Global Payroll & Benefits Manager (Salt Lake City, UT)

Beauty Industry Group•Salt Lake City, UT

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Global Payroll & Benefits will own and execute payroll and benefits operations across key areas of our global organization. Based in Salt Lake City, this role will have primary responsibility for end-to-end U.S. payroll and employee benefits across the United States, Canada, and China. This role will also own U.S. leave of absence administration, retirement plan administration, payroll and benefits reconciliations, HRIS data and processes, job architecture, audits and controls, and ongoing process improvement. As a member of the Global People team, this individual will partner closely with People Business Partners, Finance, Accounting, HRIS, Legal, regional HR teams, brokers, carriers, PEOs, payroll providers, and other external partners. They will also participate in global HR projects and help establish consistent, scalable payroll and benefits practices across the organization. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of people, data, systems, and business operations. The ideal candidate is comfortable personally executing payroll, administering benefits, working through detailed reconciliations, investigating discrepancies, managing vendors, and improving processes.

Requirements

5+-8 years of progressive experience in payroll, benefits, HR operations, or a related discipline, with increasing responsibility and ownership.
Strong hands-on experience independently executing end-to-end U.S and Canada. payroll required.
Experience managing multi-state payroll and related payroll tax requirements required.
Strong hands-on U.S. benefits administration experience required.
Experience with self-funded medical plans strongly preferred, including familiarity with claims, stop-loss coverage, plan administration, and financial reconciliation.
Experience working with fully insured benefit plans.
Experience supporting benefits and/or HR operations across multiple countries, particularly China, strongly preferred.
Experience working with or managing a PEO relationship strongly preferred.
Experience administering employee leaves of absence, including FMLA, disability, parental leave, and applicable state leave programs.
Experience with 401(k) administration, retirement plan audits, reconciliations, and compliance processes preferred.
Strong HRIS and payroll system experience; Paylocity or similar platforms preferred.
Experience managing payroll providers, brokers, carriers, consultants, PEOs, and other external vendors.
Strong understanding of payroll and benefit reconciliations, audits, controls, and data integrity.
Experience developing and maintaining job architecture, job families, career levels, and position structures preferred.
Demonstrated experience developing and improving HR processes, workflows, SOPs, and controls.
Advanced Excel skills and strong analytical capabilities.
Ability to work with complex datasets, identify discrepancies, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage both recurring operational responsibilities and longer-term projects.
Experience working within a global or multinational organization preferred.
Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.
CPP, CEBS, SHRM, or other relevant professional certification is a plus.

Nice To Haves

Experience with self-funded medical plans strongly preferred, including familiarity with claims, stop-loss coverage, plan administration, and financial reconciliation.
Experience supporting benefits and/or HR operations across multiple countries, particularly China, strongly preferred.
Experience working with or managing a PEO relationship strongly preferred.
Experience with 401(k) administration, retirement plan audits, reconciliations, and compliance processes preferred.
Strong HRIS and payroll system experience; Paylocity or similar platforms preferred.
Experience developing and maintaining job architecture, job families, career levels, and position structures preferred.
Experience working within a global or multinational organization preferred.
CPP, CEBS, SHRM, or other relevant professional certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

