Position Summary: The Manager, Total Rewards is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day management of the Company’s employee benefits, compensation, and payroll functions. This role administers employee programs and benefits that aim to enhance the overall employee experience, including compensation philosophy, recognition programs, wellness, benefits, and payroll. The Manager serves as a key partner to HR, Finance, Accounting, HRIS, employees, and external vendors, and is responsible for strengthening processes, controls, systems, and the overall employee experience. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring experience managing compensation, benefits, and payroll operations in a high-growth, multi-state environment. The ideal candidate will be located in EST or CST time zone. Responsibilities: • Maintain strong knowledge of evolving benefits and payroll legislation, regulations, and industry practices, and proactively recommend changes as needed • Partner as a member of a high-performing HR Operations team, working closely with HR, HRIS, Finance, Accounting, and Talent Acquisition • Ensure benefit and payroll accruals and expenses are properly established, reviewed for accuracy, and aligned with Accounting • Oversee benefits and payroll tracking, reporting, audits, and metrics to support compliance, operational decision-making, and senior management needs • Lead the annual 401(k) audit and coordinate Form 5500 filing and other retirement plan compliance activities with the TPA and applicable partners • Recommend, evaluate, and modify benefits policies and programs to ensure offerings are competitive, cost-effective, aligned with Company objectives, and compliant with legal requirements • Manage benefit plan administration, including eligibility, enrollment, deductions, billing, audits, reconciliations, and issue resolution • Oversee benefits vendor management and build strong relationships with brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and other external partners • Develop communication strategies related to benefits offerings, payroll programs, and employee education • Manage annual compensation and benefit processes including annual market pricing exercises, salary increase cycles, bonus plan administration, and benefits open enrollment • Identify and implement opportunities to improve compensation, payroll, and benefits processes, automation, controls, efficiency, and the employee experience • Partner with HRIS and vendors to maintain compensation, payroll, and benefits system configuration, integrations, interfaces, file feeds, deductions, and data accuracy • Manage payroll and benefit related employee inquiries and escalations, ensuring timely, accurate, and service-oriented resolution • Oversee payroll tax administration and year-end activities, including W-2 processing, corrections, reconciliations, and coordination with payroll vendors • Ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and local wage and hour, payroll tax, withholding, garnishment, and recordkeeping requirements • Partner with Finance and Accounting on payroll funding, general ledger reconciliations, accruals, payroll reporting, and resolution of discrepancies • Establish and maintain payroll controls, audits, reconciliations, standard operating procedures, and documentation to reduce risk and ensure data integrity • Review and approve payroll prior to final submission, ensuring earnings, deductions, taxes, garnishments, benefits, timekeeping, and other payroll inputs are accurate • Oversee the end-to-end payroll process to ensure accurate and timely processing of regular, off-cycle, bonus, commission, and other supplemental payrolls • Manage and develop payroll team members, providing direction, coaching, performance feedback, workload prioritization, and operational support • Lead the day-to-day administration and ongoing strategy of the Company’s employee benefits and payroll programs • Perform other duties as assigned Requirements: • Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent years of relevant work experience • Dayforce experience preferred. Experience with backend HRIS configuration from payroll and benefits perspective • 7+ years of progressive experience in benefits and payroll administration Skills: • Strong knowledge of benefits, payroll, wage and hour, payroll tax, and employment laws and compliance requirements. Experience with Dayforce/Ceridian or a comparable HRIS/payroll platform strongly preferred • Being detail oriented with organizational skills is critical to this role • Interpersonal communication skills to deal effectively with all levels of the organization • Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local regulations, filing requirements, and compliance obligations affecting employee benefits and payroll, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, FMLA, ADA, Section 125, workers’ compensation, Medicare, FLSA, wage and hour requirements, payroll tax, garnishments, and recordkeeping • A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected • Must have ability to manage deadlines and multiple competing priorities • Strong technical skills, systems acumen, analytical ability, and advanced proficiency with payroll and benefits data, reporting, audits, and reconciliations are required • Strong problem-solving, root-cause analysis, and process improvement capabilities • Ability to handle highly confidential and sensitive employee and payroll information with discretion • Strong understanding of payroll accounting, general ledger reconciliation, internal controls, and cross-functional partnership with Finance and Accounting • Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop payroll professionals and manage performance in a deadline-driven environment Travel: Limited Travel, scheduled per needs of the business Working Conditions: All roles require: • Sitting - Ability to sit for extended periods stationary or while driving • Dexterity/Effort - Repetitive motion for typing and/or texting - Good manual dexterity for handling packages, paperwork, operation of motor vehicles and/or electronic devices • Sense Acuity - Ability to see/read computer monitors or other electronic devices Additionally, on-site or at location positions (ex. Mailroom, IT or Admin) may require: • Lift/Carry/Push/Pull - Occasional movement of equipment, or materials up to 50/75 Pounds • Bend/Twist - Occasional bending, twisting, and stooping - Occasional need to kneel or crouch Additionally Traveling positions (ex. Field Care Navigators or Quality Practice Advisors) may require: • Sense Acuity - Ability to see/read road signs, maps, and electronic devices - Good visual acuity for driving, including peripheral vision and depth perception • Environmental - Possible exposure to travel, traffic and/or other outdoor hazards - Possible exposure to various weather conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, and snow Originally posted on Himalayas