Senior Payroll and Benefits Specialist

About Tierra Encantada

Tierra Encantada is the fastest-growing Spanish immersion early education® company in the U.S., providing high-quality care and education to children ages 6 weeks to 6 years. Our model blends language immersion, strong operational standards, and a focus on whole-child development to deliver a differentiated experience for families and educators alike.

Backed by a $30M investment from a premier minority investor, we are scaling nationally and on track to double in size every 18-24 months over the next five years.

Our growth and performance have been recognized by the Financial Times (The Americas' Fastest Growing Companies), Inc. Magazine (10 Hottest Franchise Businesses in America), and Entrepreneur Magazine (Top 50 Franchise Companies Championing Diversity). We are building a company where operational excellence and accountability are non-negotiable.

As we scale rapidly, ensuring consistent performance and strong leadership across centers is critical, making this role a key driver of our continued success. This is an opportunity for a leader who thrives on solving problems, driving measurable results, and building high-performing teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

At Tierra Encantada, our values fuel everything we do. We are passionate about nurturing children's growth and creating intentional learning environments that inspire curiosity and development. We celebrate the richness of diversity, embracing the unique perspectives it brings to our community.

Guided by optimism, we are driven by a shared vision for a brighter future for every child, family, and team member we serve. Join us and be part of a mission-driven team that is committed to making a lasting impact-one child, one family, and one community at a time.

Position Overview

Tierra Encantada is seeking a Sr. Payroll & Benefits Specialist to join our growing team supporting both our Headquarters and Centers across multiple states. In this role, you will own payroll and benefits for Tierra Encantada - ensuring every employee is paid accurately and on time, that our benefits programs run smoothly, and that we remain compliant across all states in which we operate.

When employees go on leave, you are the expert our team relies on for pay calculations, benefit continuation, and HRIS accuracy, working hand-in-hand with our HR Generalist to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

This role reports directly to the CHRO with a close working relationship with the HR Generalist. We are not looking for someone who simply processes payroll - we are looking for someone who makes it better.

Pay and Schedule

This is a full time, exempt position with a typical schedule of Monday through Friday with 4 days per week on site at our headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and 1 day per week WFH.

The base salary range for this position is $85,000 - $95,000 annually depends on qualifications, education, and experience. This position is also eligible for an annual performance bonus.Key ResponsibilitiesPayroll

• Process multi-entity, multi-state bi-weekly payroll on a recurring basis from start to finish - including review, corrections, submission, and post-payroll follow-up, ensuring accuracy.
• Manage payroll timelines and deadlines across all entities and pay groups
• Process payroll deductions (garnishments, advances, childcare discounts, PTO)
• Handle payroll corrections promptly and communicate proactively with affected employees
• Respond to employee payroll questions with a service-first mindset
• Streamline and automate manual payroll workflows over time
• Train and maintain the HR Generalist as a payroll backup capable of running payroll independently when needed
• Deliver payroll reports and support audit outcomes

Benefits Administration

• Ensure 100% enrollment accuracy - all employees paying correct benefit amounts, terminated employees removed on schedule
• Own the annual open enrollment process end-to-end: renewal planning, broker/vendor coordination, plan comparison, employee communications and meetings, enrollment setup, post-enrollment audits and issue resolution
• Maintain relationships with benefit brokers and providers
• Keep HRIS benefit records current and accurate

Leave Administration

• Own payroll execution for all leaves of absence - ensuring pay calculations are accurate for FMLA, parental leave, bereavement, and other paid/unpaid leaves
• Partner with the HR Generalist (who owns leave coordination and tracking) to ensure seamless handoffs between leave intake and payroll execution
• Calculate leave pay, deductions, and ensure accurate benefit continuation during leaves
• Stay current on federal and multi-state leave laws and their payroll implications

Compliance & Reporting

• Maintain 100% compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and benefits regulations across all operating states
• Obtain and maintain unemployment IDs for each new state entity as we expand
• Support WOTC processing in coordination with the Talent Acquisition team
• Ensure accurate payroll and benefits recording in the general ledger in coordination with Accounting and Finance
• Deliver payroll and benefits reports on time; support internal and external audit outcomes

Position Requirements

• 4 to 6+ years of payroll and benefits experience with direct ownership of end-to-end payroll processing in a multi-location and multi-state environment is required.
• Experience owning end-to-end payroll processing for 150+ employees in a multi-location or multi-state environment is required.
• Experience owning reporting, building workflows, analyzing data, reducing errors, and improving processes related to benefits and payroll functions.
• Experience overseeing the company wide open benefits enrollment from start to finish.
• Deep knowledge and comfortability with leave laws (FMLA, state leaves, etc.) and how they interact with payroll.
• iSolved, Rippling , ADP, Paylocity or comparable HRIS/payroll platform experience is strongly preferred.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and build trust.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with or curiosity to explore AI and automation tools and use them responsibly to reduce manual work without sacrificing accuracy or confidentiality.
• Experience managing highly confidential information, detail-oriented, and process-disciplined.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous and evolving environments.
• Experience in childcare, education, retail, or other high-volume hourly workforce environments.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) or PHR/SHRM-CP a plus, not required.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• 12 paid holidays
• PTO accrual of 120 hours
• 401(k) with 3% employer match
• Discounted childcare and waitlist priority for enrollment
• Company paid professional development
• 1 remote work day per week
• Corporate office amenities (gym, wellness/nursing room, onsite company cafe with coffee, espresso bar, beverages, and snacks available to employees at no cost, onsite free parking), casual work environment, and employee-focused events.

Additional Information About the Position

• Once a job offer has been accepted, the candidate must pass a background check and fingerprinting.
• Tierra Encantada is an E-verify employer.
• Tierra Encantada is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, military status, veteran status, genetic information, citizenship, disability status, marital status, family status or any other basis prohibited by law.
• Tierra Encantada is committed to making https://www.tierraencantada.com/ accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact Tierra Encantada Talent Acquisition at careers@tierraencantada.com. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Skills

ADP, Accounting, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Beverages, Brokerage, Childcare, Communication Skills, Compensation and Benefits, Data Analysis, Detail Oriented, Diversity, Employee Benefits, Employee Terminations, Entrepreneurship, External Audit, Finance, General Ledger Accounting, Genetics, HRIS/HRMS, Internal Audit, Leadership, Legal, Maintain Compliance, Medical Conditions, Military, Nursing, PHR (Professional in Human Resources), Payroll Administration, Payroll Management, Payroll Tax, Presentation/Verbal Skills, Problem Solving Skills, Process Improvement, Record Keeping, Regulations, Retail, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Time Management, Vendor/Supplier Planning, Writing Skills

About the Company

Tierra Encantada HQ