Director of Payroll & Benefits - In‑Office Role (Irvine, CA)

Trinity Property Consultants • Irvine, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

As Director of Payroll & Benefits, you are responsible for the strategy, execution, compliance, and continuous improvement of payroll, benefits, leave administration, workers’ compensation coordination, and retirement programs for a workforce of approximately 1,500 employees. You will provide strong leadership to your team and partner cross-functionally with internal and external stakeholders to deliver strong internal controls, scalable processes, and data-driven insights.

Requirements

• Demonstrated leadership experience managing, coaching and developing a payroll and benefits team with clarity and empathy.
• Deep understanding of multi-state payroll compliance, wage and hour laws, tax filings, benefits administration, LOA coordination, retirement plans, and workers compensation.
• Strong internal controls mindset with experience in audits, reconciliations, and compliance calendars.
• Advanced ability to analyze data, build executive-ready reporting, and translate insights into operational improvements.
• Drive automation, simplification, and measurable outcomes.
• Credible partner to employees and company leaders; High level of discretion and integrity handling confidential information.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 8–12+ years progressive leadership experience in payroll and benefits administration, including multi-state payroll compliance.
• Demonstrated experience supporting high-volume (1,000+ employees), multi-location, and hourly workforce environments.
• Advanced, hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Manager or comparable enterprise payroll platforms and benefits administration systems; Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Availability for nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.
• Occasional travel for company events or meetings.
• Active participation in team functions and regional or company activities is expected.
• Regular periods of sitting, standing, walking, as well as use of hands and arms.
• Occasional climbing may be required.
• Extended use of computers or telephones is also necessary.
• May require lifting up to 25 pounds independently.
• The ability to respond promptly to both visual and auditory alarms is essential.
• Candidates must be able to work both indoors and outdoors under various weather conditions, including rain, snow, heat, hail, wind, and sleet.

Nice To Haves

• Payroll certifications such as CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) and/or HR/benefits certifications (e.g., SHRM/PHR) are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all payroll activities supporting 1,500+ employees ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across multiple states.
• Lead and develop the payroll team, setting clear goals, ensuring appropriate coverage, and driving consistent performance and service levels.
• Establish and maintain robust payroll controls such as approvals, reconciliations, segregation of duties, audit trails, error prevention, and SOPs.
• Manage payroll governance including wage/hour compliance, OT rules, final pay timing, garnishments, tax withholding, W-2/1095 reporting, record retention, and multi-state taxation.
• Partner with Finance on payroll accounting, GL mapping, accruals (bonus, PTO, benefits), funding, and monthly/quarterly reconciliations.
• Drive process improvement initiatives to increase accuracy, reduce cycle time, and improve employee experience (self-service adoption, ticketing workflows, SOPs).
• Own benefit plan administration across medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, retirement/401(k) and leave programs.
• Lead annual benefits renewal and open enrollment planning, execution and benefits compliance.
• Manage leave of absence (LOA) administration, ensuring accurate pay treatment, benefit continuation, and coordination with payroll processing.
• Manage workers’ compensation coordination, including payroll reporting, vendor coordination, claims support, and audit requests.
• Own and optimize payroll, timekeeping, and benefits processes within ADP Workforce Manager, including configuration, audits, integrations, and enhancements.
• Manage vendor relationships including payroll provider, benefits carriers, brokers/consultants, and third-party administrators; negotiate contracts and service levels, monitor performance, and drive issue resolution.
• Maintain data integrity across HRIS, payroll, timekeeping and benefits systems: audit routines, integration monitoring, change control, and security permissions.
• Build dashboards and reporting for leadership (payroll accuracy, cycle metrics, benefits utilization, costs, trends, employee inquiries, audit findings).
• Lead payroll, benefits, LOA, and retirement audits, year-end processes, compliance testing and ensure payroll continuity and coverage.
• Maintain compliance calendars, policies, SOPs, and documentation aligned with regulatory and company requirements proactively identifying any risk.
• Drive a service-oriented, solutions-focused team culture with high accountability, continuous improvement and strong employee experience.
• Act as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on payroll, benefits, and risk-related matters.
• Partner closely with Chief People Officer, People Relations, Finance, and IT on workforce changes, compensation programs, and organizational initiatives.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision: Highlights include company-paid individual PPO-HSA plan (with $1,200 annual employer contribution); HMO options for California residents. Dental and vision premiums are fully covered for employees; coverage for dependents is available at an additional cost.
• Retirement Plans (401K): The company matches 1/3 of the employee's contribution up to 2% of the salary.
• Life & Disability Insurance: Up to $100,000 of life insurance and AD&D coverage , plus short- and long-term disability insurance. In addition, supplemental life for the employee, spouse, and children.
• Time Off: 11 paid holidays, 2–4 weeks of vacation based on years of service, and sick leave provided in compliance with state and local requirements.
• Referral Bonuses: $1,000 for eligible employee referrals.
• Volunteer Time Off: Up to 16 hours annually (8 for personal volunteer activities, 8 for company-sponsored events).
• Perks: Professional development, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, and more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees