Who We Are

Childrens Law Center is a mission-driven organization focused on providing high-quality legal services to children and families in DC. As an organization, we envision a world in which all children have a strong foundation of family, health and education and are free from poverty, trauma, racism and other forms of oppression. Our mission is to do this work together with DC children and families, Childrens Law Center uses the law to solve childrens urgent problems today, improve the systems that will affect their lives tomorrow and strengthen our community so that change endures. A key part of our mission is to challenge and reduce ways in which racism and other biases structural and interpersonal prevent each of us, our organization and the systems in which we work from providing children a strong foundation from which to thrive.

Our greatest assets are our people. We recognize that people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives fuel our ability to provide the best outcomes for our clients and our community. Staff members at Childrens Law Center advance the organizations mission through their leadership, result-oriented mindset and commitment to cultural humility. We are looking for individuals who like to be challenged to grow both personally and professionally and value the opportunity to make a difference in their community. Children’s Law Center’s continued success depends on recruiting and retaining individuals who possess and exemplify these attributes.

Program Description

The HIRED team, which is an acronym for Human Resources (HR) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), leads Childrens Law Centers commitment and strategy to be a diverse, anti-racist, equitable and inclusive organization with solid talent and HR policies, practices and procedures that undergird all of our work.

Job Summary

As a member of the HIRED team, the Payroll and Benefits Specialist position is responsible for maintaining accurate employee benefit and payroll data, coordinating and processing bi-weekly payroll for over 100 employees. This position plays a key role in ensuring accurate and timely administration of payroll and employee benefits programs. This includes responding to employees payroll and benefits questions.

The ideal candidate will bring expertise in payroll processing, benefits administration and HR systems and will have the proven ability to balance day-to-day operational deliverables with project work efficiently and professionally, ensuring strict confidentiality.

Role Responsibilities

Payroll and HRIS Management

• Ensure HRIS (ADP Workforce Now) system is updated.
• Reconciliation of HRIS elections, paystubs and carrier invoices.
• Process bi-weekly payroll for Childrens Law Center.
• Process all applicable payroll deductions, garnishments, earnings and accruals.
• Handle payroll adjustments, retroactive pay and corrections.
• Partner with the Operations team to enhance payroll and HRIS processes.
• Monitor time and attendance as well as time off requests.
• Process annual compensation changes and bonuses.
• Assist with year-end payroll processing and system configurations.
• Create and distribute reports as needed.
• Assist with retrieving payroll information for annual audits.
• Create and maintain confidential and accurate employee and payroll files.
• Research and resolve tax issues related to payroll and benefits.

Benefits Administration

• Serve as the main point of contact for employee benefit inquiries.
• Serve as primary liaison with benefits brokers, benefits carriers and vendors to resolve issues and ensure accurate administration.
• Manage annual benefits open enrollment process.
• Prepare employee communications related to employee benefit administration.
• Conduct benefit audits, analysis and reconciliation.
• Follow procedures, guidelines and reporting to comply with all federal and state laws and regulatory requirements including FMLA, workers compensation, HIPAA, ADA, ACA, etc.
• Administer all employee benefit plans and process new hire enrollments and benefit changes, including processing terminations in HRIS and various benefit platforms.
• Prepare and distribute required benefits notices and communications (e.g., Summary Plan Descriptions, notices of COBRA rights, ACA, and DC Paid Family Leave notices).
• Calculate leave of absence payments, update leave tracking and process payments in payroll system.
• Track leave status changes, update systems and monitor compliance.
• Reconcile monthly benefit invoices and audit benefit deductions to ensure accuracy between payroll and carrier billing.
• Provide recommendations to and support wellness program activities.

Employee Records and Compliance

• Maintain accurate electronic personnel files and employment records.
• Support onboarding and offboarding, including filing paperwork for new hires and terminations.
• Assist with quarterly and year-end audits related to payroll, retirement plans and workers compensation.
• Generate reports and data analysis for management and compliance needs.
• Ensure compliance with Federal and State laws.
• Participate in special projects and HR initiatives as assigned.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Skills and Experience

• Four to seven years experience of leading payroll and benefits administration and processes. Experience in a nonprofit environment a plus.
• Knowledge of federal and state payroll regulations, tax laws and benefit compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of U.S. state and federal wage and labor laws (EEOC, compensation FLMA, etc.), regulations, rules, policies and procedures.
• HRIS experience, preferably ADP Workforce Now.
• Uncompromising professional ethics and confidentiality.
• Experience with developing and implementing process improvements.
• Familiarity with commonly used concepts, practices, policies and federal and state regulations within HR fields.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a focus on continuously improving the employee experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• A strong sense of accountability demonstrated by consistently prioritizing tasks effectively to meet deadlines and achieve key objectives.
• A high level of proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including the ability to create spreadsheets and tables to perform data analysis, gain insight and support decision making.
• Incredible attention to details v…