Payroll Specialist

Benefits & Payroll Specialist Denver, CO

Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. (RMPM) is the parent company of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop. Over a million Coloradans turn to Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO Jazz, and The Drop to discover provocative and inspiring local, national, and international programming; find diverse viewpoints; score front row center seats to world-class performances; and experience lifelong learning opportunities every month.

The Benefits & Payroll Administrator is responsible for the day‑to‑day administration, accuracy, and compliance of RMPM's payroll and benefits programs. This role owns payroll preparation and audit in partnership with an external payroll processor and administers all benefit and leave programs, including health plans, retirement, FAMLI, COBRA, and workers' compensation. This position serves as the primary internal point of contact for payroll and benefits questions, maintains accurate HRIS and personnel records, and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

This is a critical operational role that requires attention to detail, discretion, and strong systems capability.

• Benefits Administration:
  • Administer and manage health benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, telehealth, voluntary benefits, and COBRA, ensuring timely enrollment and cancellation of participants.
  • Lead benefits onboarding for new hires and manage life event changes, enrollments, and terminations
  • Manage and execute annual open enrollment, including employee communications and vendor coordination. Administer and manage RMPM's 403(b) retirement program.
  • Coordinate and support the annual 403(b) audit.
  • Administer Colorado's Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program, ensuring employee participation and accurate claims processing.
  • Manage the company's soft benefits program (e.g., employee reimbursement programs and transportation program).
  • Submit monthly invoices of benefit vendors and carriers to A/P for payment processing
  • Manage workers' compensation claims and coordinate with carrier and internal stakeholders.
• Payroll:
  • Own payroll preparation, audit, and submission in partnership with external payroll processor. Reviews and approves payroll runs for accuracy, including deductions, taxes, and benefits integration.
  • Serves as primary internal contact for payroll questions and issue resolution
  • Maintain payroll calendar, reporting, and compliance documentation
  • Submits personnel action forms to payroll processor.
  • Updates and posts payroll and holiday calendar.
  • Assists employees with payroll-related questions.
  • Manages registration and maintenance of employer accounts for out-of-state hires.
  • Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws related to payroll, wage and hour, benefits administration, and leave programs (including FLSA, FAMLI, COBRA, HIPAA, and ERISA where applicable)
• Employee Records and Personnel Files:
  • Maintains employee records in the Human Resource database and physical personnel files; tracks, documents, and manages all required personnel information (e.g. Form I-9, professional licenses, identification documents, etc.); ensures accuracy and compliance with company policies and legal requirements.
  • Assist with HR audits, ensuring employee data is up to date and organized.
• HRIS Reporting:
  • Run and generate reports from the HRIS system related to payroll, benefits, and employee data.
• Unemployment Claims:
  • Oversee and manage unemployment claims, ensuring timely and accurate submission of documents and responses to claims.
  • Collaborate with the HR team to ensure proper documentation and reporting for unemployment claims.

• 3-5 years of related HR experience required.
• Strong HRIS experience required.
• Strong knowledge of payroll systems, tax regulations, and benefits administration.
• Familiarity with Colorado's FAMLI Leave program and other state-specific leave regulations.
• Working understanding of HR best practices in functional areas such as employment law, regulatory compliance, FLSA, and more.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and absolute confidentiality.
• Str…