Payroll & Benefits Administrator

About SonderMind

SonderMind is focused on making therapy easier to access and more effective through personalized mental healthcare. The company uses technology to help people connect with the right in-network therapist when they use insurance, while supporting clinicians with tools for notes, telehealth, outcome tracking, messaging, and direct booking. SonderMind’s mission is to improve mental health care by combining strong clinical outcomes with thoughtful technology.

About the Role

As a Payroll and Benefits Administrator on the People Operations team, you will own end-to-end payroll processing for a growing employee base, with special attention to California payroll rules and other wage-and-hour requirements. The role is centered in UKG and also includes timely benefits administration. This is a strong opportunity for someone early in their payroll career who wants practical ownership in a fast-moving, people-focused environment.

Responsibilities

• Run semi-monthly payroll for all employees in UKG Pro and Workforce Management, ensuring pay is accurate and compliant with applicable state wage-and-hour laws.
• Review payroll data before each cycle closes and correct mismatches, errors, or missing information.
• Handle employee questions about payroll and resolve issues quickly.
• Manage payroll-related items such as tax questions, garnishments, and system setup or configuration matters.
• Assist managers with payroll concerns, including timecard checks, approval processes, and UKG timekeeping troubleshooting.
• Administer employee benefits, including enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, carrier file feeds, and first-line support for benefits questions.
• Keep employee records current in UKG, including pay rates, deductions, and tax withholdings.
• Support year-end activities such as W-2 preparation, commission letter handling and distribution, and reconciliation work.
• Assist with 401(k) administration, including review and reconciliation of regular reporting and compliance requirements.
• Take on additional tasks as business needs evolve.

Success Milestones

• Within 30 days, you have completed UKG onboarding and can process a full payroll cycle independently with supervision, showing solid accuracy across employee types.
• Within 60 days, you are handling payroll with minimal oversight, correctly applying California-specific rules such as final pay, meal and rest penalties, and SDI, while spotting exceptions early.
• Within 90 days, you are working fully independently, owning payroll from start to finish, resolving discrepancies without escalation, and staying compliant across state requirements.
• Within 1 year, you have a consistent record of accurate, on-time payroll with no compliance misses, help improve UKG processes, and serve as a dependable resource for California payroll questions.

Requirements

• 1 to 2 years of practical payroll processing experience, including full-cycle payroll runs.
• Experience with UKG, such as UltiPro or UKG Pro, plus Kronos or similar HRIS/payroll systems.
• Working knowledge of California payroll rules, including overtime, meal and rest break premiums, and final pay requirements.
• Understanding of core federal payroll compliance topics, including FLSA, tax rules, and W-2 reporting.
• Comfort using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets for audits and data reconciliation.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to find and fix payroll differences.
• Good critical thinking and problem-solving skills, with a willingness to investigate issues thoroughly.
• Associate degree or higher in Accounting, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Multi-state payroll experience is preferred.

Benefits

• Flexible hybrid work arrangement.
• At least 3 weeks of PTO each year.
• Free therapy coverage for eligible employees enrolled in the medical plan.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance options, including HSA with a $1,100 company contribution and FSA options.
• Employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, and AD&D coverage.
• Pay protection that covers the salary difference for up to 7 weeks of short-term disability leave after the waiting period.
• 8 weeks of paid parental leave, with the possibility of 8 to 16 weeks total if STD also applies.
• 401(k) plan with 100% matching on up to 4% of base salary, vested immediately.
• Annual travel to Denver once a year for the Shift gathering.
• 14 company holidays.
• Company shutdown between Christmas and New Year’s.
• Supplemental life insurance, pet insurance, commuter benefits, and additional offerings.

Additional Information

The stated pay range for this position is $68,000 to $75,000 per year.

The hiring process for this role remains open until the position is filled.

Hiring Process and AI Use

SonderMind may use AI-assisted tools during recruiting to help with scheduling, note-taking, transcription, candidate organization, and outreach coordination. These tools support the process, but hiring decisions are made by the recruiting and hiring teams, not by automated systems. If you need an alternative engagement method, accommodation, or a review of a candidacy decision, you may contact talent@sondermind.com.

Equal Opportunity

SonderMind states that it provides equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, religion, veteran or military status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.