Payroll Operations Associate

Join Vestwell, a fast-growing fintech company, as a Payroll Operations Associate. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring payroll accuracy, participant eligibility, and data integrity. You will independently identify and resolve complex issues, evaluate potential courses of action, and determine appropriate remediation paths. You will also collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, develop knowledge bases, and identify opportunities for process improvements. This position offers a competitive salary, health coverage, generous vacation and leave policies, and a hybrid work environment.

• Identifying, investigating, and resolving complex, high-priority issues related to payroll accuracy, participant eligibility, and data integrity.
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to surface operational insights, document trends, and contribute input on platform enhancements.
• Developing and maintaining internal and client-facing knowledge bases, and independently identifying opportunities for process improvements.
• Comfort working in a start-up environment with autonomy over task execution and prioritization, while operating within established policies and procedures that require judgment in interpretation and application, rather than mechanical execution
• Exceptional analytical and detail-oriented aptitude; a high degree of accuracy and sound judgment is required as the role regularly affects compliance outcomes, client experience, and operational continuity
• 1 year of relevant experience in Financial Services, Operations, or SaaS industries
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of formal education and work experience
• Strong Excel proficiency (e.g., pivot tables, VLOOKUPs) to analyze data and support operational decision-making within defined parameters including evaluating risk, prioritization, and remediation options
• Problem-solving skills, including the ability to research, analyze, and apply judgment to determine appropriate next steps or escalation paths recognizing that decisions may be subject to review but require meaningful discretion
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to clearly document findings, explain recommendations, and escalate issues appropriately based on assessed risk, complexity, and business impact
• Ability to manage time effectively, balance competing priorities, and meet deadlines with minimal supervision while independently determining sequencing and urgency of work
• Proficiency with productivity tools, especially JIRA
• Retirement industry experience including exposure to ERISA-governed processes or regulated operational environments
• Payroll system experience