Payroll Operations & Compliance Specialist

Mercury; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 86,000 - 96,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury is seeking a Payroll Operations Specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area to own end-to-end compliance workflows across state registrations, employer accounts, and related requirements. You will collaborate with government agencies, carriers, and internal teams to resolve issues and ensure accurate records.

The role requires 2+ years in payroll operations or related fields, strong ownership, and excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in payroll operations, state or business registrations, workers’ compensation, insurance operations, compliance operations, or a related field.
• Strong ownership and ability to manage work from intake through resolution with limited oversight.
• Strong research and problem-solving skills, including navigating unfamiliar state requirements, agency websites, and carrier systems.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and workflows.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a customer-focused approach.
• Comfortable working directly with government agencies, carriers, vendors, and cross-functional partners.
• Curiosity and willingness to develop deep subject‑matter expertise.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end workflows across assigned areas, including state registrations, employer account maintenance, workers’ compensation, Foreign Qualification (FQAL), Registered Agent Administration (RAA), SOI, and related requirements.
• Research state and local requirements and determine steps to establish and maintain employer accounts and registrations.
• Collaborate with government agencies, carriers, brokers, and third-party partners to establish accounts, obtain information, and resolve issues.
• Manage account lifecycle changes: registrations, updates, state additions, renewals, audits, transfers, closures.
• Investigate and resolve registration, account access, policy, coverage, and other operational issues.
• Maintain accurate customer records, credentials, documentation, deadlines, and status tracking.
• Communicate requirements, blockers, timelines, and next steps clearly to customers and internal partners.
• Identify recurring issues and improve processes, documentation, controls, and automation.
• Manage a high-volume workload while prioritizing time-sensitive and high-risk work.
• Support other Payroll Operations initiatives and duties as business needs evolve.

Skills

Payroll operations

State registrations

Research

Attention to detail

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Policy and compliance

Tools

Carrier systems

Government portals

Job description

Mercury is seeking a Payroll Operations Specialist in the San Francisco Bay Area to own end-to-end compliance workflows across state registrations, employer accounts, and related requirements. You will collaborate with government agencies, carriers, and internal teams to resolve issues and ensure accurate records.

The role requires 2+ years in payroll operations or related fields, strong ownership, and excellent problem-solving and communication skills.