Own and execute end-to-end multi-state U.S. payroll, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
Manage payroll inputs including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, bonuses, commissions, deductions, benefits, leaves, garnishments, and other payroll activity.
Review and validate payroll calculations, employee changes, taxes, deductions, and earnings prior to finalizing payroll.
Perform pre-payroll and post-payroll audits and reconciliations.
Reconcile payroll results against HRIS data, benefit elections, employee changes, and approved payroll inputs.
Research payroll discrepancies and own issues through resolution.
Partner with Finance and Accounting on payroll funding, general ledger reconciliation, reporting, and month- and year-end activities.
Manage relationships with payroll vendors and other external providers while maintaining strong internal ownership and oversight.
Support payroll tax administration, year-end processes, W-2s, amendments, and other required reporting.
Maintain payroll calendars, SOPs, controls, approval processes, and audit documentation.
Support global payroll projects and initiatives as the organization's global payroll model continues to evolve.
Own the administration and ongoing management of employee benefit programs across the United States, Canada, and China.
Manage relationships with benefit brokers, carriers, consultants, PEOs, retirement providers, and other external partners.
Oversee employee eligibility, enrollments, life events, terminations, and other benefit changes.
Lead annual benefit renewals and open enrollment activities.
Support the strategy and administration of both self-funded and fully insured benefit plans.
Partner with brokers, carriers, and leadership to evaluate plan design, utilization, claims experience, cost, employee experience, and market competitiveness.
Understand and monitor the financial and operational components of self-funded plans, including claims, administrative fees, stop-loss coverage, and overall plan performance.
Own benefit billing and reconciliation, ensuring carrier enrollment, employee elections, payroll deductions, and employer contributions align.
Conduct recurring eligibility and deduction audits and proactively identify and resolve discrepancies.
Partner with regional providers and consultants to ensure Canadian and Chinese benefit programs are accurately administered.
Maintain accurate benefit documentation, rates, eligibility requirements, plan information, and administrative procedures.
Develop clear employee communications and resources related to benefit programs.
Manage and oversee relationships with PEOs, payroll providers, benefit vendors, brokers, carriers, and other external partners.
Coordinate employee and payroll data between internal systems and PEO or external provider platforms.
Review provider calculations, invoices, payroll data, benefit deductions, and reporting for accuracy.
Ensure PEO and vendor processes align with internal HR, payroll, benefits, Finance, and compliance requirements.
Establish clear roles, responsibilities, service expectations, and escalation processes with external partners.
Monitor vendor performance and proactively address service, data, accuracy, and compliance issues.
Support implementation, transition, or consolidation of payroll, PEO, benefits, and HR technology vendors as needed.
Support the ongoing administration and oversight of the company's U.S. 401(k) plan.
Coordinate employee eligibility, contributions, employer contributions, loans, distributions, and other plan activity with the recordkeeper and Payroll.
Perform recurring reconciliations between payroll and retirement plan data.
Partner with retirement plan providers, auditors, Finance, and external advisers.
Support annual 401(k) audits, compliance testing, required filings, corrections, and other plan administration activities.
Maintain appropriate documentation, controls, and audit trails related to retirement plan administration.
Own and administer U.S. employee leave programs, including FMLA, state and local leaves, disability, parental leave, personal leave, military leave, and other applicable leave programs.
Serve as a primary point of contact for employees throughout the leave process, providing clear guidance regarding eligibility, documentation, benefits, pay, and return-to-work requirements.
Coordinate leave administration with employees, managers, People Business Partners, Payroll, benefit carriers, and third-party administrators.
Manage the interaction between leaves, payroll, benefit deductions, disability payments, paid time off, and benefit continuation.
Track employee benefit premiums during leave and ensure appropriate collection, reconciliation, and catch-up processes.
Maintain accurate leave records, documentation, dates, approvals, and HRIS data.
Coordinate return-to-work processes and required documentation in partnership with HR and Legal as appropriate.
Monitor leave cases and proactively communicate deadlines, leave exhaustion, return dates, and required actions.
Conduct recurring audits of leave records, payroll impacts, and benefit deductions.
Develop and maintain standardized leave processes, employee communications, templates, workflows, and SOPs.
Serve as a subject matter expert for payroll, benefits, leave, job, position, and employee data within the HRIS and related systems.
Maintain strong data integrity across HRIS, payroll, benefits, and vendor platforms.
Partner with HR Operations and HRIS resources on system configuration, implementations, integrations, testing, and enhancements.
Conduct recurring audits to identify discrepancies between HRIS, payroll, benefit carriers, and other systems.
Support and maintain the company's global job architecture framework, including standardized job titles, job families, career levels, position codes, and position data.
Partner with People Business Partners and leaders to maintain accurate job and position information.
Support governance around the creation and modification of positions.
Develop reporting and dashboards related to payroll, benefits, headcount, leaves, job architecture, and HR operations.
Support global employee census and workforce data used for benefits, audits, organizational planning, and executive reporting.
Develop and maintain strong controls across payroll, benefits, retirement, leave, and HRIS processes.
Conduct recurring audits of payroll calculations, benefit eligibility, deductions, leave administration, retirement contributions, and HRIS data.
Support internal and external payroll, benefits, retirement, and compliance audits.
Partner with Finance, Accounting, Legal, brokers, auditors, and external consultants to investigate and resolve discrepancies.
Maintain appropriate documentation, approvals, reconciliations, and audit trails.
Proactively identify areas of operational or compliance risk and implement appropriate controls and solutions.
Partner with local providers and subject matter experts when country-specific expertise is required.
Continuously evaluate payroll, benefits, leave, and HR processes to improve accuracy, efficiency, controls, scalability, and employee experience.
Identify manual processes and opportunities for automation, system integration, and improved use of technology.
Investigate the root cause of recurring errors and implement sustainable solutions rather than relying on manual corrections.
Develop and maintain SOPs, process maps, payroll and benefits calendars, checklists, controls, and clear process ownership.
Establish recurring reconciliations and audits designed to identify issues before they impact employees or the business.
Support implementation of new systems, PEOs, payroll providers, benefit vendors, and HR processes from design through testing and launch.
Participate in global People initiatives, including HRIS implementations, organizational changes, integrations, workforce projects, and other cross-functional initiatives.
Partner with regional People teams to establish consistent global standards while recognizing necessary country-specific requirements.
Support executive and Board-level payroll, benefits, and workforce reporting as needed.