Payroll and People Operations Analyst

M3 (www.m3as.com) is a leading provider of hospitality-specific software solutions, delivering cloud-based tools for hotel accounting, financial reporting, labor management, payroll, and business intelligence. Built by hoteliers for hoteliers, M3 empowers hotel owners, operators, and management companies to streamline back-office operations, reduce costs, gain real-time insights, and drive portfolio performance across thousands of properties in North America and beyond.

Description Summary:   

The Payroll & People Operations Analyst plays a critical role in ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time, supported through key moments in their employment lifecycle, and equipped with clear, accessible information about their benefits. This role blends technical payroll expertise with a people-first mindset, supporting both day‑to‑day operations and long‑term process improvements across HR systems, compliance, and employee experience. This is a hybrid role with 2 days in office and 3 days remote.  

 Essential Duties: 

Payroll Administration 

• Process payroll accurately and on established schedules. 
• Reconcile payroll data and resolve discrepancies. 
• Ensure compliance with federal and state wage and hour regulations. 
• Process end‑to‑end payroll for all employees, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. 
• Maintain payroll records, audit data for discrepancies, and resolve issues proactively. 
• Partner with Finance on payroll reconciliations, journal entries, and reporting. 
• Manage off‑cycle payrolls, bonuses, commissions, and adjustments as needed. 
• Ensure proper taxation, garnishments, and deductions are applied. 
• Support year‑end activities including W‑2 distribution and payroll audits. 

Benefits Support & Administration 

• Serve as a primary point of contact for employee benefits questions, including health, dental, vision, disability, FSA/HSA, retirement plans, and leave programs. 
• Support open enrollment, benefits onboarding, and life‑event changes. 
• Partner with benefits brokers and vendors to resolve employee issues and maintain accurate enrollment data. 
• Assist with benefits billing, audits, and monthly reconciliation. 
• Maintain up‑to‑date documentation and employee resources related to benefits. 

People Data & Reporting 

• Maintain accurate employee data across HR systems, including compensation, job, and status changes. 
• Develop and maintain recurring reports related to headcount, turnover, and workforce data. 
• Provide timely and accurate reporting to support internal stakeholders. 
• Identify and resolve data inconsistencies and ensure ongoing data integrity. 
• Support improvements to reporting processes and tools.  

HRIS & Data Management 

• Maintain HR systems to ensure employee data is current and accurate. 
• Execute system updates related to hires, terminations, and employee changes. 
• Perform regular audits to ensure consistency and reliability of data. 
• Support enhancements to system workflows and reporting capabilities.  

People Operations Support 

• Support onboarding, offboarding, and employee lifecycle processes from a systems and operations perspective. 
• Ensure all employee changes are processed accurately and in a timely manner. 
• Partner with People Operations team members to support day-to-day operational needs.  

Leave Administration 

• Coordinate leave intake and documentation (FMLA and applicable state leave). 
• Track leave eligibility and timelines. 
• Coordinate payroll and benefits impacts related to leave. 
• Maintain accurate leave records and compliance documentation.  

Employee Support  

• Respond to employee inquiries related to payroll, benefits, and HR systems. 
• Support onboarding and offboarding logistics. 
• Maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive employee data. 

Education/Training/Experience:  

• 3–5+ years of payroll or HR operations experience. 
• Strong understanding of payroll processes, wage and hour laws, and tax regulations. 
• Experience with HRIS and payroll systems (e.g., UKG and Greenhouse (preferred) ,ADP, Paylocity, Workday, etc.) 
• Experience supporting employee benefits administration. 
• Familiarity with HR compliance requirements (FMLA, ACA, COBRA, etc.). 
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and professionalism. 
• High attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and a commitment to accuracy. 
• Excellent communication skills and a service‑oriented mindset. 
• Experience in a mid-sized or scaling organization preferred 
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, HR, Finance, or related field preferred. 
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is a plus 
• Experience processing multi-state payroll preferred.