Senior Payroll and Benefits Specialist

Kraken Kinetics•Pinehurst, NC

5d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a rare chance to own payroll and benefits at a growing defense manufacturer and shape how it's done. As our Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you will run weekly payroll end to end, administer our benefits, manage leaves of absence, and serve as our go-to ADP Workforce Now (WFN) expert for payroll, deductions and the 401(k). You'll work independently and make the day-to-day calls, with the Head of People and our Finance team as close partners whenever you want a sounding board or a second set of eyes. This is an on-site, individual contributor role reporting to the Head of People. We expect to reach about 100 employees by the end of 2026 and grow to over 200 in 2027, so you will build processes that scale. Your first big milestones are taking full ownership of payroll in ADP and leading our February 2027 open enrollment.

Requirements

5+ years of hands-on experience running payroll and administering benefits, ideally as the primary owner.
3+ years working with ADP Workforce Now, including configuration and custom reporting.
Working knowledge of multi-state payroll tax, FLSA, FMLA, ADA, ACA, ERISA and COBRA.
Experience managing leaves of absence and coordinating with disability carriers.
Accounting fundamentals, including payroll journal entries and account reconciliations.
Exceptional accuracy and the judgment to handle confidential information with discretion.
Ability to manage competing deadlines independently with limited oversight.
Clear, empathetic communicator who can explain complex topics to employees at every level.

Nice To Haves

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC).
Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS), SHRM-CP/SCP or PHR.
Experience with ADP WFN implementations, integrations or module rollouts.
Experience in a government contractor environment, including DCAA-compliant timekeeping, labor distribution or DCAA audits.
Experience supporting a company through rapid growth, ideally scaling from roughly 100 to 200+ employees.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end payroll processing for weekly cycles covering exempt and non-exempt employees, including off-cycle runs, bonuses, and final pay.
Audit every payroll before submission: hours, overtime, earnings, deductions, garnishments and tax withholdings.
Partner with People Team and managers on new hire, job change and termination inputs so every payroll reflects accurate data.
Manage payroll tax filings and notices for North Carolina and Maryland, register new states as the team expands, and resolve agency correspondence.
Support month-end, quarter-end and year-end close with Finance, including accruals.
Prepare and support year-end processes, including W-2 review, corrections and annual reconciliations.
Maintain compliance with FLSA and state wage and hour laws, including accurate overtime calculations and exempt/non-exempt classification.
Prepare payroll reports and documentation for internal and external audits, and respond to auditor requests.
As government contract work grows, build DCAA-compliant timekeeping and labor-charging controls in ADP WFN with Finance, and support DCAA audits of labor costs.
Administer health, dental, vision, life, disability, and retirement plans.
Lead annual open enrollment end to end: carrier coordination, system setup and post-enrollment audits.
Process qualifying life events, new hire enrollments and terminations.
Reconcile carrier invoices monthly and resolve discrepancies with carriers and brokers.
Ensure compliance with ACA, ERISA, HIPAA and COBRA, including 1095-C reporting and annual 5500 and nondiscrimination testing support.
Partner with our benefits broker on renewals, plan design and cost analysis.
Manage all leave programs in-house, including FMLA, state family and medical leave, short- and long-term disability, military leave and parental leave.
Prepare and submit disability claim paperwork to our carrier, then stay in step with the carrier through the claim so leave status, pay and benefits stay aligned.
Track leave balances, eligibility and return-to-work dates accurately.
Keep benefits running for employees on leave: collect their premium contributions during unpaid leave, set up catch-up deductions on return, and prevent coverage gaps or lapses.
Serve as a system administrator for ADP WFN Core HR and Payroll.
Configure earnings and deduction codes (including benefit and 401(k) deductions).
Build and maintain reports and dashboards for Finance and leadership.
Maintain data integrity through regular audits of employee records.
Manage data flows between ADP WFN, the ADP 401(k) and benefit carriers.
Serve as the primary contact for employee questions on pay, benefits and leave.
Coordinate payroll and benefits steps in onboarding and offboarding, including final pay, benefits termination and COBRA notices.
Conduct routine audits of payroll data, benefit elections and personnel records, and follow up on gaps promptly.
Create and maintain SOPs, job aids and employee self-service guides for payroll, benefits, leave and ADP WFN.
Keep payroll and benefits records organized, confidential and audit-ready in line with record-retention requirements.