Payroll & People Operations Generalist

THE PARTNERSHIP PROJECT; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Partnership Project is a DC-based nonprofit focused on environmental programs and collaboration. We seek a Payroll & People Operations Generalist to manage semi-monthly payroll, benefits, and vendor coordination, ensuring accurate deductions and data integrity.

You will partner with the Director of People Operations and Finance to support audits, compliance, and employee programs. Responsibilities include payroll reconciliations, benefits administration, retirement contributions, and

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in payroll/People Operations or HR roles.
• Experience with HRIS and benefits administration.
• Familiarity with multi-state payroll and ACA compliance.

Responsibilities

• Administer semi-monthly payroll and verify benefit deductions.
• Reconcile payroll-related records with carriers and retirement plans.
• Coordinate state/local payroll tax registrations and notices.
• Support ACA compliance reporting and year-end tasks.
• Maintain HR data accuracy and prepare routine reports.

Skills

Payroll processing

Benefits administration

HRIS management

Vendor coordination

Multi-state payroll

Employee support

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in HR/Business

Tools

Paylocity

Employee Navigator

Asana

Principal

Job description

Description

The Partnership Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on supporting the collaborative efforts of the environmental community. Our programs focus on critical environmental issues, including climate change, emissions reduction, and environmental and climate justice.

Scope:

The Payroll & People Operations Generalist is responsible for the day-to-day administration, coordination, and reconciliation of Partnership Project’s employee benefits and payroll-related processes. This position ensures that employee elections, payroll deductions, benefit contributions, eligibility records, and vendor transactions are accurate and completed on schedule.

This role serves as a key operational connection between employees, People Operations, payroll, benefits vendors, brokers, retirement plan providers, and other external partners. The position provides responsive employee support, researches and resolves discrepancies, maintains accurate records, and helps ensure that recurring payroll and benefits processes run smoothly.

The Payroll & People Operations Generalist reports to the Director of People Operations. The Payroll People Operations Generalist owns day-to-day administration and execution, reconciliation, data integrity, and vendor coordination necessary to support payroll, benefits, compliance, employee programs, and the employee experience.

Payroll Administration & Reconciliation

• Support accurate and timely administration of semi-monthly payroll processes.
• Review employee benefit deductions, retirement contributions, leave-related pay adjustments, and other HR-related payroll inputs for accuracy.
• Reconcile payroll-related benefit deductions and employer contributions against carrier, benefits platform, and retirement plan records.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies in coordination with People Operations Generalist, benefits vendors, finance, and the Director of People Operations.
• Coordinate payroll changes resulting from new hires, terminations, compensation changes, leave, benefit elections, severance, and other employee status changes.
• Maintain payroll-related documentation and audit records.
• Support payroll audits and year-end activities, including benefits and retirement-related reconciliation.
• Escalate significant payroll discrepancies, financial exposure, or compliance concerns to the Department Leader.
• Prepare routine and ad hoc reports related to employee compensation, benefits, employee headcount, and other workforce data, including reports supporting annual compliance requirements.

Payroll Tax & Multi-State Administration

• Coordinate the administrative process for registering Partnership Project for state and local payroll, withholding, unemployment insurance, and related tax accounts when the organization begins employing or conducting payroll activity in a new jurisdiction.
• Develop systems for tracking and user management for current state tax and unemployment accounts, notices, and task management related to multi-state administration.
• Gather and maintain required information and documentation for new state registrations and coordinate submissions with payroll provider, People Operations, Finance, and other appropriate partners.
• Monitor state and local tax account setup to ensure registrations are completed timely and account information is accurately reflected in payroll systems.
• Maintain a centralized record of state registrations, tax account numbers, filing requirements, deadlines, and other jurisdiction-specific payroll information.
• Monitor and manage federal, state, and local payroll tax notices received by the organization, including researching the issue, coordinating with the payroll provider or applicable agency, tracking resolution, and maintaining documentation.
• Partner with Finance and payroll provider to review payroll tax notices and identify potential discrepancies, penalties, interest, or corrective actions requiring additional review.
• Provide Finance with accurate payroll reports and supporting documentation needed for quarterly payroll tax filings, reconciliations, financial reporting, audits, and other required submissions.
• Partner with Finance to review quarterly payroll tax filings and related reports for completeness and accuracy before submission, and coordinate corrections when discrepancies are identified.
• Monitor payroll tax filing and payment deadlines and follow up with payroll providers and Finance to ensure required filings and payments are completed timely.
• Reconcile payroll tax information as needed between payroll records, payroll provider reports, tax filings, and Finance records.
• Support year-end payroll tax activities, including W-2 preparation, reconciliation, corrections, and coordination with the payroll provider.
• Research state and local payroll tax requirements as new jurisdictions are added and elevation questions involving significant financial, compliance, or legal risk to the Department Leader and/or appropriate advisor.
• Maintain organized records of registrations, tax notices, filings, reconciliations, correspondence, and other supporting documentation to facilitate audits and demonstrate compliance.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day People Operations contact for payroll tax administration while partnering closely with the payroll provider, Director of People Operations, and Finance on higher-risk matters.
• Manage state sick leave requirements and part-time employee accruals within the payroll platform to include setup, audit, payout, and employee communication.

