Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Job Description

At UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, we know why we come to work.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Evanston, Illinois, office. The Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist is responsible for the administration of the payroll function for UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), completing runs of payroll cycles, balancing and reconciling payroll amounts, and verifying payroll data. This role collaborates with the HR team in the development, implementation, and delivery of benefits administration and wellness programming, including being responsible for managing leave activity, ensuring compliance with FMLA, ADA, and other applicable federal and state leave programs.

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement:

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk, OR created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

Build a safer, more secure, and sustainable future with us. Join us and work with our Chemical Insights, Digital Safety, Electrochemical Safety, Fire Safety, Materials Discovery Research Institute, Standards teams who conduct the research OR develop the standards required to produce that knowledge and put into practice OR put that knowledge into practice.

What you'll learn and achieve:

As the Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Run payroll cycles according to payroll schedule and verify accuracy of manual data entry in payroll system (Workday) through balancing and performing comparison for differences.

• Perform state and local tax registrations as needed.

• Process payroll for international employees by working with an external employer of record.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of federal, state, and local labor laws, regulations, and industry standards.

• Maintain benefit-specific information within Workday and oversee employee benefit enrollments.

• Administer and support employee-qualified leave of absence programs such as sick leave, short- and long-term disability, FMLA, and ADA.

• Collaborate with benefits providers to ensure accurate billing and timely payment, as well as resolve issues as needed.

• Maintain data in HR systems to ensure integrity and compliance, conduct audits and make associated corrections as appropriate. Prepare and distribute standard and ad-hoc reports for internal and external sources.

• Serve as a first point of contact for employee payroll and benefits questions, receive and respond to internal and external inquiries in a timely manner, and address accounting inquiries to facilitate their timely reconciliation of the general ledger.

• Maintain a high level of professionalism, confidentiality, and integrity.

• Perform other duties as directed.

What you'll experience working at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement:

For the organizations across the UL enterprise, corporate and social responsibility isn't new. We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to detect numerical errors.

• Working knowledge of payroll and accounting practices, procedures, and systems.

• Knowledge of benefits administration including leave of absence and wellness programming.

• Working knowledge of federal, state and local tax codes, as well as IRS and state regulations that impact payroll.

• Knowledge of benefits compliance including FMLA, ADA, ERISA, and ACA.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel with advanced skills in data manipulation and analysis (VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP, pivot tables, etc.).

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, HR, or a related discipline.

• Minimum 6 years directly related experience.

• Experience with multi-state payroll reporting is required.

• Prior experience with Workday is preferred.

• Prior experience with leave of absence administration is preferred.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement:

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

Our wholly owned subsidiary, UL Solutions, advances our shared public safety mission. We fund our work through grants, the licensing of standards documents and the business activities of UL Solutions, which conducts testing, verification and certification, and provides training and advisory services, along with data-driven reporting and decision-making tools for customers around the world.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.