Total Rewards Operations Manager - Payroll & Benefits

The Total Rewards Operations Manager ensures effective coordination of the day‑to‑day administration, processes, and systems that support the organization’s benefits, payroll, and service award programs. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures (SOPs) in partnership with functional owners for all payroll and total rewards processes. This role ensures operational excellence, data accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement across all payroll and total rewards functions. The manager partners closely with HR, Finance, and external vendors to deliver a seamless employee experience. 4 days a week onsite 6-month Contract-to-Hire Park Ridge, NJ work location 9 AM – 5 PM (Monday – Thursday) Remote Fridays Payroll Operations Partner with Payroll Manager to ensure accurate, timely and compliant end‑to‑end payroll processing for hourly and salaried employees. Monitor payroll processing to ensure optimization of processes, including areas such as shift differentials, overtime, and the time and attendance system. Partner with Payroll Manager to ensure compliance with local, state, and federal payroll laws (e.g., FLSA, tax regulations, wage/hour requirements). In conjunction with Payroll Manager, partner with Finance on payroll reconciliation, general ledger postings, audits, and reporting. Hold payroll vendor relationships accountable in alignment with functional leaders and ensure system upgrades/enhancements are properly implemented. Partner with Human Resources Information Systems team on enhancements to improve processes, accuracy, compliance and employee experience. Benefits Operations Partner with Benefits Manager to ensure best in class operation of health, welfare, retirement, and leave programs. Hold benefit vendors accountable in alignment with functional leaders and ensure performance guarantees are met. Enable and enhance the employee experience including benefits enrollment processes, eligibility audits, and corrective actions. Track cost of benefits and establish metrics to evaluate ROI. Project manage new project initiatives managing risks and ensuring timely completion. Identify opportunities for optimization across the platform. Partner on complex benefits issues and elevate as needed. Total Rewards Systems & Processes. Partner with Compensation and HRIS to coordinate reporting and compliance processes, maintaining accurate and consistent data across all related systems. Demonstrated operational understanding of compensation programs. Ensure accurate and timely data transfers between HR, payroll, and vendor systems. Lead process improvement initiatives to increase efficiency and automation. Maintain metrics dashboards that measure ROI for benefits and payroll and ensure they are socialized with senior management in partnership with functional leadership. Serve as a subject‑matter expert for payroll, total rewards programs and policies. Provide guidance to employees, managers, and HR partners on benefits and payroll inquiries. Partner in delivering communications and training resources that strengthen employee awareness and understanding of payroll and total rewards. Serve as a customer‑centric partner, ensuring decisions and processes are aligned with customer needs. Compliance & Reporting Ensure programs comply with federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., FLSA, ERISA, ACA, HIPAA). Ensure timely filing and completion of audits, filings, and documentation related to benefits, payroll, and compensation. Generate and analyze reports to assess program effectiveness and support business decis. #J-18808-Ljbffr