Payroll and Benefits Specialist Jobs
Payroll and benefits specialist jobs are open across healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and professional services, at every level from entry-level to senior and manager, with specializations in compensation administration, benefits enrollment, and HRIS management. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 125+ Payroll and Benefits Specialist jobs
Nature of Work
Please upload one combined document containing:
Your current resume.
A letter of interest (maximum 250 words) describing your qualifications for the Benefits and Payroll Coordinator position.
Your letter should address:
Experience administering employee benefits programs
Payroll processing and related systems
Ensuring compliance with payroll, tax, and benefits regulations
Assisting employees with benefits and payroll-related inquiries
Your interest in supporting West Virginia's higher education mission through exceptional employee service
Note: The resume and letter of interest must be combined and submitted as a single file.
- Process biweekly payroll and review timecards for accuracy, approvals, leave usage, overtime, deductions, and other payroll-related information.
- Research and resolve payroll and timekeeping discrepancies before and after each payroll cycle.
- Maintain accurate payroll and employee records, including new hires, status changes, compensation changes, direct deposits, tax information, deductions, and terminations.
- Administer benefits, retirement plan transactions, and leave programs, including FMLA and other applicable leave requirements.
- Process benefit enrollments, qualifying life events, changes, and terminations; reconcile benefits deductions and related records.
- Coordinate annual open enrollment activities, communications, presentations, and employee support.
- Support onboarding activities, including HRIS updates, required documentation, payroll setup, and benefits information.
- Respond to employee questions regarding payroll, benefits, leave, retirement, and related HR processes.
- Serve as purchase card holder and complete purchases, reconciliations, and required documentation in accordance with applicable policies.
- Provide administrative and operational support to teammates across HR functions.
- Support employee engagement activities, communications, events, surveys, and other employee experience initiatives.
- Prepare reports, forms, notices, presentations, and other HR materials.
- Serve as a liaison to institutional HR contacts, payroll and finance partners, benefit providers, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Assist with HR projects, audits, meetings, and cross-functional initiatives.
- Provide occasional assistance with recruitment activities as needed.
- Perform other related duties and support organizational priorities as assigned.
- Maintain accurate, confidential, and audit-ready payroll, benefits, leave, onboarding, and employee records.
- Apply applicable laws, regulations, institutional policies, and established procedures to payroll and HR processes.
- Identify process gaps, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, consistency, and service.
- Develop and maintain procedures, checklists, reference materials, and other documentation.
- Monitor changes affecting payroll, benefits, leave, HR systems, and institutional practices.
- Support internal and external audits by validating information and providing required documentation.
- Build effective working relationships and provide consistent, solutions-oriented support to the institutions served.
- Associate degree in human resources, business administration, payroll, accounting, public administration, or a related field, plus five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in HR, payroll, benefits administration, or a related area; or
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, payroll, accounting, public administration, or a related field, plus three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in HR, payroll, benefits administration, or a related area.
- Experience independently processing biweekly payroll and reviewing timecards.
- Experience with payroll, HRIS, timekeeping, benefits, and leave systems.
- Experience in a public-sector, higher education, or similarly regulated environment.
- Experience administering PEIA or comparable public-sector benefits programs.
- Experience with retirement plans such as TIAA or comparable programs.
- Experience supporting open enrollment, employee communications, or engagement initiatives.
- Experience with purchase card administration, public procurement, or institutional purchasing requirements.
- Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, PHR, CPP, or a benefits-related credential.
Job not in the classified service. See the hiring agency for a description of benefits.
Nature of Work
Please upload one combined document containing:
Your current resume.
A letter of interest (maximum 250 words) describing your qualifications for the Benefits and Payroll Coordinator position.
Your letter should address:
Experience administering employee benefits programs
Payroll processing and related systems
Ensuring compliance with payroll, tax, and benefits regulations
Assisting employees with benefits and payroll-related inquiries
Your interest in supporting West Virginia's higher education mission through exceptional employee service
Note: The resume and letter of interest must be combined and submitted as a single file.
- Process biweekly payroll and review timecards for accuracy, approvals, leave usage, overtime, deductions, and other payroll-related information.
- Research and resolve payroll and timekeeping discrepancies before and after each payroll cycle.
- Maintain accurate payroll and employee records, including new hires, status changes, compensation changes, direct deposits, tax information, deductions, and terminations.
- Administer benefits, retirement plan transactions, and leave programs, including FMLA and other applicable leave requirements.
- Process benefit enrollments, qualifying life events, changes, and terminations; reconcile benefits deductions and related records.
- Coordinate annual open enrollment activities, communications, presentations, and employee support.
- Support onboarding activities, including HRIS updates, required documentation, payroll setup, and benefits information.
- Respond to employee questions regarding payroll, benefits, leave, retirement, and related HR processes.
- Serve as purchase card holder and complete purchases, reconciliations, and required documentation in accordance with applicable policies.
- Provide administrative and operational support to teammates across HR functions.
- Support employee engagement activities, communications, events, surveys, and other employee experience initiatives.
- Prepare reports, forms, notices, presentations, and other HR materials.
- Serve as a liaison to institutional HR contacts, payroll and finance partners, benefit providers, vendors, and other stakeholders.
- Assist with HR projects, audits, meetings, and cross-functional initiatives.
- Provide occasional assistance with recruitment activities as needed.
- Perform other related duties and support organizational priorities as assigned.
