Description

About the Foundation 

The Kresge Foundation is one of the top 20 private philanthropic foundations in the United States and the only one focused exclusively on expanding opportunities for people with low-income in American cities. With an endowment of approximately $4 billion and a staff of over 100 employees, the foundation deploys grants and social investments across arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development. The foundation’s state-of-the-art headquarters maintains an array of energy-efficient, water-conserving and health-promoting systems. The foundation also operates an office in Detroit’s Midtown district.

About the Talent and Human Resources Team

The Talent and Human Resources team at Kresge is driven by a Beyond Excellence mindset to ensure the foundation has the people and infrastructure in place to deliver on our mission to promote human progress. We strive to ensure our employees have everything they need to become the best versions of themselves.

About the Position

The Senior HRIS, Benefits & Payroll Specialist is directly responsible for the administration of health and welfare benefits, HRIS, Learning Management System, data analytics, supporting the compensation program, and review and back up payroll. Works in close collaboration with members of the talent and human resources team, vendors, consultants, brokers, legal, information technology, and finance departments. 

Primary Responsibilities

       Benefits Administration

1.       Administer health and welfare benefit plans, including enrollments, life events, terminations, and ensuring compliance with ERISA, IRS, HIPAA, COBRA, ACA, and DOL regulations.

2.       Coordinate annual open enrollment, including planning, communications, system updates, and employee communications and support.

3.       Collaborate with HR Leadership and vendors to evaluate, implement, and manage benefit programs and renewals.

4.       Prepare and maintain employee and retiree benefit materials, including intranet content and new hire resources.

5.       Ensure legal compliance by completing required filings (ACA, 5500, Medicare Part D) and updating plan documents and Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) in coordination with legal counsel.

6.       Maintain accurate benefits data in HRIS, including deductions, coverage updates, and reporting.

7.       Reconcile monthly benefits invoices, resolve discrepancies, and ensure timely payments utilizing the invoice management system.

8.       Identify and implement process improvements to increase efficiency and automation in benefits administration.

Payroll Administration

1.       Review and analyze biweekly, multi-state, payroll data for exempt and non-exempt employees ensuring accuracy and compliance with policies and regulations.   

2.       Serve as payroll back, up processing timesheets, wages, deductions, bonuses, and taxes ensuring accurate and timely payment to employees and tax entities.   

       HRIS Administration 

1.       Administer and configure HRIS for employment and benefit processes, user permissions and vendor interfaces in compliance with federal, state, and local laws.  

2.       Identify and implement automation opportunities and improve HR data quality for accurate metrics and reporting. 

3.       Validate and optimize dashboards in ADP to support Talent and Human Resources initiatives. 

4.       Provide training and documentation to employees and the Talent and Human Resources team on updated processes to ensure smooth workflows.

5.       Prepare various reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data for management and other internal stakeholders. 

6.       Maintain the integration of employee demographics, payroll and benefit plans, and data feeds between HRIS and vendors 

7.       Develop and maintain employee and talent analytics, leveraging technology to streamline processes.  

       Learning Management System

1.       Maintain and update a robust learning management system to support talent management practices.   

2.       Partner with key stakeholders to optimize technology to execute the talent and human resources strategies, including but not limited to performance management, employee and manager on-demand training, and digital content delivery.

3.       Administer the learning management system (Cornerstone), managing user accounts, permissions, course enrollments, and reporting.

4.       Stay current on Cornerstone features and best practices and communicate updates to staff.

5.       Promote Cornerstone through campaigns and learning events to encourage usage and engagement.

6.       Partner with internal teams to post, test, and maintain Kresge-specific e-learning content.

       Compensation Administration

1.       Supports compensation administration and analytics by completing salary surveys and maintaining compensation administration spreadsheets, tools and models to align with compensation philosophy. 

2.       Partner with the Manager of Human Resources to implement manager compensation recommendation tools, annual salary communications to employees, and HRIS updates.

       Other

1.       Document all processes and procedures to ensure business continuity.

2.       Demonstrate a strong commitment to the foundation's vision and values in daily interactions.  

3.       Support an effective, leading-edge Talent and Human Resource department by performing other duties as assigned.  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent professional experience required.
• A certification in Human Resources, Benefits and/or Payroll preferred.
• Other Human Resources certification preferred.
• 6+ years of progressive experience in health and welfare plan administration, payroll processing, and advanced HRIS administration.
• Proven expertise in HRIS platforms, experience with ADP Workforce Now strongly preferred.
• Innovative and hands-on HRIS expert with a proactive approach to system optimization who continuously seeks solutions to enhance platform functionality, streamline processes, and improve user experience.
• Strong understanding of state and federal regulations related to benefits and payroll.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with extensive skills in Excel.
• Skilled in data reconciliation with high attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to analyze data, identify trends, and deliver actionable insights to support HR decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot system issues, identify root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Detail and process-oriented with the ability to partner with non-technical partners to translate user needs into technical requirements.
• Effective communicator with strong written and verbal skills.
• Collaborative team player with the ability to work and build relationships cross-functionally with all teams and levels of staff.
• Demonstrated flexibility, problem-solving ability, and customer-focused listening skills.
• Proven ability to multi-task and able work on multiple projects in high-volume, deadline-driven environments.
• Appreciate and respect the diversity of all individuals in the workplace.

This position is full-time. The starting salary for this position begins at $98,092.00 per year. Individual offers will be based on the candidate's years of experience and our practice of upholding salary equity within the foundation. 

The application deadline for this position is Midnight EST on October 1, 2025. Please attach a cover letter for consideration for this position. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

This position is located in Troy, Michigan and currently has a hybrid schedule. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays are the standard in-office days, however, there may be times when you will have to adjust the days based on work needs. 

Kresge is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

The Kresge Foundation participates in E-Verify to confirm authorization to work in the United States. For more information on E-Verify and to know your rights please click here.