HR & Payroll Operations Specialist

About the role
We are seeking an HR & Payroll Operations Specialist with a proven track record and passion for ensuring best-in-class employee experiences. In this role, you will report into the finance team and work closely with the broader People team to manage the full employee lifecycle for global employees. From overseeing key programs like onboarding, benefits, and leaves of absence to owning systems, compliance, and headcount tracking, this role is critical to ensuring our internal operations run smoothly and scale effectively. The HR & Payroll Operations Specialist will thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment and bring a strong systems mindset, a deep understanding of People Operations, and advanced Excel skills to shape and continuously improve our people processes and programs.

What You'll Do
* Employee Lifecycle Management: Assist the office team with the end-to-end process of onboarding, offboarding, and transitions for employees, ensuring smooth and compliant processes at every stage.
* Benefits & Leave Administration: Manage benefits programs, including open enrollment and employee benefit changes, and handle leaves of absence (FMLA, STD, parental leave, etc.), ensuring compliance with legal requirements.
* HR Systems Administration: Administer key HR platforms (Rippling, Juno, Comeet, EasyLlama, Culture Amp, Comprehensive), ensuring accurate data, system optimization, and seamless integration across tools.
* People Compliance & Reporting: Ensure ongoing compliance with US employment laws, including I-9 documentation, EEO-1 reporting, and maintaining up-to-date HR policies. Oversee compliance training via platforms like EasyLlama and Juno.
* Payroll Support & Headcount Management: Own payroll processing, assist with audits and reconciliations, and track headcount data for budgeting and planning purposes.
* Policy Ownership & Documentation: Own the development, review, and update of HR policies and the employee handbook, ensuring they are aligned with compliance requirements and company culture.
* Contractor & Background Management: Oversee contractor hiring processes, including individual and bulk contractors, and manage background checks through Checkr.
* Ad Hoc Reporting & People Analytics: Generate regular and ad hoc reports to support people strategy, using advanced Excel and other HRIS tools for analysis and decision-making.
* Employee Engagement & Special Projects: Drive initiatives that promote employee engagement, such as recognition programs and celebrations, and contribute to special projects aimed at process improvement and system upgrades.

REQUIREMENTS
Who you are
* You're an outstanding communicator with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
* You're customer-oriented with a drive to deliver exceptional service while also being sensitive to time constraints.
* You have a strong continuous improvement mindset, always looking for more efficient and innovative ways of accomplishing tasks.
* You're a proactive self-starter who is resourceful and aims to serve as the single point of contact for multiple functions across the organization.
* You're extremely organized and show incredible attention to detail, ensuring your work is accurate while prioritizing day-to-day tasks and long-term initiatives.
* You're flexible and comfortable with ambiguous situations, recognizing when it's appropriate to introduce more structure without derailing the current output.

Required Education, Experience and Skills
* 3-5 years of experience in People Operations, HR generalist, or similar roles, with hands-on experience in US-based HR programs and compliance.
* Strong proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, formulas, charts) and HRIS systems, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and other HR-related software (e.g., Rippling, Juno, Comeet, EasyLlama, Culture Amp).
* Expertise in key HR processes such as onboarding, employee engagement, performance management, policy and compliance, benefits administration, and payroll processing.
* Experience supporting or processing payroll, with a strong understanding of payroll workflows, compliance requirements, and collaboration with Finance to ensure accurate and timely payroll execution.
* Familiarity with HR compliance requirements for US employees, including I-9 and employee documentation.
* Demonstrated ability to generate and analyze reports and dashboards to support decision-making and operational needs.
* Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage and complete multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to support employees and respond to inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills
* Bachelor's degree, HR certification, or equivalent experience.
* 3 years of experience supporting People functions with extensive HR knowledge. Experience in an HR analyst role would be a plus.
* Prior experience using our current HRIS, Rippling, is preferred.
* Demonstrated knowledge of local, multi-state, and federal employment laws and best practices.

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