Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Humani HR; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary + bonus

4 weeks paid vacation + 5 wellnessdays

Health benefits

401K matching

HR association fees reimbursement

Growth opportunities

Company retreats

Job summary

Humani HR, headquartered in the United States, seeks a Payroll Specialist to deliver comprehensive payroll and benefits services for multiple client accounts. This role focuses on accuracy, compliance, and exceptional employee experience while collaborating with HRBPs and external partners.

You will drive process improvements, manage complex payroll matters, and support system upgrades, all within a dynamic, remote-first environment with periodic onsite client visits.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of payroll and benefits administration experience.
• Experience processing payroll across multiple states.
• Experience with multi-state, multi-entity and salaried/hourly populations.
• Experience with multiple payroll platforms (Rippling, ADP, BambooHR, Justworks).
• Strong knowledge of US payroll legislation, deductions, and remittance.
• Experience leading payroll audits, reconciliations, and year-end processes.
• Ability to handle confidential employee information with discretion.
• Strong client relationship management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Process accurate and timely payrolls across multiple clients and states.
• Administer complex payroll transactions including bonuses, terminations, leaves, and taxable benefits.
• Ensure compliance with federal/state payroll laws and reporting.
• Calculate and reconcile earnings, deductions, remittances, and contributions.
• Coordinate benefits enrollment changes and pension deductions.
• Lead year-end payroll activities and audits.
• Support payroll implementations and system upgrades.
• Develop SOPs and best practices; promote consistency and compliance.

Skills

Payroll administration

Benefits administration

Multi-state payroll

Payroll systems

US payroll laws

Data confidentiality

Client relations

Tools

Rippling

ADP Workforce Now

BambooHR

Justworks

Job description

Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Humani HR is your modern-thinking team of HR professionals. We are passionate about helping small and medium-sized businesses with their People and Culture. We take the stress out of HR by providing fractional HR support and consulting services. Our solutions are customized, on demand, and scale with our clients' changing needs. We are more than just strategic advisors – we do the work, so our clients can focus on building their business.

Humani is a dynamic, fast-moving environment where every day looks a little different. Humani HR is a primarily remote-first organization; however, our team members are expected to attend client visits periodically (typically up to 15% of the time, but could be more frequent), as well as company events. These onsite requirements may be local or, on occasion, outside your state of residence or internationally. To learn more about usand our team, visitour website.

About the Role

As a Payroll Specialist with Humani, you will provide comprehensive payroll support across multiple client accounts, serving as a trusted subject matter expert and strategic partner in the delivery of payroll operations. While HRBPs and Sr. HRBPs maintain overall accountability for client relationships and people strategy, you will support the execution of our payroll services along with benefits programs with a focus on accuracy, compliance, and exceptional employee experience.

You will work collaboratively with HRBPs, Sr. HRBPs, clients, and external partners to identify opportunities for process improvement, drive operational efficiencies, and implement sustainable solutions that enhance service delivery. Leveraging your expertise and sound judgment, you will proactively recommend and implement improvements, navigate complex payroll and benefits matters, mitigate risk, and deliver excellent outcomes for our clients. With a strong commitment to continuous improvement, you will contribute to compliance initiatives, operational excellence, and the evolution of Humani's payroll and benefits offerings.

