Payroll and Benefits Manager

Company/Role Overview:

CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) Search has been retained by Health Services Consultants to identify a Payroll & Benefits Manager to serve their team. This position is responsible for managing and administering payroll and benefits processes to ensure accurate, timely, compliant, and employee-focused service. This is a hands-on process leadership role with no direct reports, primarily focused on collecting, validating, and submitting payroll; reviewing payroll results for accuracy; administering employee benefits; coordinating with vendors; maintaining documentation; and improving processes. The role operates under the direction of the Chief Human Resources Officer, who retains authority for benefits strategy, plan design, and other high-level benefits decisions.

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What You’ll Do:

• Manage and administer the biweekly payroll preparation and processing cycle, including the payroll calendar; collection of time and attendance data; review and validation of time records, exceptions, employee and pay changes, deductions, and supporting approvals; and submission to the payroll provider.
• Review payroll registers and key reports for accuracy, investigate discrepancies, and coordinate corrections prior to finalization
• Partner with the HR team on payroll and benefits administration and coordinate with Accounting to ensure a complete and accurate handoff of finalized payroll records and supporting documentation for general ledger posting, payroll accruals, reconciliations, journal entries, and financial close.
• Maintain accurate payroll and benefits records, procedures, calendars, and process documentation in accordance with company requirements and record-retention standards; design, maintain, and consistently apply documentation, approvals, validations, and internal controls within the role’s responsibilities to support consistent and accurate processing.
• Coordinate year-end payroll activities, including employee data validation, W-2 review support, corrections, and related employee assistance
• Manage the relationship with the payroll provider and coordinate payroll system updates, issue resolution, testing, and transitions; serve as a key payroll and benefits subject-matter contributor to system selections, implementations, and transitions, including process requirements, testing, documentation, communication, data validation, and implementation support.
• Monitor payroll compliance requirements and ensure payroll and benefits processes comply with federal, state (including Illinois), carrier, plan, and company requirements.
• Processes employment verifications
• Manage and complete day-to-day benefits administration for enrollments, changes, terminations, qualifying life events, and related payroll deductions; align benefit deduction changes with payroll processing to ensure accurate and timely deductions.
• Ensure signed employee authorization per applicable law for deductions/reimbursements
• Manage invoice review and reconcile employee deductions, employer costs, and billing
• Coordinate with the Chief Human Resources Officer, carriers, payroll vendors, and internal partners to resolve enrollment, eligibility, billing, and deduction issues
• Implement benefits-related decisions and process changes and escalate plan design, strategy, policy, or other high-level decisions for direction
• Conduct benefits open enrollment and employee benefits education
• Administer Employer Shared Responsibility/ACA reporting
• Respond to employee questions related to pay, deductions, direct deposit, taxes, benefit eligibility, enrollment, and benefits
• Distribute required notices and plan documents
• Monitor process performance, identify root causes of recurring issues, and implement improvements that strengthen accuracy, efficiency, compliance, and employee service

What You’ll Need:

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business, Accounting, Finance, or a related field preferred; equivalent payroll and benefits experience may be considered
• 5+ years of progressively responsible, hands-on payroll experience, including ownership or coordination of payroll preparation and processing
• Demonstrated ability to lead workflows, manage deadlines and controls, coordinate decisions and approvals, and drive cross-functional accountability without direct supervisory authority
• Hands-on experience processing payroll, validating payroll data, and resolving complex issues
• Strong understanding of: Payroll data collection and validation, payroll processing, payroll taxes, deductions, wage rules, and payroll compliance; Payroll review controls, supporting documentation, and coordination with Accounting for GL posting, accruals, reconciliations, journal entries, and close; Benefits administration, deductions, carrier billing, and related reconciliations
• Experience supporting year-end payroll processing, audits, and payroll or benefits reports
• Proficiency with Excel and common payroll, benefits, and HR information systems
• Regular and reliable attendance is required
• Experience managing benefits administration, open enrollment, benefit deduction reconciliation, or carrier invoice reconciliation preferred
• Experience supporting payroll or benefits process improvements, system implementations, or vendor transitions as a key operational or subject-matter contributor preferred
• Experience with HR information systems and payroll and timekeeping platforms such as Paychex Flex or similar systems preferred