Payroll and Benefits Administrator

ALTAIR ENERGY SERVICES LLC•Tehachapi, CA

7d•$70,000 - $80,000

About The Position

Altair Energy Services is seeking an experienced payroll and benefits professional to own payroll processing and day-to-day benefits administration for office employees and traveling field technicians residing across approximately 20 states, who may work outside their home state. The role partners closely with Operations, Finance and Human Resources and requires taking ownership of issues, identifying compliance risks, investigating discrepancies and improving underlying processes. Hands-on ADP experience is highly preferred. The administrator oversees payroll from time-record review through processing, reconciliation and follow-up, and supports benefits onboarding, enrollment, changes and employee questions. The role also maintains payroll records, coordinates multistate setup and compliance needs, supports audit and certified payroll requirements when applicable, and allocates employee time to customer projects for billing. Success means employees are paid correctly, benefits are effective as expected, recurring problems are resolved, and employees receive clear, discreet support.

Requirements

At least five years of progressive payroll experience, including independent ownership of payroll processing, reconciliation and problem resolution.
Hands-on benefits administration experience, including new-hire enrollment, eligibility tracking, payroll deductions and coordination with brokers or carriers.
Strong multistate payroll experience, including employees who live and work in different states.
Working knowledge of state withholding, reciprocity and varying wage-and-hour requirements, including California.
A record of identifying payroll or benefits risks and implementing improvements that strengthen accuracy and compliance.
Strong payroll system skills and the ability to validate system outputs, investigate exceptions and work effectively with the provider to resolve issues.
Strong Excel skills, including reconciliations and analysis of payroll and benefits data.
Sound judgment, dependable follow-through and the ability to manage deadlines while communicating clearly with employees and managers.
Integrity and confidentiality, including discretion in safeguarding payroll, financial, medical and personal information and sharing it only with those who need it for their role.

Nice To Haves

Recent, substantial ADP experience, including payroll processing, employee setup, deductions, reporting and troubleshooting; experience with ADP benefits administration tools is a plus.
Experience supporting hourly, traveling or field-based employees in energy, construction or field services.
Experience with prevailing wage requirements and certified payroll reporting.
Certified Payroll Professional or Fundamental Payroll Certification, or relevant education in accounting, business or human resources.

Responsibilities

Own payroll from time-record review through processing, reconciliation and follow-up, ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.
Review time records, pay rates, overtime, deductions, reimbursements, per diem, bonuses and adjustments, and resolve discrepancies with managers before payroll is finalized.
Apply federal and applicable state and local payroll requirements for employees who may live and work in different states; identify withholding, reciprocity and wage-and-hour issues and coordinate with HR, Finance, ADP or outside advisers as needed.
Maintain accurate payroll system records and coordinate new state registrations and payroll setup with appropriate partners when employees begin working in additional states.
Reconcile payroll reports, deductions and tax information; coordinate with Finance on accounting entries, year-end reporting and issue resolution with ADP.
Maintain organized, audit-ready records and support prevailing wage and certified payroll requirements when applicable.
Guide new employees through benefits eligibility, plan information, enrollment steps and deadlines during onboarding; confirm elections are entered correctly and coverage is in place.
Administer benefit enrollments, qualifying life events and terminations; coordinate open enrollment and employee communications with HR, brokers and carriers.
Reconcile benefit deductions and carrier invoices, investigate discrepancies and correct errors promptly.
Coordinate continuation coverage notices and benefit changes associated with leaves or departures with HR and plan administrators.
Answer employee questions involving pay, benefits, medical information and personal circumstances with empathy, professionalism and discretion, and follow through to resolution.
Anticipate payroll deadlines, employee changes and project locations to identify issues before they affect pay, coverage or compliance.
Investigate recurring errors, identify root causes, implement practical fixes, and document procedures, checkpoints and responsibilities.
Use payroll system capabilities, reporting and Excel to improve accuracy, reduce manual work and improve visibility.
Raise concerns early, recommend solutions, keep relevant people informed, and own and verify corrections.
Partner with Operations, Finance and HR to improve time reporting, onboarding and the flow of employee information.
Allocate billable employee time to customer projects and reconcile project coding and hours with Operations and Finance; resolve discrepancies and provide supporting records to Finance for customer billing.