Human Resources Payroll Specialist

Human Resources Specialist

Unity. Loyalty. Advancement. Charity. It's what drives United Legwear & Apparel Co. to be the best global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of legwear, bodywear, apparel, and accessories. Founded in 1998 by Isaac E. Ash to make the very best legwear on the market, ULAC is an industry leader offering a full range of products for babies, kids, teens, and adults. We strive to sell our products at affordable prices for families. Hard work and exponential growth year on year has transformed ULAC into a global apparel and accessories company.

Our goal to deliver superior products that ensure superior customer satisfaction is made possible by our team of dedicated professionals who work together to make the company the best in business. Our manufacturing, distribution, and logistics division produces the highest quality products at the best possible prices without cutting corners. Integrity of goods is key, so compliance and quality assurance are top priorities, along with meeting every delivery date—whether shipping across the state or around the world.

We strive to foster an inclusive company culture that stands united to accomplish our mission. We are loyal to our people, supporting their development and ability to achieve excellence. We believe that when people bring their personal best to work each day, it leads to success, advancement, and upward mobility for all. We believe every individual has two hands: one to help themself, and one to help others. We pride ourselves in our value of charity and the commitments we make to help people in need. ULAC supports organizations that help those compromised by sickness, poverty, natural disasters, socioeconomic inequality, and other dire circumstances.

If you share our vision of delivering superior products in a culture of growth, excellence, and caring, then we want to hear from you!

Position Summary

The Human Resources Specialist primarily offers payroll administration, as well as provides detail-oriented, proactive support across the full employee lifecycle. This position will partner with leaders across US and Canada to drive a positive and effective employee experience. This position involves collaborating with both management and employees to ensure assigned HR payroll, benefit, and related administrative processes run smoothly and policies are adhered to in accordance with compliance and standards. The position also plays a key role in our corporate HR team by supporting employee relations, leave of absence and accommodation administration, and related performance management functions.

Functional Responsibilities

Payroll and Benefits Administration

• Process weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and special payrolls for North America divisions, as applicable, ensuring accuracy and compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
• Review time sheets and other information to detect and resolve payroll discrepancies.
• Handle payroll-related inquiries, manage records, review data, and resolve issues related to compensation, deductions, and taxes.
• Support Leave of Absence (LOA) management and compliance with benefits laws and regulations such as ERISA, ACA, HIPAA, and COBRA.
• Generate and analyze End of Year reporting, as well as on-demand payroll reports for internal stakeholders and external partners, providing accurate data to support compliance, auditing, and strategic decision-making.
• Assist with yearly Open Enrollment and ensure accuracy of employee changes.
• Support merit or bonus processing, ensuring accuracy with processing earnings and tax implications.
• Identify and recommend process improvements in payroll/benefits workflow to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Audit COBRA enrollments to ensure accuracy monthly.
• Serve as the primary intake or back-up case contact for supporting benefit vendors and third-party administrators.

Onboarding and Orientation

• Facilitate as well as support employees' onboarding and offboarding regarding pay and benefits.
• Help deliver and continuously improve new hire orientation and 30-60-90-day onboarding programs for consistent delivery across business functions, tracking progress and feedback for continuous enhancement.
• Contribute resources and to events that reinforce culture, policy understanding, and workplace expectations.

Projects and Administrative Duties

• Support HR programs, onsite employee events or campaigns, and annual cycles such as performance reviews, open enrollment and wellness campaigns.
• Assist in HRIS data entry, reporting, process improvement, compliance tracking, and other duties as assigned by the HR leadership.
• Collaborate with the manager in reviewing and responding to claims such as Worker's Compensation, Unemployment and employee leave (Disability, FMLA, etc.).
• Oversee maintenance of employee personnel and health/benefits files and ensure compliance with State, Federal, and Local requirements.
• Perform any other duties assigned in support of the company needs and operations.

Employee Relations & HR Support

• Provide guidance to managers and employees on policies, performance, conduct expectations, and conflict resolution.
• Assist with active and ongoing investigations, including intake and support documentation.
• Guide and support corrective actions or coaching; ensure follow-up where needed.
• Review and respond promptly to any employee inquiries or requests in the HR ticketing system.
• Maintain HR documentation, files, and case notes in compliance with company and legal standards.

Continuous Improvement

• Attend weekly staff meetings to address concerns, discrepancies, and other related payroll/benefits solutions for critical deadlines and processes.
• Review 1:1 feedback meeting with the HR Manager to optimize workflow, performance management, and productivity functions to enable and ensure successful outcomes for the employee's experience.
• Support HR and Finance leaders with proactive and continuous management of SOPs for critical functions of role.

Continuing Education

• Attend required training workshops via ADP designated by the supervisor or manager for upskills or any other performance-related functions based on productivity and monthly check-ins.
• Attend annual HR training as provided by the division to ensure compliance and other related training that involve people, cross-functional training, and aspects related to labor law regulations.

Education/Qualifications

Required: Minimum Associate's Degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration, or equivalent combination of education and directly related experience. Preferred: Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, or Business Administration.

Professional payroll or benefits certification such as CPP (Certified Payroll Professional), FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification), or CEBS (Certified Employee Benefits Specialist) is strongly preferred.

Working knowledge of LOA and compliance protocols (FMLA, CFRA, ADA, NJ/NY/CA paid leave laws).

Continuing education in HR compliance, payroll law, or benefits administration (e.g., ADP University, SHRM) is a plus.

Experience: 2+ years of progressive HR experience as a HR Specialist, Payroll Specialist, or in a related HR capacity and/or any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

SHRM-CP certification preferred.

Proficient computer skills to include Microsoft Office (intermediate to advanced Excel), database systems, email and internet.

Strong verbal and written communication skills and have the necessary interpersonal skills to deal with individuals and groups of varying abilities.

Ability to read, analyze and interpret data and draw valid conclusions that show understanding and insight.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively under critical time frames and work on multiple assignments and complex and sensitive information.

The ability to be extremely flexible and adaptable in completing a diverse range of assignments in a timely manner.

Experience working in a fast-paced environment and ability to apply good work habits to effectively complete assigned tasks and contribute to the smooth operation of the agency.

Ability to prioritize complex workload.

What We Offer

At ULAC, we are committed to supporting the well-being and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package for all New York & New Jersey-based employees includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance Access to quality health care coverage with a variety of plan options to fit your needs.
• Fitness Reimbursement Reimbursement is for eligible health and wellness programs to encourage a healthy lifestyle through our medical benefits plan.
• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance (100% Employer Paid) Income protection to support you during unexpected health challenges, 100% company-paid.
• Group-Term Life Insurance (100% Employer Paid) Accidents can happen in an instant, affecting you and a loved one. Our Group-term Life Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance is designed to help families by providing financial protection in case of death or severe injury resulting from an accident.
• Employee Assistance Program (E