HR PAYROLL AND BENEFITS SPECIALIST
APPARATUS is a New York-based designer and manufacturer of a distinctive catalog of high-end, high-touch lighting, furniture and objects. We produce both in-house and with the support of high-quality external partners; our catalog is sold globally.
We’re looking for an enthusiastic Human Resources Payroll and Benefits Specialist that has experience with multi-state employment and a mix of an exempt / non-exempt employee population.
The successful candidate will bring best practices, understand the administrative intricacies of payroll, and will serve as the main liaison between employees and our PEO for all benefits matters. This role will be an in-person position that requires the candidate to rotate working between our Manhattan studio and Brooklyn factory.
PAYROLL DEPARTMENT
- Managing weekly and semi-monthly disbursement of payroll for more than 100 employees, including garnishments and taxes consistent with federal and state wage and hour laws; primarily in New York State and California. There is a monthly payroll for a small team in London that will also need to be managed.
- Managing payroll operations related to employee compensation, including sales commissions, bonuses and PTO, for exempt and non-exempt workers.
- Ensuring payroll information and records are maintained in accordance with statutory requirements.
- Delivering out-of-cycle/ad hoc payments to employees and facilitating the production of manual checks or wire transfers to bank accounts as necessary.
- Overseeing the processing of unemployment, worker’s compensation and employee leave requests.
- Resolving payroll discrepancies, processing weekly and semi-monthly adjustments, and answering employee pay inquiries.
- Reviewing timesheets and entering weekly and semi-monthly payroll, including reconciling weekly, quarterly and annual payroll reports as required.
- Working with our PEO to ensure on-time delivery of annual W-2's and 1099-NEC’s.
- Ensure systems are updated to reflect current employee base (including wages, sick and vacation time) in line with current policies.
- Work with HR on an ongoing basis to assure complete coordination of pay, benefits, and deductions.
- Maintaining documentation of payroll procedures to improve efficiency and accuracy.
- Assisting in documentation for internal and external audits.
- Managing the accurate processing of staff appointments, transfers, promotions and terminations.
BENEFITS DEPARTMENT
- Liaising with our PEO, Prestige, for the administration of benefits and retirement programs, including dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, and our 401(k) plan.
- Liaising with Cigna, our medical benefits provider, to ensure that all employee medical elections and deductions are accurate.
- Serving as the main point of contact for employee support with benefits administration.
- Analyzing annual open enrollment options, assessing benefit costs and making requisite change recommendations.
- Being a key member of our transition team when we ultimately separate from our PEO and move all our benefits function in-house.
OTHER HUMAN RESOURCES DUTIES
- Assist with other new employee on-boarding and off-boarding tasks as needed.
- Assist with recruitment as needed.
- Assist with ad hoc Human Resources-related projects as needed.
SKILLS
- Ability to identify inefficiencies, gather data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
- Detail-oriented and organized.
- Solutions-based thinker with a consistently positive attitude, displayed both as an individual and within a collaborative team of peers, managers, directors and VPs.
- Excellent time-management skills, independent drive and the ability to work under pressure to deliver projects under tight deadlines.
- Ability to respond professionally to critical feedback and proactively in seeking support and help when needed.
EXPERIENCE
- Minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field.
- Obtained Certified Payroll Specialist, CPS, certificate (or willing to obtain with our support).
- In-depth knowledge and experience of payroll calculation and processing.
- Familiarity with payroll software functionality.
- Full knowledge of current Federal, State and local labor laws, tax requirements and payroll regulations.
- Experience migrating payroll from one system to another is a plus.
- Experience working in a professional services or consulting environment is preferred.
WORK SCHEDULE
- Full-time in-person hours: Monday–Friday generally 9:00AM–5:00PM.
- Longer hours and weekend availability as needed.
PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND CHECK-INS SCHEDULE
- Weekly 1:1s.
- Annual performance review.
This is a full-time, in-person position with competitive compensation and benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
