Compensation & Benefits Manager

Sol-Ark, LLC; Allen (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k)

Paid time off

Performance bonus

Job summary

Sol-Ark Inc. in Allen, TX seeks a Compensation and Benefits Manager to partner with the HR Director and modernize compensation, benefits, payroll, retirement, and PIU administration in a startup‑like manufacturing environment.

This onsite, full-time role focuses on reliable service, documented processes, and cross‑functional collaboration with Finance and external providers. The ideal candidate has 5+ years in compensation and benefits management, payroll experience, and strong Excel/Office 365

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of progressive experience managing compensation and benefits programs, including direct responsibility for payroll administration.
• Experience administering salary structures, merit cycles, bonus or sales incentive plans, and the related controls.
• Experience with medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k) programs with brokers, carriers, and plan administrators.
• Hands-on experience with hourly and salaried payroll, timekeeping, reconciliations, benefit deductions, HRIS/PEO systems, and cross-functional coordination.
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills, particularly advanced Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams; able to produce analyses and management reports.
• Ability to build or improve processes, document controls, and sustain results amidst changing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Maintain job levels, salary ranges, market references, and internal equity analyses.
• Coordinate merit and compensation cycles, including eligibility, budgets, approvals, and documentation.
• Administer annual bonus and sales incentive processes with Finance and Sales.
• Analyze pay positioning, compression, incentive costs, and workforce trends; provide concise reports.
• Manage group benefits, retirement plans, enrollments, and benefit communications.
• Coordinate the 401(k) plan with Finance and plan administrators; support eligibility and reconciliations.
• Lead payroll administration with PEO/Finance, validate time records and deductions.
• Maintain payroll calendars, checklists, reconciliations, audit trails, and timely resolutions.
• Coordinate PIU awards, grants, reports, and compliance workflows.
• Develop scalable compensation, benefits, payroll, and PIU processes with stakeholders.

Skills

Compensation management

Benefits administration

Payroll administration

Data analysis

Excel

PowerPoint

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources/Finance/Accounting/Business Administration

CCP/CEBS/PHR/SHRM-CP preferred

Tools

HRIS/PEO systems

Excel/Office 365

Payroll platforms

Job description

Location:

This position will be onsite at our corporate office in Allen, Texas (Dallas-Fort Worth area).

Full-time W-2 ONSITE opportunity (not remote)!

Work Eligibility:

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring employer-sponsored visa sponsorship now or in the future.
• Candidates must have permanent work authorization in the United States. Sol-Ark does not provide visa sponsorship, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT (including STEM OPT), H-1B, or any other employment-based visa requiring future sponsorship.

About the Position:

We are seeking a Compensation and Benefits Manager to partner closely with the HR Director to build and manage Sol-Ark's compensation, benefits, payroll, retirement, and employee profit interest unit (PIU) administration programs. This hands‑on role will replace historically ad hoc practices with documented processes, controls, and dependable employee service. Work with Finance, managers, brokers, plan administrators, and external providers to deliver accurate compensation decisions, payroll, incentives, benefit administration, and award records. Balance day‑to‑day execution with program improvement, system integration, and scalable infrastructure in a growing, startup‑like manufacturing environment. The HR Director provides strategic direction and oversight; the Manager leads assigned workstreams in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

Compensationframework, merit, bonuses, and sales incentives

• With the HR Director and Finance, maintain job levels, salary ranges,market references, internal equity analyses, approval standards, and practicalcompensation guidance for managers.
• Coordinate performance-linked merit and compensation cycles, includingeligibility, budgets, recommendations, approvals, effective dates, payrollchanges, and documentation.
• Administer annual bonus and sales incentive processes with Finance andSales: validate plan terms, eligibility, calculations, exceptions, approvals,and accurate payroll handoffs.
• Analyze pay positioning, compression, incentive costs, and workforcetrends in Excel and HR systems; provide concise, decision-ready reports andrecommendations.

