HR & Payroll Specialist

Lakeshore Talent is partnering with a growing organization that supports school locations across several states to hire an HR & Payroll Specialist. This position combines hands‑on HR support throughout the employee lifecycle with payroll and benefits administration across multiple entities and states. Employment Type: Direct Hire Location: Lone Tree, CO — Park Meadows area Schedule: Hybrid, 2–3 days onsite per week Salary: $75,000–$80,000 annually Strong, employee‑facing HR experience is essential to this role. The ideal candidate is comfortable addressing employee concerns, interpreting policies, navigating sensitive situations, and having difficult conversations. This person should enjoy working directly with employees and school leadership and bring the judgment, initiative, and confidence to work through day‑to‑day HR matters independently. Key Responsibilities Human Resources & Employee Relations Support the full employee lifecycle, including onboarding, ongoing employee support, and offboarding. Serve as a knowledgeable, approachable resource for employees and school leadership regarding HR policies, procedures, and workplace concerns. Address day‑to‑day employee relations matters, gather relevant information, and use sound judgment to determine appropriate next steps. Navigate sensitive employee discussions and difficult conversations with professionalism, discretion, and confidence. Interpret and communicate employment policies, promoting consistent application across locations. Support leaders with employee concerns, performance management, and related documentation. Take initiative to resolve HR issues independently while recognizing when to involve HR leadership. Maintain accurate employee records and HRIS data. Assist with updating employee handbooks, policies, and procedures. Support compliance with applicable employment laws and internal policies. Participate in leadership meetings and present HR and benefits information as needed. Payroll Administration Process accurate, timely payroll across multiple entities and states. Manage multiple clients and competing priorities Maintain payroll records, including wages, deductions, timekeeping, and leave balances. Ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements. Complete payroll reconciliations and prepare reports on payroll expenses and tax liabilities. Research and resolve employee questions regarding pay, taxes, and deductions. Support payroll audits and provide required records and documentation. Assist with payroll system updates, implementations, and integrations. Benefits Administration Coordinate benefits enrollments, changes, and employee communications. Respond to employee benefits questions and help resolve issues in partnership with vendors, brokers, and HR leadership. Maintain accurate benefits records and coordinate related payroll deductions. Support benefits communication and education across multiple locations. Required Qualifications Hands‑on HR experience supporting the full employee lifecycle, including employee relations, policy interpretation, employee concerns, onboarding, and offboarding. Demonstrated experience working directly with employees and leaders, including navigating sensitive situations and conducting difficult conversations. Ability to assess HR situations, think critically, exercise sound judgment, and take action with appropriate independence. At least 2 years of hands‑on payroll experience, including processing payroll across multiple states and multiple entities . Working knowledge of employment practices, payroll regulations, tax requirements, reconciliations, and reporting. Experience supporting benefits administration and responding to employee benefits questions. Experience with payroll platforms such as Paylocity, iSolved, UKG, or ADP. Strong communication, organization, and follow‑through, with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple locations. Ability to build trust, maintain confidentiality, and represent HR professionally. Comfort collaborating with a remote manager through virtual tools such as Microsoft Teams. Candidates must bring both substantive HR experience and payroll expertise. Experience focused solely on payroll, benefits, or HR administration will not meet the full requirements of this position. Preferred Qualifications Experience supporting multiple locations or client groups. Experience coordinating with benefits vendors or brokers. Experience establishing state payroll tax accounts and coordinating unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, or retirement plan setup. Familiarity with HRIS and benefits administration systems. Experience using AI tools to support day‑to‑day work. Ideal Candidate You enjoy the people‑facing side of HR and are comfortable being a resource when employees or leaders need guidance. You approach difficult conversations thoughtfully, take ownership of issues, and follow through on solutions. You can balance detailed payroll work with changing employee needs while building strong relationships with HR leadership and the school teams you support. #J-18808-Ljbffr Lakeshore Talent