site Workout Facility, and more.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

Penske Entertainment provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. The Company complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities and/or events.