Payroll & People Operations Generalist

THE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT•Remote, VA

5d•$72,000 - $85,000

About The Position

The Payroll & People Operations Generalist administers and coordinates day-to-day payroll, employee benefits, retirement plan, and related People Operations processes for The Partnership Project, a nonprofit supporting environmental programs. The role is responsible for accurate and timely payroll and benefits transactions, reconciliations, data integrity, documentation, and vendor coordination. It serves as an operational connection among employees, People Operations, Finance, payroll providers, benefits vendors, brokers, and retirement plan providers, while providing responsive employee support and resolving routine discrepancies. The position reports to the Director of People Operations. The role supports semi-monthly payroll; payroll tax administration across jurisdictions; retirement plan and benefits administration; vendor and HRIS data management; ACA reporting; and employee lifecycle processes such as onboarding and offboarding. It also maintains records and reports, supports audits and compliance activities, monitors deadlines and vendor deliverables, and escalates significant financial, compliance, legal, or regulatory concerns to the appropriate leader or advisor. The position contributes to process improvements and employee-facing resources while handling confidential information with discretion. This is a full-time, exempt position with a stated salary range of $72,000–$85,000. Occasional evening work and travel may be required to support events and organizational activities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
3–5 years of progressive payroll experience and general Human Resources and/or People Operations experience.
3–5 years of experience managing HRIS and benefits administration systems.
Working knowledge of complex HR programs, including FMLA, state leave programs, ACA requirements, the ADA process, and retirement plan administration.
Demonstrated experience administering employee benefits and working directly with benefits vendors or brokers.
Professionalism, confidentiality, and a service-oriented approach; ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
Good judgment and integrity; ability to prioritize workload and escalate matters appropriately.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to build collaborative relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
People-centered customer service and employee support skills, including the ability to de-escalate and develop employee-centered processes.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to manage information, files, deadlines, recurring processes, and detailed requirements.
Database management experience, including maintaining accurate data and maximizing the use of HR and benefits platforms.
Solutions-oriented and outcome-driven approach, with the ability to identify root issues and develop improvements.
Commitment to inclusivity and actively contributing to a welcoming environment; willingness to examine and address personal and systemic biases and support belonging and anti-racism.
Ability to work occasional evenings and travel as needed to support events and organizational activities.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Paylocity, Employee Navigator, Asana, and Principal.
Experience with Paychex.
SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, HRCI PHR, or SPHR certification.
American Payroll Association (APA) certification.
Nonprofit experience and knowledge of the environmental movement.

Responsibilities

Support accurate and timely administration of semi-monthly payroll processes.
Review payroll inputs, including benefit deductions, retirement contributions, leave-related pay adjustments, and other HR-related changes.
Reconcile payroll deductions and employer contributions against carrier, benefits platform, retirement plan, payroll, and finance records; research and resolve discrepancies.
Coordinate payroll changes related to hires, terminations, compensation changes, leave, benefit elections, severance, and other employee status changes.
Maintain payroll documentation and audit records; support payroll audits, year-end activities, and routine or ad hoc workforce reporting.
Coordinate state and local payroll tax registrations and maintain records of tax accounts, filing requirements, deadlines, notices, and jurisdiction-specific information.
Monitor payroll tax notices, filings, payments, and deadlines; coordinate with payroll providers, Finance, agencies, and other partners, and maintain supporting documentation.
Provide Finance with payroll reports and documentation for tax filings, reconciliations, financial reporting, audits, and other submissions; review quarterly filings and coordinate corrections as needed.
Support year-end payroll tax activities, including W-2 preparation, reconciliation, and corrections.
Administer routine 401(k) enrollments and employee requests; coordinate and reconcile contributions; support retirement plan audits and employee questions.
Support employee benefit transactions throughout the employee lifecycle, including enrollment, qualifying life events, status changes, and terminations.
Monitor benefits enrollment and eligibility data across HRIS, benefits platforms, payroll, and vendor systems; maintain documentation and employee resources.
Support benefits renewals and provide routine reports and analysis on benefits costs and enrollment trends.
Build working relationships with brokers, carriers, payroll providers, retirement plan administrators, and other vendors; serve as the day-to-day contact for routine operational issues.
Maintain accurate People Operations, payroll, benefits, and employee data; conduct audits and reconciliations and organize records for compliance and institutional knowledge.
Support ACA eligibility tracking, data validation, annual 1095-C preparation and distribution, and required federal and state healthcare reporting.
Provide responsive support to employees and managers on routine People Operations questions, policies, processes, and workplace programs.
Support onboarding and offboarding, HRIS transactions, benefits enrollment, employee records, and required documentation.
Support resource matching, personalized systems training, policy administration and interpretation, employee-facing resources, and general HR initiatives.
Identify opportunities to streamline People Operations processes and improve the employee experience.
Complete routine HRIS transactions; audit employee records, benefits enrollment, leave, and other HR data; generate reports and address data-quality issues.
Gather information and complete tasks for annual projects, audits, compliance initiatives, and special People Operations projects.
Integrate the organization’s core values into daily work and contribute to a collaborative, respectful, mission-aligned workplace.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Manage state sick leave requirements and part-time employee accruals in the payroll platform, including setup, audit, payout, and employee communication.
Work occasional evenings and travel as needed to support events and organizational activities.

Benefits

Unlimited PTO, with a minimum of 20 days off per year.
100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee and their family.
Employer-paid life and AD&D insurance for the employee.
401(k) employer match, with pre-tax and/or Roth options.
FSA, dependent care, commuter, and parking benefits.
Voluntary benefits, including disability insurance, life insurance, cancer coverage, pet insurance, legal aid, and credit monitoring.
Semi-monthly technology/phone stipend.
12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Eight weeks of paid sabbatical leave after five years of service.
13 paid holidays.