Payroll & Benefits Manager NYC Hybrid

We are a fast-growing, design-forward hospitality group in New York City
, operating across multiple concepts and entities with a diverse, people-first workforce.

Over the past year, we’ve made significant investments in building, tightening, and professionalizing our systems, processes, and compliance infrastructure
. With that foundation now largely in place, we’re ready to bring in a strong Payroll & Benefits Manager
—someone who can fully own these critical functions end-to-end.

This role is essential to the organization. By taking ownership of payroll, benefits, leave administration, and compliance, this leader will free up the broader HR team to focus more deeply on culture, engagement, and employee development
—while ensuring that our employees experience clarity, accuracy, and trust in every interaction.

The Payroll & Benefits Manager is responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll and benefits administration across multiple entities. This role partners closely with Human Resources and Finance
, serving as a trusted internal expert and go-to resource for employees.

The ideal candidate is systems-oriented, highly detail-driven, employee-focused, and bilingual (English/Spanish)—comfortable working in a fast-paced hospitality environment where accuracy, discretion, and responsiveness matter every day.

This role follows a hybrid schedule with three remote days per week and two required in-office days in Manhattan
, with occasional visits to an additional NYC-area location as needed.

• Own and execute weekly payroll across multiple entities with accuracy and timeliness.
• Validate earnings, commissions, bonuses, deductions, garnishments, and tax with holdings.
• Monitor payroll data weekly to proactively identify trends, discrepancies, or risks.
• Maintain accurate, confidential payroll records with strong data integrity.
• Partner with Finance on labor coding, journal entries, reconciliations, and reporting.
• Manage special payroll items including back pay, adjustments, garnishments, and one-time payments.
• Prepare recurring and ad hoc payroll reports.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee payroll inquiries.
• Own and maintain internal payroll documentation, including tip compliance materials.
• Administer and maintain payroll systems and HRIS (ADP Workforce Now).
• Coordinate WOTC filing, processing, and reporting.
• Manage and distribute annual W-2s.

• Administer all employee benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, transit, and ancillary benefits.
• Lead Annual Benefits Renewal in partnership with brokers and Finance.
• Process all benefit enrollments, changes, terminations, and system updates.
• Complete weekly and monthly benefit billing reconciliations.
• Oversee COBRA administration.
• Manage 401(k) and pension programs, including enrollments, loans, distributions, audits, and annual reporting.
• Own Open Enrollment planning, employee communication, system configuration, and presentations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for employee benefits questions.

• Manage all employee leave programs, including:
• FMLA
• Paid Family Leave (PFL)
• ADA accommodations
• Disability leaves
• Personal leaves of absence
• File claims, track cases, maintain documentation, and manage vendor relationships.
• Serve as the first point of contact for employees going out on or returning from leave.
• Coordinate accurate pay and benefit continuation during leave periods.
• Maintain calendars, notifications, and internal tracking related to leaves.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations, including ERISA, ACA, COBRA, HIPAA, IRS, OSHA, and DOL requirements.
• Own ACA compliance, including monthly tracking and annual 1095-C review and distribution.
• Monitor payroll and benefits file feeds, troubleshooting issues and escalating with vendors as needed.
• Oversee annual filings including Form 5500s, pension reporting, and nondiscrimination testing.
• Handle IRS inquiries and follow-ups.
• Maintain HRIS and payroll data accuracy through regular audits.
• Support Workers’ Compensation audits, pension…