Payroll & Benefits Specialist (Multistate Focus)

OpenKrill; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenKrill is seeking a detail‑oriented Payroll & Benefits Specialist to manage end-to-end payroll, benefits administration, and related compliance. You will work with Finance, employees, benefits providers, and Rippling to ensure accurate processing, timely reporting, and responsive employee support.

The ideal candidate brings 3–5 years of payroll and benefits experience, strong cross-state tax knowledge, and a passion for process improvements through technology and automation.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of payroll, payroll tax, benefits administration, accounting, or related experience.
• Proven ability to independently manage payroll for a multi-state employee population.
• Strong knowledge of state and local payroll tax compliance, including filings, payments, registrations, reconciliations, and tax notices.
• Knowledge of employee benefits administration, including enrollments, qualifying life events, deductions, and provider coordination.
• Ability to manage or support annual open enrollment.
• Proficiency with a payroll or HRIS platform; Rippling experience strongly preferred.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to independently manage multiple priorities, recurring deadlines, and confidential information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Finance & Accounting, employees, and external payroll and benefits providers.

Responsibilities

• Manage the end-to-end payroll process, including regular, off-cycle, bonus, and other payrolls as needed.
• Review and validate payroll inputs, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, deductions, benefits, PTO, reimbursements, garnishments, and other payroll adjustments.
• Perform thorough reviews to ensure payroll is accurate, complete, and processed on schedule.
• Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies and employee payroll questions in a timely and professional manner.
• Partner with Finance & Accounting on payroll reporting, reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close activities.
• Participate in reviews of acquisition targets on an as needed basis to help highlight areas where potential selling organizations are deficient in payroll compliance.
• Monitor state and local filing requirements, deadlines, tax rates, and regulatory changes.
• Complete state tax registrations for new-state expansions, coordinating timely registration with state agencies and ensuring ongoing payroll tax filings are handled accurately and compliantly.
• Coordinate with third-party tax filer on state and local payroll tax notices, agency correspondence, and compliance issues.
• Proactively manage new filing requirements as the Company grows and enters new jurisdictions.
• Manage the day-to-day administration of the organization's employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and other benefits as applicable.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employees regarding benefits eligibility, enrollment, qualifying life events, deductions, and general benefits questions.
• Partner with benefits brokers, carriers, third-party administrators, and other external providers to resolve enrollment, eligibility, billing, and employee issues.
• Support annual open enrollment with Accounting leadership, including system setup, employee communications, and reconciliation.
• Process benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations in Rippling and with applicable benefit providers.
• Reconcile benefit deductions, employer contributions, and carrier invoices.
• Maintain accurate benefits records and ensure timely updates for new hires, terminations, leaves, and other employee status changes.
• Develop and implement process improvements that reduce manual effort and streamline payroll, tax compliance, benefits administration, reconciliations, and reporting activities.
• Identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Help optimize the use of Rippling and other systems to improve payroll and benefits workflows, controls, reporting, and employee experience.

Skills

Payroll processing

Payroll tax

Benefits administration

Multi-state payroll

Open enrollment

Process improvement

Automation

Data analysis

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Tools

Rippling

HRIS

Excel

Job description

OpenKrill is seeking a detail‑oriented Payroll & Benefits Specialist to manage end-to-end payroll, benefits administration, and related compliance. You will work with Finance, employees, benefits providers, and Rippling to ensure accurate processing, timely reporting, and responsive employee support.

The ideal candidate brings 3–5 years of payroll and benefits experience, strong cross-state tax knowledge, and a passion for process improvements through technology and automation.