Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Bobbie L Duque - Evanston, IL

Full-time - Mid Level

Evanston, IL

About the position

The Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement is responsible for managing the payroll function and benefits administration. This role involves running payroll cycles, ensuring compliance with various leave programs, and collaborating with the HR team to deliver wellness programming. The position plays a crucial role in maintaining payroll accuracy, managing employee benefits, and supporting compliance with federal and state regulations.

Responsibilities

• Run payroll cycles according to payroll schedule and verify accuracy of manual data entry in payroll system (Workday).
• Perform state and local tax registrations as needed.
• Process payroll for international employees by working with an external employer of record.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of federal, state, and local labor laws, regulations, and industry standards.
• Maintain benefit-specific information within Workday and oversee employee benefit enrollments.
• Administer and support employee-qualified leave of absence programs such as sick leave, short- and long-term disability, FMLA, and ADA.
• Collaborate with benefits providers to ensure accurate billing and timely payment, as well as resolve issues as needed.
• Maintain data in HR systems to ensure integrity and compliance, conduct audits and make associated corrections as appropriate.
• Prepare and distribute standard and ad-hoc reports for internal and external sources.
• Serve as a first point of contact for employee payroll and benefits questions, receive and respond to internal and external inquiries in a timely manner, and address accounting inquiries to facilitate their timely reconciliation of the general ledger.
• Maintain a high level of professionalism, confidentiality, and integrity.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, HR, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 6 years directly related experience.
• Working knowledge of payroll and accounting practices, procedures, and systems.
• Knowledge of benefits administration including leave of absence and wellness programming.
• Working knowledge of federal, state and local tax codes, as well as IRS and state regulations that impact payroll.
• Knowledge of benefits compliance including FMLA, ADA, ERISA, and ACA.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel with advanced skills in data manipulation and analysis (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, pivot tables, etc.).
• Experience with multi-state payroll reporting is required.
• Prior experience with Workday is preferred.
• Prior experience with leave of absence administration is preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with international payroll processing.
• Knowledge of additional HR software systems.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.
• Generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay.
• Additional 4% investment into retirement savings fund after the first year of continuous employment.
• Paid time off including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.
• Flexible working arrangements may be discussed with the manager.