Benefits/Payroll Specialist

Cogent Communications; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cogent Communications in Washington, DC is seeking a Benefits/Payroll Specialist to manage daily benefits programs and support payroll, timekeeping, and related HR processes. You will be the primary resource for benefits and payroll, coordinating with HR leadership, payroll, brokers, carriers, and vendors to ensure accurate data and timely transactions.

The role relies on ADP Workforce Now and the ADP Benefits module, with involvement in ADP Workforce Manager.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of HR experience with hands-on benefits administration and payroll.
• Experience administering employee benefits including enrollment, eligibility changes, open enrollment, and payroll deduction coordination.
• Hands-on experience with ADP Workforce Now or similar HRIS/payroll platform.
• Strong Excel skills and proficiency with Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication with customer service orientation.
• Bachelor’s degree in HR, BA, or related field (or equivalent).

Responsibilities

• Administers health and welfare, retirement, wellness, and other benefit programs.
• Manages benefits administration within the ADP Benefits module and ensures elections are integrated with payroll deductions.
• Coordinates annual open enrollment and post-enrollment audits.
• Acts as primary contact for employee benefits questions and coordinates with brokers/carriers.
• Audits and reconciles ADP data, payroll, and invoices; researches discrepancies.
• Develops and maintains employee benefit communications and process documentation.
• Supports ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA/privacy, Section 125, and retirement plan requirements with HR leadership.
• Backs up Payroll Specialist and assists with payroll processing via ADP Workforce Now.
• Researches payroll questions and discrepancies with Payroll/HR leadership.
• Provides self-service support for ADP and timekeeping questions.
• Partners with managers to resolve timecard issues to ensure timely payroll.

Skills

ADP Workforce Now

Payroll processing

Benefits administration

Excel

Attention to detail

Communication skills

HR data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business/Accounting or related field

Tools

ADP Benefits module

ADP Workforce Manager

Job description

Location: On-site 5 days/week in Washington, DC Headquarters

Position Summary

The Benefits/Payroll Specialist is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Company’s employee benefit programs and provides operational support for payroll, timekeeping, and related HR processes. This position serves as a primary employee resource for benefits and payroll matters and partners with HR leadership, Payroll, managers, benefit vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure employee data, benefit elections, payroll deductions, and related transactions are accurate and timely.

The role has significant hands-on responsibility within ADP Workforce Now, including the ADP Benefits module, and will support the implementation and ongoing use of ADP Workforce Manager. The successful candidate will be detail-oriented, analytical, service-focused, and able to independently identify and resolve discrepancies while appropriately escalating complex or sensitive matters.

Compensation

Package: Competitive Base Range $80,000-$90,000 Stock Options, Benefits, 401k, and more!

Specific offers within the listed pay ranges are determined by a variety of factors such as experience, education, skills, certifications and business needs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Benefits Administration

• Administers health and welfare, retirement, wellness, and other employee benefit programs, including new-hire enrollments, eligibility and status changes, qualifying life events, and terminations.
• Manages benefits administration within the ADP Benefits module and ensures benefit elections and employee changes are accurately integrated with payroll deductions.
• Coordinates annual open enrollment, including system preparation, employee communications, enrollment support, data validation, and post-enrollment audits.
• Serves as a primary point of contact for employee benefit questions and works with brokers, carriers, and third-party administrators to resolve enrollment, eligibility, coverage, billing, and administrative issues.
• Audits and reconciles ADP data, carrier and vendor records, payroll deductions, and benefit invoices; researches discrepancies and coordinates corrections prior to invoice approval and payment.
• Develops and maintains employee benefit communications, educational materials, and process documentation.
• Supports required benefits compliance activities, reporting, notices, testing, and recordkeeping related to ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA/privacy, Section 125, retirement plans, and other applicable requirements, escalating compliance concerns to HR leadership.

Payroll & Timekeeping

• Serves as backup to the Payroll Specialist and assists with accurate and timely payroll processing through ADP Workforce Now.
• Reviews payroll inputs, deductions, changes, and audit reports; processes or coordinates employee status, compensation, benefit deduction, and other HR-related payroll changes.
• Assists with payroll reconciliations, audits, quarter-end and year-end activities, and employee data validation.
• Researches routine employee payroll questions and discrepancies and partners with Payroll and HR leadership to resolve issues.
• Provides employee support for ADP self-service functions, including direct deposit and tax withholding elections.
• Partners with managers to resolve missed punches, timecard exceptions, and outstanding approvals to support accurate and timely payroll processing.

ADP Workforce Manager & HR Systems

• Supports the implementation and transition to ADP Workforce Manager in partnership with HR team members, ADP, and other stakeholders.
• Participates in configuration review, user acceptance testing, data validation, and deployment and assists in identifying timekeeping or payroll issues prior to implementation.
• Assists with documenting new timekeeping procedures and developing employee and manager communications, instructions, and training.
• Following implementation, serves as an internal resource for routine Workforce Manager questions and troubleshooting and escalates configuration or technical issues as appropriate.
• Conducts routine audits and reconciliations across all ADP modules, internal HRIS tools and vendor systems and assists with testing and validation associated with system updates and enhancements.

Leave & Disability Coordination

The Company utilizes a third-party administrator and designated HR leadership for leave administration. This position does not determine leave eligibility, approve or deny leaves, or administer statutory or Company leave programs.

• Coordinates payroll and benefit transactions resulting from approved leaves and disability claims, including employee status changes, deductions, payments, and return-to-work updates.
• Ensures approved leave information provided by the third-party administrator and HR leadership is accurately reflected in payroll and benefit systems.
• Coordinates benefit premium arrangements during leave and reconciles outstanding employee contributions and related discrepancies with payroll and benefit records.

Employee Support & HR Operations

• Serves as a primary point of contact for routine benefits and payroll questions and provides timely, accurate, and professional employee support.
• Supports benefits-related onboarding and offboarding activities and leads New-Hire Orientation in coordination with Recruiting, Training, and other HR team members.
• Produces reports, maintains benefits and payroll procedures and documentation, and recommends process improvements that strengthen accuracy, efficiency, and the employee experience.
• Maintains strict confidentiality regarding employee compensation, benefits, payroll, medical, and other sensitive information.

Qualifications

Required

• 3–5 years of progressively responsible Human Resources experience, including at least 2 years of hands‑on benefits administration and/or payroll experience.
• Experience administering employee benefits, including enrollment, eligibility changes, qualifying life events, open enrollment, and payroll deduction coordination.
• Hands‑on experience with ADP Workforce Now or significant experience with a comparable complex HRIS/payroll platform.
• Experience auditing and reconciling employee, payroll, benefit, or HRIS data with strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, lookups, and pivot tables; proficiency with Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and ability to independently manage multiple recurring deadlines and priorities.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with a strong customer‑service orientation.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Strongly Preferred

• Hands‑on experience with ADP Workforce Now and the ADP Benefits module.
• Experience with ADP Workforce Manager or participation in a Workforce Manager implementation.
• Experience supporting benefits and payroll for a multi-state employee population.
• Experience with annual open enrollment, benefit invoice reconciliation, payroll deduction audits, and benefit vendor management.
• Working knowledge of federal and state benefits and payroll requirements, including ACA, ERISA, COBRA, HIPAA/privacy, Section 125, and retirement plan administration.

SHRM-CP, PHR, CEBS, or other relevant Human Resources, benefits, or payroll certification.

Work Environment: This is an in-office position five days a week to best support your success, allowing for focused mentorship, training, and personal coaching.

Cogent Communications is an Equal Opportunity Employer.