Job Description: Payroll and Benefits Specialist

(Department: 502-HR/PR)

Harper Industries is looking to fill a full-time Payroll and Benefits Specialist role. This is a newly created role within our company that aims to accommodate our growing employment base. The Payroll and Benefits Specialist will be responsible for running a weekly payroll in ADP as well as administrating benefits, processing changes to employee data, and auditing timecards. This role will report to the Accountant and will work closely with the HR Manager and the CFO.

The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, driven, and very organized. We are looking for someone who has experience running payroll in a web-based program like ADP and who can effectively manage payroll changes and employee data. This position requires a thorough understanding of payroll and benefits laws, including but not limited to: ACA, FLSA, and FMLA.

This person should be well-versed in the intricacies of payroll and should be able to spot inconsistencies and errors in the payroll process. They should have a solid grasp of payroll tax liabilities and tax calculation. This person will be data-focused and will provide a backup in the accounting department at times.

It is equally important that the person in this role possesses excellent communication skills and understands that the role exists to serve employees. They will need to be able to explain complex payroll topics in a way that employees can understand. Harper Industries prides itself on its culture, and it’s important to us that the Payroll and Benefits Specialist is someone who can connect and communicate with the people that this role serves.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Processing of weekly payroll for approximately 170 employees in ADP Workforce Now
• Thorough auditing of payroll records to ensure accuracy of deductions, taxes, additional pays, and other payroll data
• Performing weekly timecard audits prior to payroll processing to ensure accuracy
• Maintenance of payroll information and employee records via inputs from supervisors, employees, and other agencies including but not limited to rate changes, shift changes, garnishments, direct deposit changes, etc.  
• Processing of new hires, terminations, job changes, and other employment changes

• Preparation and analysis of reports related to payroll and benefits
• Maintenance of a variety of spreadsheets used in the processing and auditing of payroll, as well as in benefits administration
• Administration of benefits, in conjunction with the HR Manager, including assisting with open enrollment and processing of employee benefit changes
• Administration of the 401K plan including processing employee changes, completing the annual 401K audit, preparation of annual filings, and other related tasks
• Compilation of data for the annual worker’s compensation audit
• Monitoring of WOTC application statuses
• Management and upkeep of PTO allocations in ADP
• Preparation of benefits invoices to be submitted for payment, including auditing invoices for accuracy against payroll records, balancing of deductions, and accurate G/L coding by deduction and department
• Tracking of training hours for the Kansas High Performance Incentive Program annual report and filing
• Communication with employees regarding their payroll changes and questions

• Maintenance of accurate records and reports of payroll transactions
• Assist HR Manager with filing of employee personnel file information
• Creation and upkeep of payroll processing instructions
• Support Human Resources in the onboarding of new employees via new hire orientation and benefits enrollment
• Assist with the reconciliation of payroll accounts
• Serves as a backup in the Accounting department
• May be assigned to assist with HR projects as time allows
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Knowledge and thorough understanding of payroll, tax, and benefit laws
• Experience with web-based payroll programs such as ADP and significant experience processing payroll
• Excellent verbal and written communication, interpersonal, and customer service skills
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to complete tasks on a structured timeline
• Understanding of confidentiality rules and willingness to receive HIPAA training
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced environment
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Proficient with the Microsoft Office suite with an emphasis on Excel

Education and Experience:

• A minimum of two years of payroll processing experience with at least one year in payroll processing using ADP or similar web-based processes preferred
• A bachelor's degree in business administration or human resources, or equivalent experience preferred

Schedule/Salary

• 40-hour work week
  • Part-time opportunity to be considered for qualified candidate 
• This is a non-exempt position
• Overtime with pre-approval by supervisor

Physical Requirements

• Requires some walking, bending, stooping, stretching, and carrying objects (usually less than twenty-five pounds)
• Requires finger dexterity for keyboarding, visual skills for reading, and clear and concise verbal skills for communicating and receiving instructions

Reports to:

Harper Industries does not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs and activities sponsored by Harper Industries.