Director Benefits & Payroll

Job Summary

The Director of Benefits is a strategic, hands-on leader who owns the design, delivery, compliance, and continuous improvement of our Health & Welfare and Financial Benefits portfolio, along with ESOP related employee-owner communications and administration in partnership with plan providers. This position will own the design, delivery, compliance, and continuous improvement of our end-to-end multistate payroll and HR operations. The leader will set strategy, ensure operational excellence, and build a service-oriented function that is accurate, compliant, data driven, and easy for employee-owners to interact with. The position partners closely with Compensation, Accounting/Finance, Legal, IT, and Human Resources Business Partners (HRBPs) and serves as an executive advisor on benefits cost trends, plan governance, risk, and overall market competitiveness.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Owns the strategy, design, competitive positioning, and annual renewal for health & welfare, retirement, time away, wellbeing, and voluntary benefits; aligns offerings to principles that promote wellbeing, differentiates competitively, and educates/empowers employee-owners. 
• Develops multiyear benefits roadmap, based on survey insights, benchmarks, and utilization/cost analytics.
• Leads vendor selection and ongoing performance management (brokers/consultants, carriers, TPAs, point solutions), and negotiates quality and value.  
• Governs plan operations to ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations (ERISA, FMLA, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, etc.). 
• Partners with ESOP recordkeeper and internal stakeholders to ensure data accuracy (eligibility, allocations, vesting, distributions) and provides ESOP communications that educate and improve the employee-owner experience. 
• Leads multistate payroll operations and ensures accuracy, timeliness, and compliance (federal/state/local taxes, wage & hour, etc.). 
• Oversees all quarterly/annual filings (940s, 941s, W2s, 5500s, etc.). 
• Manages year-start (benefit rates, SUI rates, deduction limits, etc.) and year-end processes (W2, 1095-C, etc.) and ensures benefits to payroll data integrity.
• Establishes robust internal controls, audit trails, and service level metrics, and leads remediation on any agency notices or corrections. 
• Drives continuous improvement and automation across lifecycle transactions (hire-to-retire), integrations, (benefits, payroll, time and attendance, accounting) and self-service.
• Leads change management and communications for new programs and annual enrollment. 
• Builds and develops a high performing team across Benefits, Payroll, and HR Operations, along with setting a culture of ownership, accountability, and service. 
• Partners with Finance on budget/forecasting for benefits and provides trend analyses and scenario modeling to inform enterprise decisions. 
• Coordinates due diligence and integration for acquisitions/divestitures to ensure smooth transitions of benefits, payroll, and HR operations. 
• Supports and Leads HRIS and timekeeping strategy, ensuring integrations, automation, and data governance support organizational efficiency and insights. 

Non-essential Functions

• Assists in key HR projects and initiatives, as needed. 
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor or designate.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; (HR, Finance, Business, or related field). 
• 10+ years progressive experience across Benefits and Payroll, with 5+ years leading teams, and experience overseeing HR Operations/HRIS strongly preferred. 
• Proven experience with ESOP communication/admin partnership or other employer sponsored retirement plans (401(k)/profit sharing); familiarity with trustee/recordkeeper coordination a plus.
• Deep knowledge of ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, FMLA, federal/state payroll tax rules, and multistate taxation/wage & hour. 
• Vendor management, RFPs, and renewal negotiation experience, and comfort with benefits financials and stoploss/carrier constructs. 
• Systems proficiency with modern HRIS and payroll platforms and data/reporting tools. 

Skills and Abilities

• Must have strong leadership, team building, and project management skills. 
• Develops leaders and subject matter experts across Benefits, Payroll, and HR Operations.
• Creates accountability, clarity of ownership, and service-oriented culture.  
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels. 
• Excellent customer service skills including being competent, accurate, responsive, and engaged. 
• Must be motivational, flexible, dedicated, and open to change. 
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to analyze and leverage metrics for continuous improvement. 
• Ability to effectively plan, organize, and use independent judgement. 
• Attention to detail and accuracy. 

Physical Requirements

Frequency at which you would carry/lift in a typical day:
Occasionally 0 – 33% Frequently 34 – 66% Continuously: 67 – 100%

• Lift from Waist:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Lift from Floor:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Frequently
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Frequently
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Occasionally
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all
• Carried for Distance:
  • < than 10 lbs. - Not at all
  • 10 to 25 lbs. - Not at all
  • 26 to 50 lbs. - Not at all
  • 51 to 75 lbs. - Not at all
  • 75 to 100 lbs. - Not at all
  • 100+ lbs. - Not at all

Physical Activity

Frequency at which you would do the following in a typical day:

• Sitting (a continuous period of being seated) - Continuously
• Standing (for sustained periods of time) - Frequently
• Walking (moving about on foot to accomplish tasks) - Frequently
• Bending/stooping (downward and forward) - Occasionally
• Crawling (moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet) - Not at all
• Climbing/Walking Stairs (ascending or descending) - Frequently
• Reaching (extending arms in any direction) - Frequently
• Crouching/squatting (bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine) - Occasionally
• Kneeling (bending legs at knee to come to rest on knee(s)) - Occasionally
• Balancing (maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling) - Occasionally
• Repetitive motion (substantial movement (motions) or the wrists, hands, and/or fingers) - Continuously
• Pivoting (movement in any direction with one foot, keeping the other in contact with the floor) - Occasionally
• Pushing/Pulling (using upper extremities to press against or draw or tug) - Occasionally
• Grasping (Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm) - Continuously
• Fingering (picking, pinching, typing; working with primarily fingers and not whole hand) - Continuously
• Talking (expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word) - Frequently
• Driving (the control and operation of a motor vehicle) - Occasionally
• Desk work (work usually performed at a desk) - Continuously
• Use of a computer - Continuously
• Use of a telephone - Frequently
• Hearing (Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels) - Continuously
• Exposure (to adverse weather & temperature conditions) - Not at all
• Travel (travel needed to perform job duties) - Frequently

Additional Information

This job description is a summary of the job duties and responsibilities and is not intended to cover all possible job duties and is subject to change at the employer’s discretion. Employees must be able to perform the essential job duties and satisfy job requirements either with or without a reasonable accommodation.