Payroll & Benefits HR Generalist — Hybrid (Multi-State)

Institute for Justice; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Remote day flexibility

Health insurance

Disability insurance

Life insurance

HSA contributions

401(k) with matches

Casual dress code

Generous PTO

Job summary

The Institute for Justice, a national public interest law firm, seeks an HR Generalist to oversee benefits administration and payroll for nearly 200 employees across multiple states. This role partners with Finance and HR to ensure accurate compensation and compliant benefits processing.

You will run semi-monthly payroll via ADP, administer health plans, support open enrollment, and administer leave programs while ensuring strict data integrity and policy adherence.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of HR experience with at least 3 years in payroll and benefits administration.
• Experience with an HRIS/payroll system — ADP experience strongly preferred.
• Comfort with multi-state payroll compliance.
• Impeccable attention to detail, particularly payroll calculations and compliance deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Discretion and sound judgment handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Process semi-monthly payroll using ADP, including state tax registrations and compliance.
• Administer employee health and benefit plans — enrollments, changes, qualifying life events, terminations.
• Serve as a go-to resource for staff benefits questions and policy clarification.
• Support annual open enrollment processes and communications.
• Help administer leave programs, including FMLA and state-specific leave laws.
• Assist in onboarding and offboarding and maintain confidential employee records.
• Review and communicate HR policies to keep pace with employment law changes.
• Run payroll and benefits reports for Finance and HR leadership.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Payroll administration

Benefits administration

ADP experience

HRIS experience

Multi-state payroll

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Discretion

ERISA knowledge

PHR/SHRM-CP (certification)

Education

PHR or SHRM-CP certification

Tools

ADP payroll

HRIS

Job description

The Institute for Justice, a national public interest law firm, seeks an HR Generalist to oversee benefits administration and payroll for nearly 200 employees across multiple states. This role partners with Finance and HR to ensure accurate compensation and compliant benefits processing.

You will run semi-monthly payroll via ADP, administer health plans, support open enrollment, and administer leave programs while ensuring strict data integrity and policy adherence.