HR Operations & Payroll Specialist

Allied Global Marketing•Boston, MA

11h•$65,000 - $70,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The HR Operations & Payroll Specialist owns payroll for Allied’s US, Canada, and UK employees and serves as the primary resource for employee pay questions. The role also supports HR systems, processes, and data that keep people operations running smoothly. The position is hands-on and focuses on accurate payroll, clear employee support, and process improvement. The role manages end-to-end US and Canadian payroll, including regular and off-cycle runs, terminations, adjustments, and year-end activities. It addresses payroll tax, compliance, and pay accuracy issues; coordinates payroll funding and accounting activities; supports international payroll vendors and the transition of UK payroll in-house; and responds to employee pay, tax, timesheet, and deduction questions. The specialist also administers benefits and HR operations, including Allied’s self-funded medical plan, benefits programs and invoices, plan compliance, onboarding and offboarding, and employee HR requests. The position administers Rippling, supports system changes and employee self-service resources, assists with HR programs and projects, maintains data integrity, and prepares HR, benefits, and payroll reports.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
3 to 5 years of experience in HR operations, payroll, or a combination of both.
Hands-on experience processing multi-state US payroll.
Experience administering an HRIS, preferably Rippling or a comparable all-in-one platform.
Intermediate to advanced Excel or Google Sheets skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and data cleanup.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical pay and benefits topics in plain language.
High attention to detail and sound judgment with confidential information.
Comfort managing a high volume of requests while keeping projects moving.
Ability to use AI responsibly, including evaluating accuracy, protecting confidential information, and applying appropriate human review and judgment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with a payroll implementation, migration, or new system rollout.
Exposure to international payroll, including UK or Canada.
Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), or SHRM-CP/PHR.
Experience in an agency, entertainment, or other fast-paced professional services environment.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end US and Canadian payroll, including regular runs, off-cycle payments, terminations, adjustments, and year-end activities such as W-2s and T4s.
Resolve payroll tax, compliance, and pay accuracy issues across US states and Canada, determine corrective actions, and communicate outcomes to employees and Accounting.
Approve and release payroll funding and partner with Accounting on reporting, journal entries, and reconciliations.
Serve as the primary contact for pay, tax, timesheet, and deduction questions, explaining information clearly and with care.
Respond to employment and income verification requests.
Coordinate with outside payroll vendors for international payroll and contribute to bringing UK payroll in-house.
Manage Allied’s self-funded medical plan with its broker, third-party administrator, and stop-loss carrier, including claims funding, reconciliations, and monthly reporting.
Review, approve, and pay benefits invoices and identify and resolve discrepancies with carriers and the third-party administrator.
Administer US and Canada benefits programs, including enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, and eligibility changes.
Serve as the day-to-day contact for carriers, the third-party administrator, and brokers, resolving claims, eligibility, and billing issues.
Support plan compliance, including COBRA, ACA reporting, Form 5500, PCORI fees, and plan documents, in partnership with the HR manager and broker.
Handle protected health information in accordance with HIPAA privacy and security requirements.
Run onboarding and offboarding processes, including system setup, documentation, and benefits changes.
Respond to HR inbox cases involving benefits, onboarding, offboarding, and general HR processes.
Administer Rippling day to day, including configuration, workflows, troubleshooting, and vendor tickets.
Gather business requirements, test system changes, and communicate updates to employees and managers.
Build self-service resources and FAQs to reduce repeat employee questions.
Support HR programs including open enrollment, performance reviews, learning management, recruiting, and hiring.
Partner with the HR team on projects and process improvements across the employee lifecycle.
Maintain data accuracy and integrity across HR, payroll, and benefits systems.
Build and maintain reports for HR and leadership, including benefits plan and payroll reporting.