Manager, Benefits & Payroll

Water Environment Federation•Alexandria, VA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Manager, Benefits & Payroll provides strategic leadership, administration, and continuous improvement of the Water Environment Federation’s benefits and payroll functions. The role serves as the organization’s subject matter expert in benefits administration and ensures programs are competitive, equitable, compliant, financially responsible, and aligned with organizational objectives. The manager works closely with Human Resources leadership, senior leadership, Finance, stakeholders, and external consultants to oversee payroll operations and develop and administer employee benefit programs. The position also serves as the primary liaison to benefit brokers, insurance carriers, retirement plan administrators, payroll providers, and other third-party vendors. The role combines strategic planning with operational oversight and requires analytical ability, sound judgment, financial acumen, initiative, problem-solving, agility, inclusive practices, and teamwork. The position is hybrid, with work in the Alexandria, Virginia office two days every other week. Travel may be required for meetings and events, up to 20% of the year. The work is primarily in an office environment using standard office equipment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience.
At least 1 year of people leadership experience.
Proven experience leading payroll and benefits, retirement plan administration, and multi-state payroll operations.
Proven experience managing employer-sponsored benefit programs, Open Enrollment, vendor renewals, and relationships with brokers, carriers, payroll providers, consultants, and third-party vendors.
Comprehensive knowledge of payroll administration, payroll tax, wage and hour compliance, benefit administration, COBRA, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, leave administration, and related regulatory requirements.
Advanced proficiency with HRIS platforms and Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, lookups, dashboards, and data analysis.
Strong financial and business acumen, including the ability to analyze workforce costs, benefit trends, and Total Rewards metrics.
Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills; attention to detail; and ability to manage competing priorities.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and relationship management skills, including the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
Demonstrated discretion, professionalism, integrity, commitment to continuous learning and operational excellence, and ability to lead complex projects and deliver innovative Benefits and Payroll solutions.
Ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHR, or comparable professional certification.
Experience with Paylocity.
Power BI or similar reporting experience.

Responsibilities

Partner with Human Resources leadership to support the benefits administration component of WEF’s Total Rewards philosophy and align payroll and benefits programs with business objectives, employee engagement, and talent attraction and retention.
Evaluate market trends, workforce data, legislation, and industry practices to recommend benefits and Total Rewards program enhancements.
Provide strategic consultation to leadership and support workforce planning through Total Rewards benefit strategies.
Provide strategic and tactical oversight of payroll operations, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing across employee populations.
Maintain payroll controls, audit procedures, and quality assurance processes.
Oversee payroll compliance and reporting, including payroll tax, wage and hour requirements, garnishments, supplemental earnings, regulatory filings, W-2 processing, year-end activities, and required surveys.
Partner with Finance to reconcile payroll-related accounts, support audits and tax deliverables, improve financial reporting, and contribute to budget planning.
Identify and implement payroll automation and process improvements to increase efficiency, reduce risk, and strengthen internal controls.
Oversee the strategy, administration, and continuous improvement of employee benefit programs, including health and welfare plans, retirement, wellness, leave, voluntary benefits, HSAs, FSAs, Open Enrollment, and qualifying life events.
Evaluate benefit utilization, employee feedback, market competitiveness, cost trends, and compliance requirements to recommend program enhancements.
Manage relationships with benefit brokers, insurance carriers, retirement plan administrators, payroll providers, leave administrators, COBRA vendors, wellness providers, actuaries, auditors, and other third-party consultants.
Lead vendor performance reviews, service evaluations, implementations, operational meetings, benefit renewals, vendor selection, and contract negotiations.
Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements covering benefits, payroll, wage and hour practices, employment recordkeeping, COBRA, ACA, ERISA, HIPAA, IRS, Department of Labor, and state wage payment requirements.
Develop and maintain policies, procedures, internal controls, documentation, audits, regulatory reporting, and compliance reviews.
Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and recommend policy or operational updates.
Perform other duties as assigned within the scope of the role.