Total Rewards Specialist - Benefits/Payroll

At WorkWave, we build innovative software and fintech solutions for the people who keep our world safe, clean, and beautiful, from pest control to lawn care, commercial cleaning to security services. With over 8,000 customers around the globe, our platform helps these hardworking service professionals run and grow their businesses from end to end:  from customer acquisition to scheduling, billing, payments, and beyond.

We are seeking a highly detailed, compliance-minded, and empathetic Total Rewards Specialist to join our small but dynamic HR team. In this mid-level role, you will be the day-to-day engine driving our benefits administration and leave of absence (LOA) programs, while serving as a critical partner in payroll auditing and backup processing.

This role is perfect for someone who loves data integrity—thriving in compliance, invoice reconciliation, and system configuration—but also genuinely enjoys “employee care,” helping our team members navigate their benefits and leave options. As part of a lean team, you will have the opportunity to wear multiple hats, contribute to special projects, and directly impact our overall employee experience.

Position is 100% remote within the United States

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

Benefits & Leave Administration

• Daily Administration: Manage day-to-day administration of group benefits programs (medical, dental, vision, 401k, life, and disability insurance).

• Leave of Absence (LOA) Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for multi-state leaves of absence, ensuring strict compliance with FMLA, ADA, and evolving state-specific paid family leave and disability legislations.

• Employee Support: Act as the first line of contact for employee inquiries regarding benefit plans, claim escalations, and leave requests, providing empathetic and clear guidance.

• Open Enrollment: Play a key role in the annual Open Enrollment process, including collaborating on strategy, managing communications, and executing benefit system configuration changes.

Auditing, Compliance & Financials

• Invoice Reconciliation: Own the monthly reconciliation of all group benefit invoices, identifying discrepancies, and working with vendors to resolve billing issues.

• Compliance & Reporting: Ensure all benefit and leave programs remain compliant with federal and state regulations (ACA, COBRA, ERISA, HIPAA). Assist with required filings and testing (5500s, non-discrimination testing).

• Data Auditing: Conduct regular audits of HRIS data, benefit deductions, and leave tracking to ensure 100% accuracy between HR systems and third-party vendors.

Payroll Backup & Special Projects

• Payroll Auditing & Backup: Partner closely with the payroll team to audit payroll cycles prior to finalization. Train on end-to-end payroll processing to serve as the seamless primary backup when needed.

• Special Projects: Contribute to broader HR initiatives, system migrations, total rewards statements, and wellness program implementations.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING:

• Experience: 3 to 5 years of dedicated experience in HR, specifically focusing on benefits administration and leave of absence management.

• Multi-State Expertise: Proven experience managing leaves and benefits across multiple states, with a solid understanding of varying state-specific disability and paid family leave regulations.

• Payroll Exposure: Prior experience with payroll processing or payroll auditing is highly preferred (or a strong aptitude and eagerness to learn).

• Technical Savvy: Hands-on experience working within HRIS/Benefits administration systems. Comfort wit…