Payroll & Benefits Administrator

About SonderMind

SonderMind is focused on making therapy more accessible and more personal, using technology to help people connect with the right in-network therapist when insurance is involved. The company supports high-quality mental healthcare by giving clinicians tools that improve care delivery, including note-taking, secure telehealth, outcome tracking, messaging, and direct booking.

The organization describes itself as transforming mental healthcare through technology and clinician-centered support.

About the Role

This position sits within the People Operations team and is responsible for managing payroll and benefits administration for a growing employee population, with especially close attention to California employees and the state’s detailed wage-and-hour rules. The work is centered in UKG, with a strong emphasis on accuracy, timeliness, and reliable employee support.

The role is designed for someone early in their payroll career who wants practical exposure in a fast-moving, people-focused environment with room to build expertise and visibility.

Key Responsibilities

• Run semi-monthly payroll for the full employee population using UKG Pro and Workforce Management tools, while keeping processing aligned with applicable state wage-and-hour requirements.
• Review payroll information for mistakes or mismatches before each payroll close.
• Handle employee questions related to payroll and work through issues quickly.
• Address payroll matters such as tax setup, garnishments, and system configuration concerns.
• Assist managers with payroll questions, including timecard review, approval steps, and UKG timekeeping problems.
• Administer employee benefits tasks such as enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, carrier file feeds, and frontline support for benefits questions.
• Keep employee records current in UKG, including pay information, deductions, and tax withholding details.
• Help with year-end activities, including W-2 preparation, commission letter handling and distribution, and reconciliation work.
• Support administration and reconciliation of the 401(k) plan, including regular reporting and compliance review.
• Take on additional duties as business needs change.

Success Measures

At 30 days, the person in this role should complete UKG onboarding and be able to process a full payroll cycle with supervision and acceptable accuracy across employee groups.

At 60 days, payroll should be handled with little oversight, including correct application of California rules such as final pay, meal and rest break premiums, and SDI, while identifying exceptions early.

At 90 days, the role should be functioning independently from start to finish, resolving discrepancies without escalation and staying compliant across all state requirements.

By 1 year, the hire should have a strong record of accurate, on-time payroll with no compliance misses, contribute to UKG process improvements, and be a trusted source for California payroll questions.

Qualifications

• 1-2 years of direct payroll processing experience, including full-cycle payroll runs.
• Experience working with UKG (UltiPro or UKG Pro) and Kronos, or similar HRIS/payroll systems.
• Practical understanding of California payroll laws, including overtime, meal and rest break premiums, and final pay rules.
• Knowledge of federal payroll compliance topics such as FLSA, tax handling, and W-2 reporting.
• Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills for audits and reconciliation work.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to catch and correct payroll errors.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving ability.
• Associate degree or above in Accounting, Business, or a related area, or equivalent experience.
• Experience with multi-state payroll is preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

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

Benefits include a flexible hybrid-work approach, at least three weeks of PTO annually, free therapy coverage for employees enrolled in the medical plan, and medical, dental, and vision options including HSA with a $1,100 company contribution and FSA choices. The company also provides employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, life and AD&D coverage, and salary continuation for up to seven weeks of short-term disability leave after the waiting period.

Additional benefits include eight weeks of paid parental leave, with the possibility of 8-16 weeks total if the parent also qualifies for STD, a 401(k) plan with 100% match on up to 4% of base salary that vests immediately, travel to Denver once a year for the annual Shift gathering, 14 company holidays, a shutdown period between Christmas and New Year’s, and supplemental life insurance, pet insurance, commuter benefits, and more.

Application Details

This role is open until filled and will remain in an ongoing recruitment process.

Hiring Process and AI Use

The company may use AI-assisted recruiting tools to help with scheduling, note-taking, transcription, candidate organization, and outreach, but hiring decisions are made by people rather than automated systems. Candidates may request an alternative engagement method, accommodation, or a review of a decision by contacting talent@sondermind.com.

Equal Opportunity

SonderMind states that employment decisions are made without discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, religion, veteran or military status, marital status, domestic partnership status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics under applicable law.

Additional Information

The company notes that it uses technology in recruiting and is committed to a fair and equitable process. The original posting also included references to social media channels for company news and a description of its broader mission to improve behavioral health through technology.