Payroll & Benefits Administrator

Jobtailor; City of Syracuse (NY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in New York, NY is seeking an experienced Payroll & Benefits Specialist to administer comprehensive benefit programs, process enrollments, and manage retirement-plan activities. You will support open enrollment, collaborate with carriers and vendors, and ensure accurate payroll processing and compliance.

The role requires hands-on payroll auditing, benefits enrollment expertise, and experience with HRIS platforms.

Qualifications

• Three to five years of payroll, benefits, or retirement-plan administration experience.
• Hands-on payroll processing and auditing experience.
• Benefits enrollment and eligibility administration experience.
• Experience with reconciling payroll deductions or retirement-plan contributions.
• Experience using HRIS/payroll platforms such as Dayforce, UKG, Workday, SAP.

Responsibilities

• Administer team member benefit programs including health, dental, vision, life insurance, HSA, and FSA plans.
• Process benefit enrollments, life event changes, and benefit terminations.
• Support open enrollment preparation, communications, enrollment activities, and educational materials.
• Coordinate with carriers, brokers, and third-party administrators to resolve enrollment and eligibility issues.
• Administer day-to-day 401(k) retirement plan activities, including enrollment, contributions, and beneficiary updates.
• Assist with retirement plan reconciliations, audits, and regulatory reviews.
• Process bi-weekly payroll and employee maintenance, including deductions and terminations.
• Review payroll data, perform audits, research discrepancies, and process corrections.
• Maintain payroll, benefits, and retirement plan records and supporting documentation.
• Generate and distribute payroll and benefits reports; support year-end activities.
• Provide guidance to team members on payroll, benefits, and retirement plan matters.
• Collaborate with HR Operations, Finance, and external partners.

Skills

Payroll Processing

Benefits Administration

Retirement Plan Management

HRIS Experience

Analytical Skills

Data Validation

Excel Proficiency

Process Improvement

Compliance Activities

Organizational Skills

Education

Associate degree in HR/Business

HR certifications (preferred)

Tools

Dayforce

UKG

Workday

SAP

HRIS

Job description

• Administer team member benefit programs including health, dental, vision, life insurance, HSA, and FSA plans
• Process benefit enrollments, life event changes, and benefit terminations
• Support open enrollment preparation, communications, enrollment activities, and educational materials
• Coordinate with insurance carriers, brokers, and third-party administrators to resolve enrollment and eligibility issues
• Administer day-to-day 401(k) retirement plan activities, including enrollment, contribution elections, beneficiary updates, deductions, and contributions
• Assist with retirement plan reconciliations, audits, compliance activities, and documentation
• Process bi-weekly payroll, including employee maintenance, compensation changes, adjustments, incentive payments, deductions, garnishments, and termination pay
• Review payroll data, perform payroll audits, research discrepancies, and process corrections
• Maintain payroll, benefits, retirement plan records, files, and supporting documentation
• Generate and distribute payroll and benefits reports
• Support year-end payroll activities and reporting
• Assist with compliance, internal audits, benefit plan audits, retirement plan audits, and regulatory reviews
• Test and validate system updates and process changes
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, data integrity, and team member experience
• Provide payroll, benefits, and retirement plan guidance to team members
• Collaborate with HR Operations, Finance, leaders, vendors, and external partners
• Report directly to the VP, Compensation & Benefits

Requirements

• Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in payroll, employee benefits, retirement-plan administration, HR operations, or a related area
• Hands-on payroll processing and auditing experience
• Benefits enrollment and eligibility administration experience
• Experience reconciling payroll deductions, benefit invoices, or retirement-plan contributions
• Experience using an HRIS, payroll, timekeeping, or benefits administration platform
• Experience handling confidential financial, health-benefit, and personal information
• Experience researching discrepancies and coordinating timely resolution
• Experience working with benefit carriers, brokers, payroll partners, retirement-plan providers, or third-party administrators
• Working knowledge of payroll processing, wage and hour requirements, payroll taxation, benefit administration, and retirement-plan operations
• Experience with Dayforce or another HRIS/payroll platform such as UKG, Workday, SAP, or a comparable system
• Strong Excel skills for organizing, comparing, validating, and reconciling data
• Ability to identify unusual activity, discrepancies, or missing documentation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• High degree of confidentiality, integrity, professionalism, and accountability
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage recurring deadlines and competing priorities
• Ability to work independently while following review, approval, and internal control processes
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to learn new systems, regulations, plan provisions, and administrative requirements
• Associate degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field is preferred
• Equivalent job-related experience, specialized training, or recognized payroll or benefits certifications may be considered in place of formal education
• Ability to participate in meetings, benefit-information sessions, and other in-person activities as needed

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in payroll processing, benefits administration, and retirement plan management, with a strong focus on compliance, data integrity, and effective communication. Proven ability to collaborate with various stakeholders and manage multiple priorities while maintaining confidentiality and professionalism.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Payroll Processing
• Benefits Administration
• Retirement Plan Management
• HRIS Experience
• Analytical Skills

Hard Skills

• Payroll Auditing
• Benefits Enrollment
• Retirement Plan Reconciliation
• Data Validation
• Wage and Hour Requirements
• Payroll Taxation
• Excel Proficiency
• Confidential Information Handling
• Process Improvement
• Compliance Activities

Soft Skills

• Organizational Skills
• Problem-Solving Skills
• Clear Communication
• Professionalism
• Accountability

Industry Keywords

• Employee Benefits
• 401(k) Administration
• Open Enrollment
• Third-Party Administrators
• Benefit Carriers

Tools & Technologies

• Dayforce
• UKG
• Workday
• SAP
• HRIS