HR Specialist - Employee Pay Compensation

Major Drilling America•Salt Lake City, UT

17h•$28 - $32•Remote

About The Position

The HR Specialist - Employee Pay & Compensation provides high-level operational and administrative support for employee pay and compensation programs. This role oversees coordination of payroll activities with the company’s third-party payroll administrator and serves as a key liaison among employees, Human Resources, Finance, and external vendors. Reporting to and working closely with the U.S. HR Manager, this position is responsible for helping ensure employees are paid accurately and timely, payroll and compensation data is complete and compliant, and related benefit programs are administered effectively. The role owns coordination of the company’s Health Savings Account (HSA) and 401(k) programs and performs detailed audits, reconciliations, reporting, and issue resolution. The ideal candidate is analytical, highly detail-oriented, dependable, and comfortable working with confidential employee and financial information.

Requirements

3+ years of relevant experience in payroll, HR operations, employee compensation, benefits administration, accounting, or a related function preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Demonstrated experience coordinating payroll with a third-party administrator or managed payroll provider preferred.
Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including experience working with formulas, lookups, pivot tables, data validation, large datasets, and reconciliations.
Strong reporting and analytical skills, with the ability to translate detailed data into clear findings and actionable information.
Experience with HRIS or payroll systems; Dayforce administrator experience is strongly preferred.
Experience with HSA and 401(k) administration, payroll file coordination, contribution reconciliation, or retirement plan reporting preferred.
Number reconciliation, bookkeeping, accounting, payroll accounting, or general ledger experience is a plus.
Working knowledge of payroll, wage-and-hour, tax, recordkeeping, and benefit plan compliance principles preferred.
Exceptional attention to detail, accuracy, organization, and follow-through.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to investigate discrepancies, identify root causes, and coordinate timely corrections.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to handle sensitive employee and financial information with discretion and professionalism.
Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively across HR, Finance, employees, managers, and external vendors.
Self-motivated, dependable, and able to work both independently and as part of a team.

Nice To Haves

Dayforce administration experience is strongly preferred.
Experience with HSA and 401(k) administration, payroll file coordination, contribution reconciliation, or retirement plan reporting preferred.
Number reconciliation, bookkeeping, accounting, payroll accounting, or general ledger experience is a plus.
Working knowledge of payroll, wage-and-hour, tax, recordkeeping, and benefit plan compliance principles preferred.

Responsibilities

Coordinate payroll activities and required inputs with the third-party payroll administrator to support accurate and timely payroll processing.
Serve as a central point of contact among employees, HR, Finance, managers, and the payroll administrator for pay-related questions, discrepancies, and required corrections.
Collect, review, validate, and communicate payroll-impacting employee changes, including hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, direct deposit updates, taxes, and other employee data.
Review payroll registers, exception reports, earnings, deductions, taxes, and other payroll outputs to identify errors or unusual activity before and after payroll processing.
Track payroll issues through resolution and maintain clear supporting documentation, approvals, and audit trails.
Coordinate final pay and other time-sensitive payroll actions in accordance with company procedures and applicable requirements.
Provide responsive, professional support to employees while maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
Own day-to-day coordination of the company’s HSA and 401(k) programs in partnership with employees, payroll, Finance, plan administrators, recordkeepers, and other vendors.
Coordinate employee enrollments, contribution changes, deductions, employer contributions or match, loan deductions, and file transmissions, as applicable.
Reconcile payroll deductions and employer contributions to vendor files, funding records, and plan reports; research and resolve discrepancies promptly.
Monitor rejected records, missed or incorrect deductions, contribution limits, and other exceptions, and coordinate corrective action with the appropriate parties.
Maintain accurate records and supporting documentation for plan administration, audits, and compliance activities.
Assist employees with routine HSA and 401(k) questions and direct complex plan or investment questions to the appropriate administrator or advisor.
Conduct recurring payroll, compensation, deduction, HSA, and 401(k) audits to verify data accuracy, completeness, and consistency across systems and reports.
Perform detailed reconciliations among HRIS records, payroll results, general ledger or Finance data, vendor reports, and employee elections.
Investigate variances, identify root causes, document findings, and coordinate corrections with HR, Finance, payroll, and vendors.
Support internal and external audits by preparing reports, reconciliations, documentation, and responses to information requests.
Monitor payroll and compensation administration practices for alignment with company policy and applicable wage-and-hour, tax, recordkeeping, and benefit plan requirements.
Help maintain standard operating procedures, controls, calendars, checklists, and documentation to support consistent and compliant processes.
Maintain and audit employee pay, payroll, deduction, and compensation-related data in the HRIS; Dayforce administration experience is strongly preferred.
Build, maintain, and distribute recurring and ad hoc payroll, compensation, HSA, 401(k), and audit reports for HR and Finance stakeholders.
Use advanced Excel and reporting tools to analyze large datasets, reconcile totals, identify exceptions, and present findings clearly.
Partner with HR and Finance to improve reporting, controls, data quality, and process efficiency.
Protect confidential payroll, employee, and financial information and follow established data security and records-retention practices.
Partner closely with HR Manager and team, Finance, managers, employees, and third-party administrators to resolve complex pay and benefits issues.
Identify opportunities to streamline payroll coordination, reduce manual work, strengthen controls, and improve the employee experience.
Support compensation projects, HR system initiatives, testing, implementations, and other department priorities as assigned.
Provide backup support for other HR operational activities when needed.
Provide administrative and operational support to the Human Resources department as needed.
Coordinate with internal teams and external vendors to support payroll, compensation, and employee benefit programs.
Perform other HR-related duties, analyses, and projects as assigned.