- Maintain accurate, confidential, and audit-ready payroll, benefits, leave, onboarding, and employee records.
- Apply applicable laws, regulations, institutional policies, and established procedures to payroll and HR processes.
- Identify process gaps, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve accuracy, efficiency, consistency, and service.
- Develop and maintain procedures, checklists, reference materials, and other documentation.
- Monitor changes affecting payroll, benefits, leave, HR systems, and institutional practices.
- Support internal and external audits by validating information and providing required documentation.
- Build effective working relationships and provide consistent, solutions-oriented support to the institutions served.
- Associate degree in human resources, business administration, payroll, accounting, public administration, or a related field, plus five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in HR, payroll, benefits administration, or a related area; or
- Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, payroll, accounting, public administration, or a related field, plus three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in HR, payroll, benefits administration, or a related area.
- Experience independently processing biweekly payroll and reviewing timecards.
- Experience with payroll, HRIS, timekeeping, benefits, and leave systems.
- Experience in a public-sector, higher education, or similarly regulated environment.
- Experience administering PEIA or comparable public-sector benefits programs.
- Experience with retirement plans such as TIAA or comparable programs.
- Experience supporting open enrollment, employee communications, or engagement initiatives.
- Experience with purchase card administration, public procurement, or institutional purchasing requirements.
- Professional certification such as SHRM-CP, PHR, CPP, or a benefits-related credential.
Job not in the classified service. See the hiring agency for a description of benefits.
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Find JobsPayroll and Benefits Specialist Job Market
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Food & Beverage
- Medical Devices
- Distribution & Wholesale
- Healthcare & Medical Services
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in payroll and benefits specialist jobs.
- 2-5 years of experience processing payroll and administering employee benefits programs
- Proficiency with payroll platforms such as ADP, Ceridian, Paycom, or UKG
- Working knowledge of FLSA, ACA, ERISA, COBRA, and FMLA compliance requirements
- Experience managing benefits enrollment, carrier relationships, and open enrollment cycles
- Associate or bachelor's degree in human resources, accounting, business, or a related field
- Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification preferred
Tips for Your Payroll and Benefits Specialist Job Search
Tailor your resume to payroll systems
Name the specific payroll platforms you have worked in, such as ADP, Ceridian, or UKG, and pair each with a concrete result, like a cycle error reduction or a compliance deadline you consistently met. Vague references to payroll experience get skipped.
Highlight benefits open enrollment experience
Open enrollment coordination is one of the most screened-for skills in this role. Call it out explicitly on your resume, noting employee count, benefit plan types you administered, and any vendor or carrier relationships you managed during the cycle.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists payroll and benefits specialist openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target postings by compliance scope
Some roles are heavy on FLSA and wage-and-hour compliance, others focus on ERISA and benefits administration. Read job descriptions for which regulatory framework dominates and position your cover letter around your strongest compliance area, not both equally.
Prepare for scenario-based interview questions
Interviewers in this field routinely ask how you handled a payroll discrepancy, a missed deduction, or an employee dispute about benefits eligibility. Prepare two or three specific stories with the error type, your correction process, and the outcome.
Negotiate total compensation, not just base pay
Because you understand benefits plan design, you are better positioned than most candidates to evaluate the full offer. Ask for the Summary Plan Description before you accept so you can compare the actual value of the benefits package alongside the base.
Payroll and Benefits Specialist Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most payroll and benefits specialists?
InProduction, Steel Dynamics, and HSO are hiring the most payroll and benefits specialists right now, with openings concentrated in Texas, California, and Illinois, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Healthcare systems, staffing firms, and large manufacturers tend to have ongoing demand for this role given their employee volume and benefits complexity.
How many payroll and benefits specialist jobs are remote?
About 59% of payroll and benefits specialist openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting broader flexibility in HR operations roles. Benefits administration and HRIS data entry work tends to be the most remote-compatible, while roles that involve in-person employee support or onboarding coordination are more likely to require an on-site or hybrid schedule.
How do you become a payroll and benefits specialist?
Start by earning a degree in human resources, accounting, or business, then gain hands-on experience with a payroll platform through an HR coordinator or payroll clerk role. Build benefits knowledge by supporting open enrollment cycles and learning COBRA and ACA administration. Earning a Certified Payroll Professional or PHR credential strengthens your candidacy for specialist-level positions significantly.
Can I get hired as a payroll and benefits specialist with little experience?
Yes, entry-level payroll and benefits specialist roles exist, particularly at staffing agencies, mid-size companies, and HR outsourcing firms that need volume support. Candidates with strong data-entry accuracy, familiarity with any payroll software, and coursework or internship experience in HR or accounting can compete. Framing any experience managing recurring processes, reconciling figures, or handling sensitive employee data will help your application stand out.
What does the payroll and benefits specialist interview process look like?
Most hiring processes include an initial phone screen with HR, followed by one or two rounds with the payroll or benefits manager and sometimes a finance or operations lead. Expect scenario questions about how you have handled payroll discrepancies, benefits eligibility disputes, or compliance deadlines. Some employers also give a short skills assessment covering payroll calculations, deduction logic, or benefits plan terminology before the final round.
Where can I find and apply to payroll and benefits specialist jobs?
You can find and apply to payroll and benefits specialist jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States. Search for roles that match your experience level and specialization, whether that is payroll processing, benefits administration, or HRIS management, and apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 125+ Payroll and Benefits Specialist Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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