Senior Associate, Payroll & Operations at World 50 Group in Atlanta, GA

Job description

• Role: Senior Associate, Payroll & Operations
• Reports To: Natasha Chohan
• Location: Atlanta
• Workplace Type: We ask all employees to work a hybrid schedule, with a minimum 3x/week in their local office. We welcome employees to utilize office space more than that where possible.
• The Role
• We are seeking an execution-focused, detail-oriented Senior Associate, Payroll & HR Operations to join our growing People & Culture (P&C) team in Atlanta.
• This role is responsible for the accurate, timely, and compliant execution of end-to-end semi-monthly payroll, as well as providing core operational, system administration, and generalist support across the full employee lifecycle. The ideal candidate brings a high level of discretion, strong data controls, a proactive mindset, and a passion for supporting associates and delivering a positive employee experience.

Responsibilities

• Payroll & Compliance
• End-to-End Payroll: Own and execute semi-monthly payroll for all US associates, accurately processing new hires, terminations, salary adjustments, deductions, variable pay, and benefits changes.
• Record Management: Maintaining accurate documentation, audit trails, self - quality checks, catching errors before final review and ensuring final data integrity.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) & Leave Accounting: Coordinate pay for associates on leave (FMLA, short-term disability, parental leave).
• Commissions & Incentives: Quality check of calculations, tracking, and approvals for monthly commissions and quarterly incentive payouts in alignment with Finance and Commercial Leaders.
• Audit & Reconciliation: Conduct routine payroll reconciliations, partner with Finance on commission entries/discrepancies, and support internal/external payroll audits with clean audit trails.
• Payroll Compliance & Inquiries: Ensure adherence to FLSA regulations and exempt/non-exempt classifications. Serve as the primary contact for employee inquiries regarding paystubs, withholdings, and pay adjustments.
• Process Documentation & Controls: Develop, standardize, and maintain SOPs and operational controls for HR and payroll workflows to increase efficiency and mitigate risk.
• Reporting & Reconciliation: Generate payroll reports for finance/accounting teams and reconcile payroll ledger accounts.
• Employee Support: Serve as the primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and resolving payment discrepancies
• SOX & Internal Controls: Maintain, review, and document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and key internal controls for payroll workflows to reduce fraud and manual error.
• Tax Administration: Manage state and local payroll tax registrations, SIT/SUI compliance, tax rate adjustments, annual W-2 processing, and related tax agency correspondence.
• Year-End Planning: Lead year-end readiness initiatives, including W-2/1099 verification, taxable fringe benefit adjustments (e.g., company cars, relocation, gifts), and bonus run preparation.
• HR Operations & Benefits
• HR Data & Systems: Maintain employee records, system setup, and data integrity in Rippling. Complete monthly audits and reporting for business partners and Operations.
• Data Integration: Maintain payroll software configurations, review system integrations (HRIS, time/attendance, benefit admin portals), and troubleshoot data sync errors between systems.
• Benefits Reconciliation: Partner with Benefits/HR to ensure benefit deductions match actual carrier billings and handle catch-up contributions or manual adjustments.
• Employee Lifecycle & Benefits: Support seamless onboarding and offboarding activities. Assist with benefits administration (enrollment, 401(k), LOA, COBRA, ACA) and ensure changes sync properly with payroll.
• General HR Support & Compliance: Support compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws. Assist with general P&C initiatives from time to time.

Requirements

• 5+plus years of experience in payroll and/or HR operations with strong hands on payroll experience
• Obsession with detail orientation, organised and committed to get things right
• Naturally focused on quality, controls and identifying issues before they become problems.
• Comfortable working with payroll/HRIS systems, excel, data, reconciliations and reporting
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, compliance and applicable employment requirements.
• Able to manage confidential information, recurring deadlines and competing priorities with discretion and judgement.
• A proactive problem solver who takes ownership and follows issue through to resolution
• A clear and collaborative communicator who works effectively with Finance, HR, employees and external partners.

Skills

Required

• Strong hands-on payroll experience
• Detail orientation