Group benefits, retirement plans, and employee support

• Serve as an accessible employee resource and coordinate with brokers,carriers, plan administrators, and the PEO on medical, dental, vision, life,and other group benefits.
• Manage enrollments, qualifying life events, eligibility, deductions,employee communications, and issue escalation; reconcile benefit elections,invoices, and payroll records.
• Partner with the HR Director on renewals, plan options, cost analysis,open enrollment, vendor performance, employee education, and implementation ofbenefit changes.
• Coordinate the 401(k) plan with Finance, the recordkeeper, andthird-party administrator; address participant questions and supporteligibility, contributions, reconciliations, and provider-led reporting.

Payroll administration, controls, and compliance

• Lead HR-side payroll administration with the PEO/payroll partner andFinance for hourly and salaried employees; validate time records, personnelchanges, deductions, and exceptions.
• Establish payroll calendars, checklists, approvals, reconciliations,audit trails, and timely discrepancy resolution to improve accuracy and reducemanual work.
• Coordinate pay adjustments, bonus and commission payments, benefitchanges, and other approved payroll items with accurate effective dates andappropriate confidentiality.
• Maintain reliable records and support applicable payroll, wage-hour,benefits, and retirement-plan compliance in coordination with the HR Director,providers, and counsel.

Employee profit interest units (PIUS) and award administration

• Coordinate PIU award administration with the HR Director, Finance,Legal, and the program's third-party administrator under approved plan termsand company authorizations.
• Maintain accurate grant, vesting, employee-status, and separationrecords in the designated equity administration platform (such as Carta);reconcile records with approved documentation.
• Prepare PIU reports, employee notices, and administrator requests; routevaluation, legal, tax, and plan-interpretation matters to the appropriatedecision-makers.
• Develop documented workflows for grants, approvals, communications,records, separation processing, and timely follow-up with employees andadministrators.

Scalableprocesses, systems, and organizational maturity

• With the HR Director, build practical, repeatable compensation,benefits, payroll, retirement, and PIU processes in a growing organization withlimited infrastructure and legacy ad hoc practices.
• Partner with Finance, IT, HR Business Partners, external vendors, andmanagers to improve system handoffs, data quality, service response, reporting,and adoption of documented practices.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum five years of progressive experience managing compensation and benefits programs, including direct responsibility for payroll administration, preferably in manufacturing or an operations-intensive setting.
• Demonstrated success administering salary structures, merit cycles, bonus or sales incentive plans, compensation changes, and the approval controls required for accurate execution.
• Experience supporting employees and administering medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k) programs in partnership with brokers, carriers, recordkeepers, and plan administrators.
• Hands‑on experience with hourly and salaried payroll, timekeeping, reconciliations, benefit deductions, HRIS/PEO systems, and cross-functional coordination with Finance.
• Strong Microsoft 365 skills, particularly advanced Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, and Teams; able to produce accurate analyses, management reports, and concise presentations.
• Proven ability to build or improve processes, document controls, lead implementation, and sustain results amid changing priorities, fragmented systems, and limited administrative support.
• Sound business judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, employee-service orientation, and effective communication when handling highly confidential pay, benefit, and award information.

Preferred Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, BusinessAdministration, or a related field; CCP, CEBS, PHR, or SHRM-CP credential is aplus.
• Experience establishing compensation, payroll, and benefitinfrastructure in a startup‑like, rapidly growing, or transformingmanufacturing organization.
• Experience with profit interest units (PIUs), equity or long-termincentive administration, Carta or similar platforms, award vesting, andemployee separation workflows.
• Working knowledge of ACA, COBRA, ERISA, FLSA, multistate payroll,retirement-plan coordination, and benefits reporting, with appropriate relianceon specialized advisers.

Benefits:

We offer a competitive salary and performance‑based bonus program, medical, dental, vision, accidental, FSA, HSA, Paid Time Off (PTO), and 401(k).