Title: HR and Payroll Coordinator

Reports to: Director of Human Resources

Classification: Full-Year Professional Staff

Status:  Full-Time non-exempt

Compensation: Commensurate with experience: salary range of $72,800-$93,600 ($35-$45/hour)

Location: Onsite 

MCDS is an independent, K-8, co-educational school of 600 students. Our mission is to create an inclusive community of learning that inspires curiosity, empathy, and action. Rooted in our values of respect, responsibility, and compassion, we are an intentional community where varied perspectives and life experiences are vital to our collective growth and the strength of our program.

Our Academic & Community Programming: We model teaching excellence through student-centered, differentiated instruction framed around experiential and place-based education. Our 35-acre campus on the hillside of Ring Mountain serves as a living laboratory where students engage directly with environmental sustainability. Our academic program is purposefully scaffolded around three key skill areas—literacy, mathematics, and writing—partnered closely with the developmental milestones and social-emotional needs of our learners.

A Culture of Professional Learning: MCDS is devoted to cultivating an inspiring professional learning environment where adults are engaged in growth throughout the trajectory of their time here. We provide robust funding and time for professional development, encouraging practitioners to seek constant improvement as educators, team members, and community leaders.

The Opportunity

The HR and Payroll Coordinator is a dynamic, hybrid role that provides essential administrative and operational support to both the Business Office and the Human Resources Department. This position is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of payroll processing, maintaining employee records, coordinating onboarding, and executing routine HR and payroll audits.

As a key representative of both departments, the ideal candidate will possess excellent numerical accuracy, exceptional organizational skills, and a high level of confidentiality and professionalism suited for a private school environment.

Primary Responsibilities include:

Payroll Operations & Administration (Under the direction of the Controller & HR Director)

• Bi-Weekly Payroll Preparation: Collect, review, and accurately prepare the regular payroll batch for a bi-weekly schedule, ensuring seamless data entry of hours, wages, deductions, and tax withholdings into the payroll system (Paylocity).
• Payroll Batch Presentation: Finalize and present completed payroll batches to both the Director of HR and the Controller for final approval and release.
• Complex Timecard Management: Review and verify hours for non-exempt employees, specifically managing complex tracking for staff members who divide hours across multiple school departments (e.g., tutoring, after-school support services, coaching, and supplemental school activities).
• Benefit Reconciliation: Perform comprehensive monthly reconciliation of employee benefit carrier invoices (health, dental, vision, retirement) against actual payroll deductions to ensure perfect cross-system accuracy.
• Annual Audit Support: Assist the Controller in gathering data, generating reports, and preparing critical documentation for annual workers' compensation, 403(b) retirement plan, and general school financial audits

Human Resources Support & Compliance (Under the direction of the HR Director)

• New Hire Compliance Tracking: Actively track and monitor strict California state law and private school compliance requirements for all new hires, ensuring mandatory elements including LiveScan fingerprinting, background checks, and TB clearances are completed before employment begins.
• Mandatory Training Management: Schedule, coordinate, and track required compliance trainings (e.g., sexual harassment prevention, mandated reporter training) for new hires and ongoing re-certifications for current employees, updating internal compliance dashboards.
• Onboarding & Orientation: Coordinate the logistics of the new hire onboarding process,, establishing portal access, completing onboarding packets, and conducting initial operational orientation.
• Benefits Support: Assist the Director of HR during open enrollment. Support employees with Ease portal questions, audit integration between Ease and Paylocity, 
• File Management & HR Support: Collaborating closely with the Director of HR, who maintains primary responsibility for personnel files, assist the department with organizing and storing digital and physical records (including medical, personnel, and payroll files). Conduct routine internal audits of HR files and I-9 documents under the HR Director’s guidance to ensure regulatory compliance and data integrity. 
• General Administration: Field and resolve everyday employee inquiries regarding payroll discrepancies, time-tracking procedures, and basic HR policies.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Accounting, or a related field preferred (or equivalent experience).
• Experience: 2–4 years of experience working in an administrative role covering payroll entry or HR coordination. Experience in an educational or non-profit setting is a major plus.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with payroll platforms and HRIS systems. Strong understanding of Google Workspace, Paylocity and Ease preferred.
• Compliance Knowledge: Basic understanding of wage and hour laws, payroll taxes, and employment regulations.

Key Competencies & Core Attributes

• Confidentiality: Must maintain absolute discretion regarding sensitive employee compensation, medical, and personal information.
• Attention to Detail: Exceptional accuracy in data entry and numerical calculations is critical for preventing payroll errors.
• Communication Skills: Warm, professional, and clear communication style when interacting with faculty, staff, and external vendors.
• Adaptability: Ability to balance competing priorities and meet strict deadlines from two distinct department heads.