Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Company Overview

Soros Fund Management LLC (SFM) is a global asset manager and family office founded by George Soros in 1973. With $28 billion in assets under management (AUM), SFM serves as the principal asset manager for the Open Society Foundations, one of the world’s largest charitable foundations dedicated to advancing justice, human rights, and democracy.

Distinct from other investment platforms, SFM thrives on agility, acting decisively when conviction is high and exercising patience when it’s not. With permanent capital, a select group of major clients, and an unconstrained mandate, we invest opportunistically with a long-term view in a wide range of strategies and asset classes, including public and private equity and credit, fixed income, foreign exchange, and alternative assets. Our teams operate with autonomy, while cross-team collaboration strengthens our conviction and empowers us to capitalize on market dislocations.

At SFM, we foster an ownership mindset, encouraging professionals to challenge the status quo, innovate, and take initiative. We prioritize development, enabling team members to push beyond their roles, voice bold ideas, and contribute to our long-term success. This culture of continuous growth and constructive debate fuels innovation and drives efficiencies.

Our impact is measured by both the returns we generate and the values we uphold, from environmental stewardship to social responsibility. Operating as a unified team across geographies and mandates, we remain committed to our mission, ensuring a meaningful, lasting impact.

Headquartered in New York City with offices in Greenwich, Garden City, London, and Dublin, SFM employs 200 professionals.

Team Overview

This role sits within the Finance group and partners closely with the Human Resources (HR) team on payroll, benefits design, and benefits administration. The Finance team oversees the accounting and financial reporting functions for SFM and the funds it manages. The team is composed of a small group of experienced accounting professionals with strong backgrounds in the investment management industry.

Our HR team is a dynamic and seasoned group that includes HR business partners, generalists, employment lawyers, and administrative support professionals. Together, they manage the full employee lifecycle - from recruiting, onboarding, and offboarding, to compensation planning and program design.

Job Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented and highly organized Payroll & Benefits Specialist to serve as Workday specialist within Finance, manage and administer payroll processes and employee benefits programs. This role ensures accurate and timely payroll processing, compliance with federal and state regulations, and effective benefits administration while delivering excellent employee support with HR team.

Major Responsibilities

• Payroll Administration
  • Process semi-monthly payroll for ~230 employees accurately and on time (including monthly international locations)
  • Partner with Finance and HR to administer year-end bonus payroll, ensuring timely and accurate processing of performance-based and discretionary compensation payments
  • Oversee the timing and processing of vesting compensation and ad hoc payments (e.g., sign-on bonuses)
  • Maintain payroll records and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations
  • Work with external vendors to manage payroll tax filings, wage garnishments, deductions, and year-end reporting (W-2s, 1095-Cs, etc.)
• Benefits Administration
  • Partner with HR team to
    • Administer health, dental, vision, retirement, and other employee benefit programs
    • manage new hire enrollments, life events, and open enrollment processes
    • Assist employees with benefits questions and claims resolution
  • Serve as primary liaison with benefit vendors and brokers
• Compliance & Reporting
  • Prepare payroll and benefits, budget reports for leadership
  • Support audits and ensure documentation accuracy
  • Stay updated on regulatory changes impacting payroll and benefits

What We Value  

• 10+ years of payroll and benefits administration experience
• Strong communication and organization skills
• High attention to detail and strong analytical skills
• Ability to work independently and collaborate across teams
• Experience in Workday is required
• Experience working in financial services is preferred

We anticipate the base salary of this role to be between $150,000-$200,000. In addition to a base salary, the successful candidate will also be eligible to receive a discretionary year-end bonus. 

In all respects, candidates need to reflect the following SFM core values:

Smart risk-taking   //   Owner’s Mindset   //   Teamwork   //   Humility   //   Integrity