Payroll and Benefits Specialist

Velir is an established mid-sized agency with a top-tier portfolio of clients, ranging from the world’s largest non-profits to Fortune 500 brands. As of 2023, Velir acquired Brooklyn Data Company, a premier data and analytics consultancy focused on leadership, process improvement, implementation, and advanced analytics.
At Velir, we believe people are our greatest asset. Our culture is built on a foundation of trust, collaboration, and continued improvement. We strive for excellence in everything we do, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth. Our success is driven by a shared passion for making a positive impact on our customers, our communities and each other. We are a remote first company that offers competitive pay and excellent benefits.
Overview
As Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you’ll sit at the operational core of how we support our people — ensuring they are paid accurately, supported thoughtfully, and enabled by systems.
You’ll own US payroll (our largest population), coordinate payroll with UK and Canada EOR partners, manage global contractor payments, and run US benefits administration. You’ll partner closely with Finance, brokers, carriers, and the broader People Experience team to keep operations clean, compliant, and continuously improving.
You will also be one of the primary interfaces between our systems and our people. When someone has a payroll issue, a benefits question, or a leave concern, you’ll be the steady, clear, solutions-oriented voice on the other end.
This role is for someone who loves details, is very organized, takes ownership naturally, communicates with confidence, and gets real satisfaction from keeping things humming smoothly.
What You'll Own:
Payroll (US & Global)

Run end-to-end US payroll in Rippling with accuracy and consistency
Audit changes carefully — new hires, comp updates, bonuses, terminations
Coordinate payroll submissions and approvals with UK and Canada EOR partners
Oversee global contractor payments and documentation
Maintain multi-state compliance and partner with Finance on reconciliations
Manage year-end processes (W-2s, 1099s, EOR coordination)
Serve as the trusted, calm point of contact for payroll questions and issue resolution

You won’t just press “run.” You’ll build confidence in the system.
Benefits Administration (US)

Own eligibility, enrollments, and life event changes in Rippling
Administer medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary programs
Lead Open Enrollment execution end-to-end
Partner closely with brokers and carriers on reconciliations, renewals, and issue resolution
Translate complex benefits information into practical, clear guidance for employees when they are hired and on-going

Leave, Employee Support & Vendor Partnership

Support FMLA, state leaves, disability, and other leave programs
Ensure coordination between leave tracking, payroll adjustments, and benefits continuation
Respond to employee questions with professionalism, empathy, and strong follow-through
Troubleshoot issues across payroll systems, carriers, and vendors — owning resolution from start to finish
Maintain organized, audit-ready documentation

Process Improvement & Systems Evolution

Identify inefficiencies and strengthen payroll and benefits workflows
Improve controls, reporting, and documentation
Help fine-tune our recently implemented HRIS (Rippling) — improving configuration, data integrity, and usability
Proactively suggest smarter ways to operate as we scale domestically and internationally

Who You Are:

3–5 years of payroll, benefits, or People Operations experience in a small organization. Experience with Rippling is a plus.
Strong exposure to multi-state US payroll. EOR experience a plus
Comfortable interfacing directly with employees and external vendors/brokers
Highly detail-oriented — you catch what others miss
A self-starter who figures things out without waiting for instructions or answers…you enjoy the search for answers
Confident and composed when problem-solving with employees
Bold enough to identify improvements — disciplined enough to execute them well
Experience participating in or refining an HRIS implementation strongly preferred .

Physical Requirements:

Frequent sitting at a desk performing work on a computer
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
Travel will be required for this role

Compensation Range: $70,000 - 80,000 USD annually
Please note that compensation packages are finalized after the interview process is concluded. We use a competency-based approach to base pay, which means it is based on the competencies and skills demonstrated for this role.
Core Company Values

Take the Long View - Ensure the company is built to last
Be Courageous - Make the right decisions even when they aren't the easiest decisions
Be Genuine - Bring honesty and authenticity to all that you do
Work with Focus + Passion - Display purpose and pride in your work and never stop learning

As an equal opportunity employer, we are firmly committing to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our hiring efforts. We recognize that we need team members from all backgrounds and experiences to successfully shape a positive employee experience as well as deliver our product and service solutions. To that end, we actively seek candidates who can bring diverse experiences and backgrounds to our team. We know that complex factors and systemic bias can get in the way of us meeting strong candidates, so please don't hesitate to apply even if you're not 100% sure.
At this time, Velir does not sponsor candidates and unfortunately cannot accept those on OPT or CPT.


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