Payroll & HR Operations Specialist

Ascend HR CorpHouston, TX

$26 - $38 / hour

Apply with Sonara

Automate your job search with Sonara.

Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.¹

Reclaim your time by letting our AI handle the grunt work of job searching.

We continuously scan millions of openings to find your top matches.

Overview

Schedule

Flexible-schedule

Part-time

Career level

Senior-level

Remote

Compensation

$26-$38/hour

Benefits

Flexible/Unlimited PTO

Job Description

Job title: Payroll & HR Operations Specialist — Remote (Texas or Virginia preferred)
Location: Houston, TX — remote enabled
Type: Part-time, W-2
Pay: $26–$38 per hour
Tagline: You will be the dependable voice behind accurate, on-time payroll for a portfolio of client companies.

DescriptionWe run HR and payroll for companies of 10 to 499 employees that do not have an HR department of their own.You would own the payroll and operations side for a portfolio of them, working alongside an HR generalist and a compliance specialist.You are not one person doing everything — that is the point of how we are built.We have been at this since 2009. We started in recruitment and moved into HR because our clients kept needing help keeping the people we found them.Two levels, one posting.We are hiring at either level, depending on who we meet:

Payroll Specialist — $26 to $32 an hour. Two or more years running full-cycle payroll, with multi-state exposure.
Senior Payroll & HR Operations Specialist — $32 to $38 an hour. Five or more years, including registering employers in new states from scratch, working agency notices, and making classification calls you can defend.

Tell us which one you are and we will be straight with you about where you land.What you would do

Run payroll end to end: processing, tax filing and deposits, direct deposit, pay stubs
Handle multi-state registration and withholding as clients add employees in new states
Manage garnishments, levies and support orders
Own quarterly and year-end filings, W-2s and 1099s
Run onboarding and offboarding: I-9, E-Verify, new-hire reporting, benefits enrollment
Set up and administer each client's HR system and keep the data clean enough to trust
Answer client questions directly. Most of your day is client contact, not a ticket queue.

Who this is forYou like getting it exactly right, and you like people. Payroll is precise work, but precision is only half the job. The person who runs payroll is usually the first person a business owner calls, and how you answer matters as much as whether the number is correct.Our clients are owners and office managers who have never had HR support before. They ask basic questions. They deserve a straight answer without being made to feel behind.What we are looking for

Two or more years running payroll for the Specialist level, five or more for the Senior level — ideally across more than one company or entity
Multi-state payroll experience, or a real appetite for learning it quickly
Solid on worker classification — exempt versus non-exempt, employee versus contractor — and honest about where you would want a second opinion
Clear on the phone and clear in writing. You will be the voice of this company to several clients at once.
Organized enough to carry a portfolio without anyone chasing you

Useful but not required: certified payroll and prevailing wage, Davis-Bacon or Service Contract Act work, construction or healthcare clients, benefits administration, moving a company off a PEO.The arrangementW-2, part-time to start at roughly 15 to 25 hours a week. As our client base grows you can move to full-time if you want it, or stay part-time. Both are fine, and the hourly rate is the same either way.Fully remote. We are based in Houston, and Texas or Virginia is a plus for overlapping hours, but neither is required. We can hire in Texas, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina today. If you are somewhere else and this is a strong fit, say so and we will look at it.Occasional client visits are possible. They are never required, and we cover the travel.What's in it for you

Real schedule flexibility. Start at 15 to 25 hours a week and grow toward full-time if you want it, or stay part-time. The hourly rate is the same either way.
Your own portfolio of client relationships rather than a ticket queue.
Direct contact with the people you serve, without three layers of internal process between you and a decision.
A team built so you are not alone on the hard questions. An HR generalist and a compliance specialist work alongside you, and the expectation is that you use them.

What we work inBambooHR is our primary HR system, alongside Google Workspace and Microsoft Office. If you have not used BambooHR specifically, tell us what you have run and how quickly you pick up a new system.How we workTwo things are not negotiable here, because they are why our clients stay: we are friendly and we are responsive.Responsive means a reply inside the window we promised that client — 8, 4 or 2 business hours depending on their package — every time, including when the honest reply is "I have it, here is when you will hear back."Friendly means no jargon, no sighing at a basic question, and never making a client feel small for not knowing something.If that reads as a slogan rather than a description of you, this will not be a fit.To applySend your resume and a few sentences on the trickiest payroll situation you have handled and how you worked it out. We read those.

Automate your job search with Sonara.

Submit 10x as many applications with less effort than one manual application.

Apply with Sonara Apply manually

FAQs About Payroll & HR Operations Specialist Jobs at Ascend HR Corp

What is the work location for this position at Ascend HR Corp?

This job at Ascend HR Corp is located in Houston, TX, according to the details provided by the employer. Some roles may also include multiple work locations depending on the requirement.

What pay range can candidates expect for this role at Ascend HR Corp?

Candidates can expect a pay range of $26–$38 per hour for this role.

What employment applies to this position at Ascend HR Corp?

Ascend HR Corp lists this position under the following employment categories:

Flexible-schedule
Part-time

What experience level is required for this role at Ascend HR Corp?

Ascend HR Corp is looking for a candidate with "Senior-level" experience level.

Does Ascend HR Corp allow remote work for this role?

Yes, this position at Ascend HR Corp supports remote work, giving candidates the flexibility to work outside the primary office location.

What benefits are offered by Ascend HR Corp for this role?

Ascend HR Corp offers Flexible/Unlimited PTO for this position. Actual benefits may vary depending on the employer's policies and employment terms.

What is the process to apply for this position at Ascend HR Corp?

You can apply for this role at Ascend HR Corp either through Sonara's automated application system, which helps you submit applications 10X faster with minimal effort, or by applying manually using the direct link on the job page.