Retirement Plan Administration

• Administer routine 401(k) enrollments, and employee requests in accordance with established plan procedures.
• Coordinate contribution processing and reconcile retirement contributions between payroll, the HRIS, and the retirement plan recordkeeper.
• Research and resolve contribution discrepancies.
• Support employee questions regarding routine retirement plan administration and direct complex plan, employee questions, or fiduciary questions to the Director of People Operations and plan advisor.
• Prepare reports for annual retirement plan audits and other compliance activities.
• Assist with administration of other retirement programs, as assigned.

Benefit Administration

• Administer employee benefit programs throughout the employee lifecycle, including new hire enrollment, qualifying life events, status changes, terminations, and other benefit-related transactions.
• Monitor enrollment and eligibility information and resolve discrepancies between the HRIS, benefits platforms, payroll, and vendor records.
• Maintain benefits documentation, procedures, calendars, and employee resources.
• Support benefits renewals by gathering enrollment information, reviewing data, coordinating meetings, and preparing materials for leadership review.
• Track benefit-related costs and enrollment trends and provide routine reports and analysis to the Director of People Operations.

Vendor & Data Management

• Develop effective working relationships with benefits brokers, carriers, payroll providers, retirement plan administrators, and other People Operations vendors.
• Serve as the day-to-day operational contact for routine vendor questions and issues.
• Monitor vendor deliverables, deadlines, and service issues.
• Maintain accurate People Operations, payroll, benefits, and employee data across systems.
• Conduct routine audits and reconciliations to identify and correct discrepancies.
• Maintain organized documentation to support audits, compliance requirements, and institutional knowledge.

ACA Compliance Administration

• Support ACA eligibility tracking and data validation in HRIS and benefits platform.
• Review employee eligibility and benefits information for accuracy.
• Support the Director of People Operations with annual 1095-C preparation and distribution.
• Research and correct data discrepancies affecting ACA reporting.
• Maintain supporting documentation and records.
• Escalate questions involving regulatory interpretation or potential compliance risk to the Director of People Operations.
• Support both federal and state required ACA and healthcare reporting.

People Operations Generalist & Employee Experience Support

• Provide responsive, people-centered support to employees and managers on routine People Operations/HR questions, policies, processes, and workplace programs.
• Support onboarding and offboarding processes, including HRIS transactions, benefits enrollment, employee records, and required documentation.
• Maintain accurate employee records and HRIS data.
• Support resource matching, personalized training on systems, policy administration and interpretation, and other general HR initiatives.
• Support the development and maintenance of employee-facing People Operations resources, guides, forms, and communications.
• Help identify opportunities to streamline People Operations processes and improve the employee experience.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive employee information.

HRIS, Data & Compliance Administration

• Complete routine HRIS transactions and maintain accurate employee and benefits data.
• Conduct periodic audits of employee records, benefits enrollment, leave, and other HR data.
• Generate routine reports and identify trends, discrepancies, or data quality issues.
• Maintain organized records, files, and documentation in accordance with company policies and applicable requirements.

Supports Key Projects & Initiatives

• Supports the work of the People Operations team through gathering information and data for annual projects, audits, and/or compliance initiatives, and completing tasks related to special projects within the People Operations department.

Embodiment of Core Values

• Integrate Partnership Project core values into daily responsibilities, decision-making, and interactions with colleagues, hosted projects, and external partners.
• Contribute to a collaborative, respectful, and mission-aligned workplace culture.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required Skills, Abilities, and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 3-5 years of progressive payroll experience and general Human Resources and/or People Operations experience.
• 3-5 years of experience managing Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) and benefits administration systems; experience working with Paylocity, Employee Navigator, Asana, and Principal is preferred
• Working knowledge of complex Human Resource programs; FMLA, state leave programs, ACA requirements, ADA process, and retirement plan administration.
• Demonstrated experience administering employee benefits and working directly with benefits vendors or brokers.
• High level of professionalism, confidentiality, with a service-oriented approach. Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Proven ability to operate with good judgment and integrity. Appropriately prioritize workload and escalates matters.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with a diverse group of people from different backgrounds and experiences.
• People-centered approach. Strong customer service and employee support skills with the ability to de-escalate, build employee-centered processes, and center the employee in everything we do.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to organize information and files, maintain multiple deadlines and recurring processes,