Benefits and Payroll Specialist
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Job Location:
Monthly Salary:
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services including banking leasing securities credit cards and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFGs shares trade on the Tokyo Nagoya and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.
In the Americas SMBC Group has a presence in the US Canada Ireland Mexico Brazil Chile Colombia and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate institutional and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organizations extensive global network. The Groups operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC) SMBC Nikko Securities America Inc. SMBC Capital Markets Inc. SMBC MANUBANK JRI America Inc. SMBC Leasing and Finance Inc. Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A. and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co. Ltd.
- This is a hybrid role requiring the successful candidate to attend our Tralee office.
Role Description
SMBC is seeking a Benefits Specialist Ireland to lead the administration and continuous improvement of our Ireland-based employee benefits programs. This role is responsible for managing relationships with third-party vendors ensuring compliance with Irish benefits regulations and supporting employees with benefits-related inquiries. While this role coordinates payroll inputs it does not include payroll processing responsibilities.
The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in benefits operations a strong understanding of Irish employment and pension regulations and a passion for driving process efficiency and employee experience.
Role Objectives: Delivery
- Administer Ireland-specific employee benefits programs including health insurance life assurance pension schemes EAP and paid time off.
- Coordinate benefits-related activities such as open enrollment employee communications and HRIS (e.g. SuccessFactors) integration.
- Partner with third-party vendors to manage benefits claims leaves of absence and invoice processing.
- Gather and validate monthly payroll inputs related to benefits (e.g. deductions leave impacts) ensuring accuracy and compliance with Irish regulations.
- Support internal and external audits related to benefits including oversight of the Tralee Pension Scheme.
- Identify and implement process improvements to streamline benefits administration and enhance employee experience.
- Serve as the first point of contact for Ireland-based employees on benefits-related inquiries providing timely and accurate support.
- Build strong relationships with local business stakeholders to understand operational needs and tailor benefits support accordingly.
- Collaborate with internal teams (e.g. Compensation Payroll Finance) to ensure accurate and compliant processing of benefits-related transactions.
- Partner with HR colleagues and external vendors to coordinate wellness initiatives and benefits campaigns.
- Communicate effectively with vendors to resolve issues monitor service levels and support vendor selection through basic cost and service analysis.
Role Objectives: Expertise
- Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of Ireland-specific benefits programs pension governance and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain working knowledge of Irish employment law data privacy and compliance standards related to benefits.
- Leverage HRIS tools (e.g. SuccessFactors) and Microsoft Excel to manage data track metrics and support automation.
- Stay current on trends in employee benefits wellness and HR operations through ongoing learning and professional development.
- Contribute to the development of scalable centralized processes that improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.
Qualifications and Skills
- Experience: 35 years in benefits administration with Ireland-specific experience strongly preferred. Exposure to payroll coordination is a plus but not required to process payroll.
- Technical Skills: Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with HRIS platforms such as SuccessFactors.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of Irish employment law pension governance and benefits compliance.
- Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to explain complex policies clearly and empathetically.
- Collaboration: Proven ability to work cross-functionally and manage multiple priorities across time zones.
- Detail Orientation: High level of accuracy in data handling reporting and documentation.
- Process Mindset: Demonstrated ability to identify inefficiencies and implement process improvements.
Additional Requirements
SMBCs employees participate in a hybrid workforce model that provides employees with an opportunity to work from home as well as from an SMBC office. SMBC requires that employees live within a reasonable commuting distance of their office location. Prospective candidates will learn more about their specific hybrid work schedule during their interview process.
SMBC provides reasonable accommodations during candidacy for applicants with disabilities consistent with applicable federal state and local law. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process please let us know at
Required Experience:
IC
Key Skills
- Customer Service
- Fmla
- HIPAA
- Microsoft Outlook
- Benefits Administration
- HRIS
- Payroll
- Employment & Labor Law
- ADP
- Human Resources
- Phone Etiquette
- Workday
