Payroll & Benefits Lead
Location: Houston, TX | On-Site, 5 Days per Week
Travel: This role requires minimal travel and involves primarily standard office-based work.
Compensation: $75,000 – $100,000 Base Salary + Benefits

Lead U.S. Payroll Today. Help Shape Payroll & Benefits for Tomorrow.Our client is seeking an experienced Payroll & Benefits Lead to take a leading role in U.S. payroll operations while helping build the future of the function. Supporting ~550 U.S. employees across 10 states, including corporate, field, and hourly populations, this role combines hands-on payroll expertise with oversight, systems knowledge, and process leadership. The Payroll & Benefits Lead will ensure accurate and timely payroll delivery, strengthen controls and processes, coordinate with administrators, and serve as a key partner to HR and payroll leadership.

While U.S. payroll will be the primary focus, the position will increase in scope to include benefits over time. The ideal candidate brings deep payroll expertise, meaningful benefits experience, and the ability to operate across both the details and the broader processes that make payroll and benefits successful.

Position SummaryThe Payroll & Benefits Lead is responsible for overseeing and reviewing full-cycle U.S. payroll, including semi-monthly processing, taxes, employee deductions, compliance, reconciliations, and reporting. Working in Workday, this role partners with the Payroll Supervisor, administrators, HR leadership, and stakeholders to ensure payroll is accurate, timely, compliant, and supported by effective processes and controls. The position will also support benefits administration and broader responsibilities as the function evolves. Beyond payroll and benefits activities, the Payroll & Benefits Lead will contribute to Workday initiatives, reporting and analysis, system integrations and testing, process improvement, and other projects.

Essential ResponsibilitiesPayroll Operations & Compliance

Oversee and review semi-monthly U.S. payroll for approximately 550 employees across 10 states, ensuring accurate and timely processing and all required withholdings
Coordinate day-to-day U.S. payroll activities and maintain consistent high-quality service delivery
Review payroll activity for new hires, terminations, transfers, changes, and other transactions
Review and maintain federal and state tax withholding requirements, including applicable state tax reciprocity documentation
Review and maintain employee benefit deductions, garnishments, 401(k) contributions, and other payroll-related deductions
Maintain payroll audit controls and support applicable payroll compliance requirements
Lead year-end payroll activities, including W-2s, 941s, 1099s, and payroll reconciliations
Research and resolve payroll issues and support payroll-related reporting, analysis, and modeling

Benefits Administration

Support the administration of U.S. employee benefits in partnership with HR and payroll leadership
Ensure accurate coordination between benefit elections, deductions, payroll, and related systems
Support 401(k) administration and related compliance activities
Assist with annual benefits enrollment, plan setup, employee changes, and related processes
Serve as a knowledgeable resource for payroll and benefits-related questions and issue resolution
Assume benefits administration and operational responsibilities as the role and function evolve

Systems, Controls & Process Improvement

Maintain payroll and benefits controls, checklists, procedures, and training documentation
Partner with payroll leadership and other stakeholders on Workday and related payroll and benefits technology initiatives
Support system implementations, integrations, testing, and business process or workflow changes
Identify opportunities to improve payroll and benefits processes, controls, documentation, and service delivery
Develop and support management and ad hoc reporting as needed
Participate in special projects and other initiatives supporting Payroll, Benefits, and HR operations

Supervision & Professional Development

Reports to the Payroll Supervisor
Works closely with payroll administrators supporting U.S. and Canadian payroll operations
Provides day-to-day coordination and oversight of U.S. payroll activities and processes
Partners closely with HR leadership as the position's benefits responsibilities expand
Provides broad exposure to payroll, benefits, Workday, compliance, controls, reporting, and process improvement within a North American operating environment

QualificationsRequired Experience

8+ years of full-cycle U.S. payroll experience
4+ years of Workday experience, including full-cycle payroll processing
Experience with Workday business processes and workflow setup, modification, and maintenance
3+ years of experience overseeing administrators and / or coordinating full-cycle payroll operations
Experience supporting benefits administration, including deductions and 401(k) processes
Demonstrated experience with multi-state payroll and state tax reciprocity
Experience with payroll implementations, system integrations, and testing
Working knowledge of payroll-related general ledger activity
Experience preparing management and ad hoc payroll reporting
U.S. payroll certification or related post-secondary payroll credential

Preferred Experience

Experience supporting annual benefits enrollment and benefits plan setup
Experience with employee group benefits and 401(k) administration and compliance
Experience within a publicly traded and SOX/CSOX-controlled environment
Experience within oilfield services, manufacturing, or a similar operational environment
Experience supporting North American or global operations

Skills & Capabilities

Strong knowledge of payroll operations, controls, and compliance
Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
Analytical and process-oriented approach to problem solving
Ability to manage competing priorities and consistently meet critical payroll deadlines
Ability to provide oversight while remaining comfortable working through detailed payroll and benefits issues
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Ability to collaborate effectively across Payroll, HR, Finance, and other business functions
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and SharePoint

This opportunity is well suited for an experienced payroll professional looking to take ownership of U.S. payroll operations, work within Workday, improve processes and controls, and expand impact across benefits. If you bring deep U.S. payroll expertise, strong Workday capabilities, and benefits experience, and are ready for a role with broader ownership and room to grow connect with Stephanie Tiller at stiller@novasolutions.ai.

Nova Solutions Group

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