What You Will Do

• Process accurate and timely payrolls across multiple clients across multiple states.
• Administer complex payroll transactions, including new hires, terminations, leaves of absence, bonuses, commissions, retroactive pay adjustments, and taxable benefits.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state payroll legislation, employment standards, tax regulations, and reporting requirements.
• Calculate, validate, and reconcile employee earnings, deductions, remittances, and statutory contributions.
• Manage payroll activities across multiple payroll platforms and support system maintenance, testing, implementations, and enhancements as required.
• Coordinate and administer employee benefits and pension deductions, enrollments, changes, and terminations.
• Lead payroll for year-end activities.
• Research and resolve complex payroll inquiries from employees, managers, and clients in a professional and timely manner.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and ensure the confidentiality and security of employee information.
• Collaborate with Humani HRBP’s, clients’ Finance teams, benefits providers, and external vendors to ensure seamless payroll administration.
• Monitor legislative changes and recommend updates to payroll processes, policies, and system configurations.
• Support payroll implementations, process improvements, system upgrades, and special projects as required.
• Develop and maintain payroll Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), process documentation, and best practices to promote consistency, compliance, knowledge sharing and operational excellence.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll efficiency, accuracy, and service delivery.
• Act as a trusted payroll and benefits resource for assigned clients, providing guidance, recommendations, and proactive support on payroll-related matters.
• Review and validate payroll work completed by other team members, providing guidance and support as needed.
• Analyze complex payroll issues and recommend practical, compliant solutions to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Develop and deliver practical payroll training for primary and backup processors, HRBPs, and HR Generalists on payroll workflows, internal controls, compliance requirements, and client-specific procedures.
• Conduct recurring, risk-based audits of payroll processing practices, including employee data, time and attendance, pay calculations, deductions, approvals, payroll registers, and supporting documentation.

Your Experience

You are a Payroll Specialist with a strong understanding of payroll legislation, payroll administration, and benefits practices. You combine sound judgment, strong execution skills, and a client-focused mindset to deliver accurate, compliant, and efficient payroll services. You proactively identify opportunities for improvement, champion operational efficiencies, and drive solutions that deliver exceptional outcomes for clients and employees alike.

Your Skillset and Credentials

• 3-5 years of progressive experience administering payroll and benefits
• Demonstrated experience processing payroll across multiple states.
• Proven ability to manage payrolls of varying sizes and complexity, including multi-state, multi-entity, and salaried/hourly employee populations.
• Experience administering payroll through multiple payroll platforms (e.g., Rippling, ADP Workforce Now, BambooHR, Justworks, or similar systems).
• Strong knowledge of US payroll legislation, employment standards, taxable benefits, statutory deductions, and employer remittance requirements.
• Experience processing and reconciling payroll-related transactions, including benefits, pensions, bonuses, commissions, retroactive payments, and termination payments.
• Demonstrated experience managing payroll audits, reconciliations, and year-end activities.
• Experience supporting payroll implementations, system upgrades, process improvements, and testing activities is considered an asset.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail and a high degree of accuracy.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential employee information with professionalism and discretion.
• Proven ability to prioritize competing deadlines and manage multiple payroll cycles in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong client relationship management and communication skills, with the ability to effectively support employees, managers, and external stakeholders.

Why Join Humani– A workplacedesignedfor your growth

We know we are looking for top-tier skills and experience. But that’s because we offer top-tier compensation and benefits, which include:

• Base salary $70,000-$85,000 with potential to earn up to 10-25+% of base salary through our annual performance-based bonus program (Total compensation up to $77,000-$106,250+).
• 4 weeks paid vacation, plus 5 wellness days annually.
• Competitive Health Benefits Package
• 401K Matching Program
• Your Professional HR association fees are reimbursed.
• Opportunity for meaningful growth, both personally and professionally, where your unique background and experience are welcomed and valued.
• Company-wide retreats and team events to build connections in person.

What you can expect during our Recruitment Process

Ourhiring process is designed to give all candidates a realistic preview of what it is like to work in a consultingenvironment.The full process typically takes 3-4 weeks (often sooner), and wemaintainclear,timelycommunication at each stage.Successful candidates will move through:

• An initialscreening interview
• A take-home exercise
• A secondaryinterview
• A final case study discussion

At Humani, we are in the business of helping our clients build incredible workplaces, so it is important that we do the same. We are committed to building and fostering an environment where our team feels included, valued, and heard. We believe that a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion enables us to make the world better for everyone. We strongly encourage applications from racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities.

Our recruitment process is human-led, supported by AI tools, with all hiring decisions made by people.