HR & Finance Specialist (Temporary)

Wonderist Agency - Dental Marketing•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Wonderist Agency is seeking a strategic and detail-driven HR & Finance Specialist to own the day-to-day people operations and financial administration that keeps our team running. If you are passionate about payroll accuracy, building great employee experiences, and keeping operations running like clockwork, then we want to hear from you!

Requirements

Resourceful and Confident Self-Starter: Once you learn the ropes, we'll expect you to own your tasks and hold yourself accountable. You will solve problems every single day, so we need someone with a results-oriented mind.
Discreet and Trustworthy: You will be working closely with the C-suite team, and that requires a higher level of trust, discretion, and communication. Be confident in working independently with little supervision.
Process and Deadline Oriented: We want someone who enjoys making processes better, faster, stronger, with an ability to evolve over time. This includes the processes for meeting and adhering to deadlines.
Organized & Able to Manage Multiple Priorities: Strong task and calendar management across both HR and finance responsibilities. Can context-switch between competing priorities without losing accuracy, because in this role, both sides of the business are always moving at once.
Solutions Oriented Problem-Solving: Be proactive beyond the call of duty and swiftly reactive when there's a need to right any wrongs. Analyze problems by gathering and organizing relevant information, identify cause-and-effect relationships, and present appropriate solutions.
Strong Communication: You must be personable, professional, and responsive in relaying complex information clearly to diverse audiences. You will be the point person between employees, vendors, and leadership, managing communications and facilitating updates between stakeholders.
Ability to Uphold Wonderist Agency's Commitments / Core Values: Takes pride in work and is committed to being an agent of positive change. We need someone who takes any project, big or small, and puts everything they have into it. Mistakes are okay. Sloppiness is not.
High degree of discretion with sensitive employee and financial data
Calm and methodical under deadline pressure
Strong follow-through. Nothing falls through the cracks.
HRIS/Payroll Platforms, Level Advanced
Google Workspace, Level Intermediate to Advanced
Excel/Spreadsheets, Level Intermediate
Benefits Administration, Level Intermediate
Multi-state Payroll Compliance, Level Intermediate
3+ years of experience in HR operations, payroll administration, or a combined HR/finance role
Experience running end-to-end payroll for a multi-entity or multi-state organization
Experience with a HRIS/payroll platform
Familiarity with multi-state compliance and global contractor payroll
Familiarity with benefits administration including open enrollment
Experience supporting full-cycle hiring and offboarding processes
Excellent attention to detail and ability to meet recurring, non-negotiable deadlines
Strong written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience specifically with Rippling (HRIS, Payroll, ATS, and Spend modules)
Experience with ATS workflows and recruiting coordination
Experience in a marketing agency or similarly fast-paced environment
Familiarity with the dental or healthcare industry

Responsibilities

Process and audit payroll for salaried, hourly, and global team members across two entities (Wonderist Agency and Nomos Marketing)
Monitor payroll alerts from BenefitsForYou and verify that benefits deductions and 401(k) match are accurate each pay period
Manage the Rippling ATS, review candidate pipelines, and coordinate next steps with hiring managers
Prepare offer decks and conduct offer calls with selected candidates
Set up new hires in Rippling, including system access, benefits enrollment, and compliance documentation
Follow the onboarding process in joint Employee Monday Board
Process terminations in Rippling, calculate final paychecks, remove system access, and close out all offboarding tasks within 24 hours
Respond to employee inquiries related to payroll, HR policies, benefits, and software access/updates
Maintain and update SOPs as processes evolve
Run sales commission calculations and include them in the first payroll of each month
Pull and compile insurance invoices from Kaiser, Blue Shield, and Principal for the accounting team's month-end report
Pull team Workplace Utilization report from Brivo (attendance)
Prepare and deliver commission journal entries to accounting
Run CSM calculations and distribute results to relevant stakeholders
Reconcile the Rippling Spend account — ensure all receipts and memos are submitted by traveling team members and transactions are synced to the GL by month end
Configure and launch the annual performance review cycle in Rippling, including setting up downward and self-review structures, drafting the schedule, and sending employee communications
Audit benefits enrollments and payroll deductions for accuracy
Register the company in new states as the team grows, including setting up SUI accounts and employer tax accounts
Assist with compliance filings across all business entities
Coordinate open enrollment preparation and vendor communication with NAVA (health benefits) and TruStage (401k)
Payroll Administration: Own the full payroll cycle for two entities across all employee types, salaried, hourly, and global, ensuring accuracy every pay period, including commissions, one-off situations, and ongoing 401(k) compliance.
HR Operations: Hiring & Onboarding: Manage the end-to-end hiring process from ATS pipeline management through offer calls and Day 1 setup in Rippling, ensuring every new hire has a smooth and compliant onboarding experience.
HR Operations: Offboarding & Terminations: Handle all aspects of employee separations promptly and accurately, including final paycheck calculations, system access removal, and coordination of any outstanding items. All offboarding is closed out within 24 hours.
Performance Review Administration: Own the logistics and configuration of the annual review cycle for the full organization, including the growing global team, ensuring reviews are set up correctly in Rippling and all stakeholders are informed and on schedule.
Benefits Administration: Serve as the internal point of contact for employee benefits, managing open enrollment, fielding questions, and ensuring enrollments and deductions are accurate and up to date.
Compliance & State Registrations: Support the company's compliance obligations across a multi-state and international workforce, including new state registrations, annual filings, and IT and HIPAA compliance as it relates to the employee lifecycle.
Finance Support & Reporting: Provide reliable, recurring financial operations support to the accounting team, including month-end reporting, commission journal entries, CSM monthly and quarterly accrual calculations, and corporate card reconciliation via Rippling Spend.