HR Specialist - Payroll, Benefits, and Leave

Human Resources Specialist – Payroll, Benefits, & Leave
Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico Legal Aid (NMLA) provides civil legal services to low-income New Mexicans to promote family and economic stability, helping clients access food, shelter, security, and to preserve their unique cultural heritages. NMLA has locations throughout the state, including Santa Ana Pueblo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Gallup, Roswell, Silver City, and Taos.
This position is based in the Albuquerque office and reports to the Human Resources Manager.
The Human Resources Specialist – Payroll, Benefits, & Leave is primarily responsible for payroll administration, benefits coordination, leave administration, and employee lifecycle processes for a multi-office nonprofit organization. This role serves as a key operational partner within Human Resources, helping ensure accurate payroll and benefits administration, maintaining HRIS data integrity, supporting employee transitions, and assisting with operations, compliance and collective bargaining processes.
This position works closely with Human Resources, Finance, Grants, employees, benefits vendors, and organizational leadership to support operational efficiency, employee support, and accurate administration of payroll, leave, retirement, and benefits programs.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Process payroll accurately and timely in accordance with organizational policies, collective bargaining requirements, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Maintain and update employee records, compensation data, payroll deductions, benefits information, and leave balances within the HRIS system.
• Review payroll, leave, and benefits data for accuracy and resolve discrepancies related to employee records, deductions, accruals, and payroll processing.
• Coordinate administration of employee benefits programs, including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, STD, LTD, retirement, and related benefit offerings.
• Organize and coordinate annual open enrollment activities in partnership with external benefits administrators, including timelines, employee communications, enrollment tracking, and related documentation.
• Serve as an internal resource for employee questions related to benefits, payroll, leave, and HRIS information, while coordinating with external vendors and administrators as needed.
• Support leave administration processes, including tracking leave donations and leave usage, maintaining documentation, coordinating employee communications, auditing leave balances, and assisting with compliance requirements related to FMLA and other leave programs.
• Support administration of workplace accommodation processes, including documentation management, coordination, tracking, and employee communication support.
• Process and track compensation changes, annual step increases, and related Personnel Action Forms in accordance with organizational policies.
• Coordinate retirement plan administration activities, including enrollments, payroll deductions, reporting, and related documentation for the organization’s 403(b) plan.
• Assist with onboarding and offboarding processes, including HR documentation, benefit transitions, final payroll coordination, exit meetings, and preparation of final accounting and benefits information for separating employees.
• Prepare and maintain HR and payroll-related reports, records, and supporting documentation for audits, grants, compliance activities, budgeting, collective bargaining support, grievances, and internal review.
• Participate in collective bargaining negotiations and assist with gathering payroll, benefits, leave, and compensation-related data and documentation as needed.
• Collaborate with Human Resources and Finance to ensure accurate payroll processing, employee data integrity, compensation administration, and benefits coordination.
• Research payroll, benefits, leave, HR, and HRIS issues proactively and assist in resolving discrepancies or operational concerns.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and support operational efficiency across HR and payroll functions.
• Maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive employee information.
• Provide ongoing operational and administrative support for Human Resources functions, including backup coverage and cross-functional assistance as needed to support employees and departmental operations.
• Provide operational and administrative support for Grants and Finance functions and initiatives as they relate to Human Resources, as needed.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.
This role requires strong organizational skills, initiative, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while supporting employees with professionalism, responsiveness, and sound judgement in a fast-paced environment.

Company Benefits
• 100% employer-paid BCBS medical, plus dental and vision for employees; generous contributions for dependents
• 3 weeks vacation time, 6 days personal time, plus sick pay and federal holidays off
• Hybrid work schedule (3 days in office, 2 days remote).
• 37.5-hour work week
• 403(b) Retirement Plan
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Salary: $65,000 - $75,000 DOE