Payroll & Benefits Administration Specialist

We are looking for a detail-oriented Payroll & Benefits Administration Specialist to support payroll, benefits, and compensation activities for a banking organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This fully on-site role is ideal for someone who excels in a deadline-driven environment and can balance accuracy, confidentiality, and responsive employee support. The position plays an important part in maintaining compliant payroll processes, administering benefit programs, and helping ensure compensation records and reporting remain current and reliable.

Responsibilities:

• Review weekly payroll data for completeness and accuracy, process payroll when needed, and investigate discrepancies while keeping leadership informed of significant issues.
• Oversee payroll compliance activities, including periodic time and attendance reviews, and recommend process enhancements that improve accuracy and controls.
• Coordinate the preparation and filing of federal and state payroll tax reporting and work with external payroll providers to resolve tax-related issues.
• Support compensation administration by updating salary structures, maintaining position documentation, and assisting with scheduled compensation adjustments.
• Help manage the performance review cycle by validating appraisal materials, distributing documents, and monitoring completion progress.
• Administer employee benefit programs by maintaining records, processing enrollments and terminations, answering employee questions, and assisting with open enrollment activities.
• Prepare, validate, and update recurring payroll and benefits reports, including ad hoc reporting requests and multi-site reporting needs.
• Maintain payroll system data through regular audits, support year-end payroll activities such as deduction updates and employee communications, and verify W-2 accuracy before final processing.
• Review benefit and department invoices for accuracy, submit payments in accordance with established procedures, and reconcile benefit-related charges with accounting on a regular basis.
• At least 3 years of payroll or accounting experience, with hands-on involvement in full-cycle payroll processing.
• Between 1 and 3 years of benefits or HR administration experience, including exposure to employee benefit programs.
• Familiarity with payroll platforms such as ADP Workforce Now; experience with payroll systems in a regulated environment is a plus.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with the ability to work effectively with detailed reports and data.
• Demonstrated accuracy, strong proofreading ability, and effective problem-solving skills in administrative or payroll-related work.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines, prioritize responsibilities independently, and stay organized in a fast-paced setting.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills, along with the judgment to handle confidential employee and payroll information appropriately.