HR Payroll and Benefits Specialist

HR Payroll & Benefits Specialist Department: Human Resources Reports To: Vice President, Human Resources FLSA Status: Non-Exempt Grade Level: 8 Full Salary Range: $23.05 - $34.58 Hiring Salary Range: $23.05 – 28.81 Employment Status: Full-Time, Hourly Location: Elgin, Illinois – Hybrid Available Position Summary The HR Payroll & Benefits Specialist is a hands-on, detail-oriented position responsible for supporting the accurate and timely processing of payroll, benefits administration, HRIS transactions, employee records, and recurring Human Resources activities.

This position works closely with the Vice President of Human Resources and HR Operations Partner and serves as an important operational resource within the HR team. The role is primarily responsible for processing, reconciliation, administration, recordkeeping, and employee support while following established procedures and internal controls.

Benefits

strategy, plan design, vendor decisions, renewals, and overall program oversight remain under the direction of the Vice President of Human Resources.

Essential Duties

& Responsibilities Payroll Administration Prepare and process biweekly payroll accurately and within established deadlines. Review timecards, payroll changes, earnings, deductions, reimbursements, bonuses, garnishments, and other payroll inputs. Audit payroll prior to submission and research and resolve discrepancies.

Process employee compensation and payroll changes within ADP. Maintain payroll records, worksheets, calendars, supporting documentation, and audit trails. Complete payroll reconciliations and work with Finance to research and resolve discrepancies. Process off-cycle and special payments as needed. Administer recurring payroll activities, including 401(k) contribution changes, garnishments, levies, and applicable employee reimbursements.

Assist with year-end payroll activities, W-2 preparation, payroll reporting, and related reconciliations. Respond to routine employee and manager payroll questions and escalate complex matters appropriately. Maintain accurate payroll records and documentation in accordance with established procedures and record-retention requirements.

Benefits

Administration Process benefit enrollments, qualifying life events, changes, and terminations accurately and timely. Maintain employee benefit elections and eligibility information within ADP and applicable carrier and vendor systems. Reconcile benefit enrollments, payroll deductions, carrier records, and benefit invoices and assist with resolving discrepancies.

Support administration of medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA, retirement, commuter, wellness, and other employee benefit programs. Support annual open enrollment, including employee data updates, system processing, eligibility review, enrollment tracking, and post-enrollment reconciliation. Respond to routine employee benefit questions and coordinate with carriers and vendors to resolve administrative issues.

Support COBRA administration and benefit termination processes. Assist with required benefit notices, documentation, and recordkeeping. Provide day-to-day benefits administration while escalating plan, policy, compliance, or vendor issues to the Vice President of Human Resources. HRIS & Employee Administration Process employee changes in ADP, including new hires, terminations, transfers, compensation changes, department changes, manager changes, and other employee updates.

Maintain accurate employee demographic, employment, payroll, benefit, and organizational data. Maintain personnel documentation and electronic employee records. Complete routine HR data audits and correct identified discrepancies. Process employment verifications and other recurring employee documentation. Support I-9 administration, employment eligibility documentation, and required recordkeeping.

Maintain recurring HR trackers, calendars, reports, and administrative workflows. Assist with onboarding and offboarding activities as assigned. Compliance, Reconciliation & Audit Support Maintain payroll, benefit, and employee documentation in an organized and audit-ready manner. Prepare records and supporting documentation for internal audits, external audits, benefit-plan reviews, and regulatory examinations.

Assist with recurring compliance reporting and required notices. Monitor payroll and benefit transactions for accuracy and adherence to established internal controls. Identify discrepancies or unusual transactions and escalate them promptly. Support data validation, cleanup, and reconciliation across ADP and benefit systems.

Maintain confidentiality of employee, payroll, medical, and benefit information. Process & Project Support Follow documented payroll, benefit, and HR procedures and identify opportunities to improve efficiency or reduce manual processing. Assist with testing and implementation of ADP enhancements, carrier feeds, vendor integrations, and other HR system improvements.

Support ongoing cleanup and validation of employee, payroll, and benefit data. Participate in cross-training to ensure appropriate backup coverage for critical payroll and benefits activities. Support the HR Operations Partner with system, process, audit, and implementation projects as needed. Document recurring processes, procedures, checklists, and administrative workflows.

Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Education

& Experience High school diploma required; associate's or bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred. 1–3 years of general Human Resources and/or payroll experience required. Experience supporting payroll processing, benefits administration, HRIS transactions, or employee records preferred.

Experience with ADP Workforce Now or a comparable HRIS/payroll system preferred. Experience working in a multi-state environment is a plus. Financial services, credit union, banking, or other regulated-industry experience is a plus. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Strong attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.

Ability to work effectively with payroll information, benefit elections, deductions, invoices, reconciliations, and employee data. Strong organizational and time-management skills. Ability to meet firm payroll, benefit, and regulatory deadlines. Ability to research discrepancies and follow issues through resolution. Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, and other Microsoft 365 applications.

Ability to learn and work effectively within payroll, HRIS, benefit-carrier, and vendor systems. Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to handle confidential employee, payroll, benefit, and compensation information appropriately. Strong customer-service orientation when assisting employees and managers.

Ability to follow established processes and controls while identifying opportunities for improvement. Collaborative approach and willingness to cross-train and provide support across the HR function. Compliance Knowledge Working knowledge of, or the ability to develop working knowledge of, employment and benefits requirements applicable to assigned responsibilities, including: Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Federal and state wage-and-hour requirements Payroll tax and withholding requirements ERISA Affordable Care Act (ACA) COBRA HIPAA FMLA and applicable state leave requirements I-9 and employment eligibility recordkeeping requirements Applicable state and local payroll, leave, and withholding requirements