Join a national organization committed to advancing a movement to race equity and health justice.

Community Catalyst is a leading non-profit national health advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a movement for health equity and justice. We partner with local, state and national advocates to leverage and build power so all people can influence decisions that affect their health. Health systems will not be accountable to people without a fully engaged and organized community voice. That’s why we work every day to ensure people’s interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and health care are made: in communities, state houses and on Capitol Hill. Learn more about our vision for the future in our five-year strategic plan.

Position Summary 

We are looking for a payroll and benefits specialist to manage all payroll activities and ensure the timely and accurate payment of employee wages. The Payroll and Benefits Specialist will ensure the collection of all necessary information and documents, compute wages, and investigate and resolve any payroll issues or discrepancies.

This position is classified as confidential status.

Supervisory Responsibilities  

  • The Payroll and Benefits Specialist will report to the Associate Director of Human Resources and work closely with the HR Associate. 
  • The Payroll and Benefits Specialist will not manage any direct reports.

Responsibilities 

Payroll

  • Maintain confidentiality of information and functions relating to Payroll & Benefits Specialist responsibilities
  • Collect and verify employee and timekeeping data
  • Coordinate with HR Associate in processing semi-monthly payroll  
  • Compute wages, deductions, benefits etc. to process our semi-monthly payroll
  • Review computed wages to ensure accuracy
  • Issue paychecks, bonuses, increases and stipends
  • Update payroll information for promotions, transfers, reclasses, terminations and new hires
  • Run a multi-state payroll function
  • Assist with new state setup and reporting for state taxes for payroll purposes and submit tax payments 
  • Record and maintain employee records and payroll transactions and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local reporting requirements
  • Preparing statements reflecting earnings, taxes and deductions
  • Analyze payroll data, identify trends, and recommend solutions 
  • Keep abreast with the states wage and hour laws  
  • Administer all leave of absence payments (medical, parental, personal, etc) 
  • Act as the backup for the HR Associate regarding the NetSuite SuitePeople System 
  • Work with HR and organization management in connection with labor relations, collective bargaining and personnel matters  
  • Answering questions and resolving issues regarding payroll
  • Ensuring compliance with company policies, relevant industry regulations, tax and deduction laws
  • Preparing payroll reports for management and auditing purposes

Benefits

  • Ensuring employees know what benefits are offered by the company, and answering any questions employees have about their benefits
  • Assisting employees with the enrollment process
  • Conducting employee-benefit online meetings to inform employees of the emerging benefits and make adjustments to the existing ones. Including annual Open Enrollment support and coordination
  • Conducting presentations that educate employees about their benefits
  • Informing employees about any changes to the benefits structure
  • Administering and collaborating with Finance on all accounts payable and accounts receivable regarding benefits
  • Processing leaves of absence and paid-time-off paperwork
  • Ensure administrative compliance with regulatory requirements
  • Handling monthly payroll reconciliation
  • Audit benefit enrollment reports for accuracy
  • Communicating with insurance and third-party benefit vendors
  • Ensuring the company’s benefits and leave-of-absence policies comply with the law
  • Keeping up-to-date records of each employee’s benefits profile
  • Responsible for 401k deductions and mailings
  • Calculating what the cost to company is for each benefit offered

Qualifications

Required  

  • Good working knowledge of accounting practices and tax laws.
  • Familiarity with the state and federal payroll and tax rules and regulations
  • Experience working with HRIS
  • Ability to maintain high level of confidentiality with regard to internal organizational information, including financial, strategic, labor relations and personnel information 
  • Solid operational and technical accounting background   
  • Ability to work either independently and/or collaboratively as needed 
  • Functional knowledge of cloud-based systems and spreadsheet tools required 
  • Knowledge of quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods and measurement 
  • Strong organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage many tasks simultaneously  
  • Flexibility, creativity, and ability to solve problems 
  • Pro-active work style with excellent follow-up and follow-through skills  
  • Experience planning meetings with some facilitation skills
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, payroll systems and database management

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance preferred with at least 3-year of relevant work experience  

Salary & Benefits 

  • Salary Range: $55,000 – $65,000  
  • Generous paid time off policy  
  • Robust benefits package  
  • Location: Flexible/remote 
  • If Boston based, primarily remote with some time in office on as needed basis. If outside of Boston, possibility of fully remote with some travel to Boston office and other locations when needed.

Applicants should submit a resume as a document with a one page cover letter briefly summarizing their interest in and qualifications for the position to: jobs@communitycatalyst.org. Please put “Payroll and Benefits Specialist” in the subject line.