Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Nira Medical

10d•$65,000 - $75,000

About The Position

The Payroll & Benefits Specialist is responsible for the organization’s payroll and benefits operations, including timely and accurate payroll processing, state and local payroll tax compliance, benefits administration, open enrollment, reconciliations, reporting, and employee support. The role works closely with Finance & Accounting, employees, benefits providers, and Rippling or a comparable system to resolve issues, maintain compliance, and ensure efficient operations. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, comfortable working independently, and able to exercise sound judgment when managing sensitive, time-critical financial and employee matters. The candidate enjoys improving processes, leveraging technology, and building efficient, scalable payroll and benefits operations.

Requirements

3–5 years of payroll, payroll tax, benefits administration, accounting, or related experience.
Proven ability to independently manage payroll for a multi-state employee population.
Strong knowledge of state and local payroll tax compliance, including filings, payments, registrations, reconciliations, and tax notices.
Knowledge of employee benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life events, deductions, and provider coordination.
Ability to manage or support annual open enrollment.
Proficiency with a payroll or HRIS platform.
Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
Ability to independently manage multiple priorities, recurring deadlines, and confidential information.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work collaboratively with Finance & Accounting, employees, and external payroll and benefits providers.

Nice To Haves

Rippling Payroll and Benefits experience.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including complex formulas, PivotTables, data analysis, reconciliations, and reporting.
Familiarity with multiple state and local payroll tax jurisdictions.
Experience handling payroll tax notices, audits, registrations, and agency correspondence.
Accounting experience, including journal entries, account reconciliations, and month-end close support.
Experience with payroll and benefits reporting and reconciliation.
Experience with workflow automation, reporting tools, or process optimization initiatives.

Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end payroll processing, including regular, off-cycle, bonus, and other payrolls as needed.
Review and validate payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, benefits, PTO, reimbursements, garnishments, and other adjustments.
Thoroughly review payroll to ensure it is accurate, complete, and processed on schedule.
Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee payroll questions in a timely and professional manner.
Partner with Finance & Accounting on payroll reporting, reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close activities.
Participate, as needed, in reviews of acquisition targets to help identify payroll compliance deficiencies.
Monitor state and local payroll tax filing requirements, deadlines, tax rates, and regulatory changes.
Complete state tax registrations for expansion into new states, coordinating timely registration with state agencies and ensuring accurate, compliant payroll tax filings.
Coordinate with the third-party tax filer on state and local payroll tax notices, agency correspondence, and compliance issues.
Proactively manage new payroll tax filing requirements as the company enters new jurisdictions.
Administer employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and other benefits as applicable.
Serve as the primary employee contact for benefits eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, deductions, and general benefits questions.
Partner with benefits brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and other providers to resolve enrollment, eligibility, billing, and employee issues.
Support annual open enrollment with Accounting leadership, including system setup, employee communications, and reconciliation.
Process benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations in Rippling and with applicable benefit providers.
Reconcile benefit deductions, employer contributions, and carrier invoices.
Maintain accurate benefits records and update them promptly for new hires, terminations, leaves, and other employee status changes.
Develop and implement process improvements to reduce manual effort and streamline payroll, tax compliance, benefits administration, reconciliations, and reporting.
Identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Help optimize Rippling and other systems to improve payroll and benefits workflows, controls, reporting, and employee experience.