Senior Payroll & Benefits Associate (Global)

Blank Street; New York (NY); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Blank Street is seeking a detail-oriented Payroll & Benefits Specialist to own and scale our U.S. payroll operations while supporting our growing global business.

You’ll own end-to-end U.S. payroll for exempt and non-exempt staff, manage payroll cycles, ensure statutory compliance, support UK payroll with partners, and oversee benefits administration.

Collaborate with Finance, People, and Operations to drive process improvements, and prepare for audits across US and UK entities.

Qualifications

• 2–3 years hands-on payroll experience in the US with exposure to UK payroll.
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, payroll, or related field.
• Experience with payroll systems and HRIS platforms; ability to coordinate with external providers.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end U.S. payroll for exempt and non-exempt employees, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Support U.K. payroll and benefits administration in partnership with external providers.
• Manage benefits, 401(k), and vendor coordination; assist with audits and remittances.
• Develop, document, and improve payroll policies, controls, and processes.
• Collaborate with Finance, People, and Operations to scale payroll operations.

Skills

Payroll processing

Reconciliations

US payroll

UK payroll exposure

HRIS software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Tools

ADP

Gusto

Workday

Rippling

Job description

• Blank Street is seeking a detail-oriented Payroll & Benefits Specialist to own and scale our U.S. payroll operations while supporting our growing global business
• You’ll own end-to-end U.S. payroll for our exempt and non-exempt workforce, ensuring payroll is accurate, timely, and compliant across the jurisdictions where we operate
• You’ll manage the full payroll cycle, including payroll processing, reconciliations, statutory requirements, audits, and compliance, while partnering closely with our Finance & Accounting, People, and Operations teams
• You’ll also support U.K. payroll, working alongside our internal teams and external payroll partners, with the opportunity to take on greater ownership as you build familiarity with the market and the role evolves
• In addition to payroll, you’ll support U.S. benefits administration where it intersects with payroll, audits, and compliance, partnering closely with the Finance and People Team to ensure employee deductions, contributions, and benefit‑related payroll processes are accurate and well controlled
• Over time, there may be opportunities to expand your benefits responsibilities across both the U.S. and U.K
• This is a hands‑on, execution‑focused role for someone who takes pride in precision, consistency, and getting the details right
• You’ll work across weekly, bi‑weekly, and monthly payroll cycles while helping strengthen our processes, reduce risk, and build a payroll operation that can scale with Blank Street
• Prepare and ensure timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing across global entities (US, UK), in line with local employment, tax, and statutory requirements for monthly weekly, and bi‑weekly payroll cycles
• Manage the day‑to‑day administration of benefits, pension, and 401(k) plans, including vendor coordination, enrollments, and compliance
• Own payroll period‑end activities, including payroll reconciliations, review of payroll journals, variance analysis, and clean handoff of payroll data into the general ledger and month‑end close
• Perform ad‑hoc payroll research and analysis, pulling data from payroll systems, HRIS platforms, and finance systems to support audits, reviews, employee queries, and management requests
• Research, calculate, and document payroll‑related judgments and estimates, including bonuses, commissions, benefits‑in‑kind, terminations, and statutory accruals across jurisdictions
• Provide day‑to‑day operational payroll support, including reviewing payroll inputs, resolving employee and vendor queries, and ensuring timely and accurate payments to employees, tax authorities, and benefits providers in accordance with statutory deadlines and company policies
• Develop, document, and maintain payroll policies, procedures, and internal controls, ensuring consistency, audit readiness, and compliance across all regions
• Liaise with internal teams and external payroll providers to support timely preparation and submission of payroll‑related filings and remittances, including PAYE/RTI, US federal and state payroll taxes, social security, pensions, and other statutory contributions across jurisdictions
• Be the point of contact for payroll related audit inquiries, including but not limited to the corporate financial audit, US 401(k) audit, workers compensation audits, as well as HMRC related inquiries
• Proactively evaluate and implement improvements to payroll processes and systems, including automation, controls enhancement, and vendor management, to support scale and reduce operational risk
• Collaborate with People teams to ensure that payroll and HR master data is kept up to date and in‑sync between various financial systems
• Reporting to the Director of Finance

• Ability to work independently, own payroll timelines and deliverables, and proactively escalate risks or issues
• Approaches work with a team‑first, service‑oriented mindset, understanding the importance of discretion, accuracy, and cross‑functional collaboration when handling sensitive employee data
• 2–3 years of hands‑on payroll experience, covering the US and exposure to the UK in a multi‑entity or fast‑growth environment (retail, hospitality, or multi‑site businesses preferred)
• Experience working with payroll systems, HRIS platforms and Time Tracking systems (e.g., ADP, Deel, Gusto, Workday, Rippling, or similar), and coordinating with external payroll providers
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Payroll, HR, or a related field
• Comfortable partnering with Finance and Accounting on payroll‑to‑GL reconciliation and month‑end close processes
• Strong understanding of payroll fundamentals, including statutory deductions, benefits, employment taxes, and payroll controls
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (e.g., VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, PivotTables, basic reconciliations)
• Payroll‑related qualifications or training (e.g., CIPP, FPC/CPP, or equivalent) preferred but not required
• Ability to identify payroll issues, research jurisdiction‑specific requirements, and clearly communicate solutions to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders