Senior Associate, HR Operations and Payroll

Newfire Global Partners • San Jose, CA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Associate, HR Operations and Payroll plays a critical role in keeping core people processes running smoothly and ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time. This role sits at the intersection of HR administration, payroll processing, compliance, and employee support, helping create a reliable and positive employee experience across the full employment lifecycle for team members in both the LATAM & U.S. In this role, you will partner closely with HRBP, Finance, managers, and employees to manage payroll transactions, maintain accurate employee records, support onboarding and offboarding activities, and help ensure compliance with company policies and applicable payroll and employment requirements across the LATAM & U.S.. You will also serve as a trusted point of contact for payroll and HR operations questions, bringing a high level of discretion, accuracy, and service orientation to every interaction. You will report to a Senior Manager or Director and collaborate with cross-functional partners to improve workflows, strengthen data integrity, and support scalable people operations. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who enjoys detail-oriented work, solving problems, and making behind-the-scenes processes feel seamless for employees and leaders alike.

Requirements

• 5–8 years of experience in payroll, HR operations, people administration, or a closely related field.
• Hands-on experience supporting U.S. payroll and coordinating payroll or people operations processes in LATAM, preferably in a multi-state and multi-country environment.
• Working knowledge of payroll regulations, wage and hour practices, tax withholdings, deductions, and payroll compliance requirements.
• Experience using HRIS and payroll platforms such as BambooHR, TriNet or similar systems.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and comfort working with data validation, reconciliations, and reporting.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage deadlines with accuracy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a customer-service mindset and the ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.
• Professional proficiency in both English and Spanish, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with employees, managers, and partners across the U.S. and LATAM.
• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
• Employment will be contingent upon providing documentation verifying your legal work authorization in the country of residence, in accordance with applicable law.

Responsibilities

• Process payroll and payroll-related transactions accurately and on schedule, supporting employees and contractors across the LATAM & U.S., including regular payroll cycles, off-cycle payments, adjustments, deductions, medical leaves (USA and Costa Rica) and final pay calculations where applicable.
• Maintain employee payroll and HR data in HRIS and payroll systems, ensuring records are complete, accurate, and up to date throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Review timesheets, pay changes, bonuses, commissions, leave entries, garnishments, and tax withholdings to ensure proper processing and compliance.
• Draft, review, track, and manage employment-related contracts and agreements, including offer documentation, contractor agreements, amendments, and other people-related records for the U.S. Costa Rica and LATAM in partnership with internal stakeholders.
• Support payroll and HR operations compliance by helping monitor applicable wage, tax, and employment requirements and coordinating with internal or external partners as needed across the LATAM & U.S..
• Respond to employee and manager questions related to pay, timekeeping, deductions, direct deposit, and HR operational processes with clarity and professionalism.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding operational tasks, including employee documentation, system updates, status changes, and payroll-related setup or closeout activities.
• Partner with HR, Finance, and other internal stakeholders to reconcile payroll data, support audits, prepare standard reports, and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Protect confidential employee and compensation information by following internal controls, privacy standards, and data handling best practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll and HR operations workflows, strengthen documentation, and support process automation or system enhancements.
• Actively participate in hiring processes by serving on interview panels for future roles across the company.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior