Payroll & HR - Associate

Purpose of Position

This is a newly created hybrid role sitting across Pantheon’s HR and Payroll functions in New York. It brings together two priorities for the North America platform: reliable, accurate delivery of US payroll and Benefits/401(k) administration, and day-to-day HR support for the region with dedicated, Spanish-language support for the Colombia office.

The Associate will spend the majority of their time on Americas payroll processing and benefits and retirement plan administration, and the remainder supporting the North America employee lifecycle and HR operations and provide support to the UK based payroll team. It suits someone who is numerate, detail-focused, discreet with confidential data, and comfortable working across two functions and multiple jurisdictions. Fluency in Spanish is essential.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll, Benefits & 401(k) Administration

• Support the end-to-end processing of Pantheon’s US (multi-state) payroll with the firm’s external payroll provider (ADP), ensuring accuracy and on-time delivery each cycle. Provide support and cover for the UK payroll team.

• Prepare and validate payroll inputs including new hires, leavers, compensation changes, bonuses, deductions, and benefit elections as well as reconcile payroll output before sign-off.

• Administer the Americas retirement plans: process enrolments, deferral changes, loans, and contribution remittances; reconcile contributions each pay cycle; and support annual compliance testing, regulatory reporting, and annual plan audit alongside the plan provider and advisors.

• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger, support month-end and year-end processes (including W-2 preparation), and respond to employee payroll and benefits queries.

• Help maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll tax and wage-and-hour requirements, escalating issues as needed.

• Process monthly, quarterly and annual payroll and wage reporting.

HR & People Operations — North America

• Support the North America employee lifecycle including onboarding, offboarding, contract and letter generation, right-to-work and background checks.

• Provide dedicated HR support to the Colombia office: liaising in Spanish with employees and local providers, coordinating local payroll and benefits, and supporting compliance with Colombian labor requirements in conjunction with local advisors.

• Support the annual performance review and compensation review cycles, and regional

• Maintain employee data integrity across the HRIS, payroll, and benefits systems and help keep HR policies current across US and Colombia jurisdictions.

Cross-Functional

• Partner with the global HR teams in London on Americas people matters, and contribute to Identifying and implementing automation and system integration opportunities that streamline business processes, improve data integrity and enhance operational efficiency across internal and external systems.

Knowledge and Experience Required  

Essential

• Two to four years’ experience in payroll, HR operations, or a blended people and reward role — ideally within financial or professional services.

• Fluent, business-level Spanish (written and spoken); this role provides direct support to the Colombia office.

• Working knowledge of US payroll processing, including multi-state payroll, and familiarity with 401(k) plan administration and US benefits.

• Strong numeracy and attention to detail, with sound judgement and discretion when handling confidential data.

• Proficiency with HRIS and payroll systems (e.g. Workday, ADP) and strong Excel skills.

• Right to work in the US and based in the New York area.

Desirable

• Exposure to Colombian or wider Latin American HR and payroll practices.

• Payroll certification (FPC/CPP) or progress toward an HR qualification (SHRM-CP,/PHR).

• Experience leveraging AI and automation tools to streamline payroll and HR workflows — and a willingness to adopt emerging technologies as they mature.

Expected base salary range:  $120,000 - $130,000 

Actual base salary is determined by a range of factors including individual experience, skills and qualifications. 

In addition to the above salary, Pantheon offers a generous employee benefits package and successful candidates are eligible to receive a discretionary bonus