HR Operations Specialist Jobs in Kentucky

HR Payroll Operations & Benefits Administrator (Manufacturing)

Location: Louisville, Kentucky | Status: Full-Time | Work Setting: On-Site

Compensation: $56,000–$70,000 annually ($27–$34 per hour), commensurate with experience

A day in your role

It’s payroll morning. You open Paycor, validate timecards from the shop floor, and spot-check shift differentials, overtime, premium pay, and bonuses. Union dues, initiation fees, and garnishments are queued up correctly, and Kentucky occupational license taxes are set for new hires who crossed county lines last week. Before the cut-off, you reconcile gross-to-net, resolve a discrepancy tied to retroactive pay, and produce a clean audit trail. By early afternoon, you’ve posted general ledger and journal entry reports for Accounting and delivered man-hours reporting to Safety.

Next, you huddle with the Director of Human Resources and Operations to finalize open enrollment communications. You configure carrier files, set up FSA/HSA accounts, and schedule dependent eligibility verification audits. You check on ongoing FMLA cases—verifying eligibility, issuing required notices, tracking intermittent leave—and coordinate short-term disability and workers’ compensation updates. A retiree-to-be calls about the defined benefit pension; you verify service credits, prep data for upcoming actuarial valuations and Form 5500 reporting, and document every step.

Before you log off, you connect with Paycor support on a configuration tweak, validate a data set for a parallel payroll test tied to an HRIS conversion, and package payroll data for workers’ compensation, 401(k), pension, and benefits audits. You close the day knowing employees got paid accurately and on time—and that their benefits are running smoothly at moments that matter.

What you’ll own

Payroll administration

• Run weekly (hourly) and biweekly (salaried) payrolls end-to-end in Paycor, on time—every time.
• Administer shift differentials, overtime, premium pay, bonuses, retro pay, garnishments, and off-cycle/final checks.
• Apply collective bargaining agreement provisions; manage union dues deductions, initiation fees, and remittances.
• Maintain federal, multi-state, and local tax setups (including Kentucky occupational license taxes); respond to tax agency notices.
• Reconcile gross-to-net, maintain a complete audit trail, and resolve discrepancies pre-finalization.
• Produce GL/JE reports for Accounting, man-hours for Safety, and ad hoc reporting as needed.
• Support quarter- and year-end processing, including W-2 preparation, review, and distribution.

Time & attendance

• Administer timekeeping profiles, schedules, pay rules, and accrual policies.
• Review timecards each pay period; partner with supervisors to clear exceptions before cut-off.
• Manage PTO, vacation, sick, and holiday accruals in accordance with the CBA and company policy.
• Serve as the go-to resource and trainer for supervisors and employees on timekeeping procedures.

Benefits & leave programs

• Lead open enrollment: plan, communicate, configure systems/carriers, and audit post-enrollment.
• Process enrollments, qualifying life events, and terminations across medical, dental, vision, life, disability, FSA/HSA, retirement, and ancillary plans.
• Set up and maintain FSA/HSA accounts; conduct dependent eligibility verifications.
• Reconcile carrier invoices; coordinate COBRA administration; support ACA tracking and reporting.
• Support 401(k) administration; maintain plan documentation and vendor relationships.
• Administer FMLA: eligibility, notices, medical certifications, and continuous/intermittent leave tracking.
• Coordinate benefits continuation and premium collection during leave; handle short-term disability and workers’ compensation; manage return-to-work documentation; maintain accurate leave records.

Pension & HRIS

• Maintain eligibility, service credit, and employment data for the defined benefit pension plan.
• Provide data for actuarial valuations, audits, and Form 5500 filings; respond to employee pension inquiries.
• Serve as primary contact with Paycor for support, troubleshooting, and configuration.
• Support payroll/HRIS implementation and conversion projects: system configuration, data validation, and parallel payroll testing.
• Deliver accurate payroll data and reports for workers’ compensation, 401(k), pension, and benefits audits.

Who you are

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, human resources, or related field.
• 2–5 years of full-cycle, multi-state payroll experience (including hourly and shift-based employees).
• 1–3 years of benefits administration experience.
• Hands-on payroll processing in Paycor or ADP; experience with at least one payroll/HRIS implementation or conversion.
• Experience with workers’ compensation audits and payroll reporting for Finance and Safety.
• Working knowledge of FLSA, wage and hour laws, payroll tax regulations, and FMLA.
• Intermediate Excel skills (XLOOKUP, pivot tables); high attention to detail and confidentiality.

Preferred

• Experience with both Paycor and ADP.
• Payroll experience in a unionized manufacturing/industrial environment.
• Knowledge of ERISA-governed plans, including defined benefit pension plans.
• FPC or CPP designation.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Paid time off and paid holidays

Additional collaboration

You’ll report to the Director of Human Resources and work closely with Finance, Safety, Operations, union representatives, and outside vendors.

Proficiencies

• Human Resources
• Recruiting and Training Experience
• Microsoft Excel

Legal and workplace notices

Work Environment-This is an on-site position based in Louisville, Kentucky, with occasional time on the manufacturing floor. Additional hours are sometimes required around payroll deadlines, quarter-end, year-end, and open enrollment. This is a non-exempt position.

LLFlex is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in accordance with the ADA and applicable law.