Payroll and Benefits Specialist II

Thanks for your interest in Oklo! We are searching for a Payroll and Benefits Specialist II to join our team. 

Position Description: 

The Payroll Specialist II is responsible for ensuring accurate and compliant payroll processing and benefits reconciliation across the organization. This role supports the HR, Legal, and Finance teams to maintain seamless payroll operations, manage benefits integrations, and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws. This role will take ownership of payroll and benefits reporting, system maintenance, and process improvements that enhance efficiency and employee experience at Oklo.

This position is ideal for a detail-oriented professional with a strong background in payroll administration, benefits reconciliation, and HR systems management.

Specific responsibilities may include:

• Process multi-state, biweekly payroll for exempt and non-exempt employees in Workday, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance
• Validate employee data for new hires, terminations, and compensation changes, coordinating with HR, Legal, and Finance
• Audit payroll entries, deductions, and accruals for accuracy and completeness.
• Ensure proper administration of garnishments, levies, and child support orders, and work with vendors to ensure timely and accurate processing.
• Assist with federal preparing and filing reports (quarterly and annual)
• Assist in the setup of new tax locations as our operations grow.
• Reconcile health, dental, vision, and retirement plan invoices monthly; identify discrepancies and ensure corrections are processed
• Coordinate with benefits vendors and brokers to resolve billing issues and support audits
• Support open enrollment, life event changes, and benefits data audits
• Partner with the HR Manager to ensure employee benefits deductions and eligibility align with payroll records
• Administer FSA, HSA, 401(k), and other voluntary benefits contributions and reporting
• Serve as the subject matter expert for Workday payroll and benefits modules, maintaining data integrity and troubleshooting issues
• Develop, maintain, and distribute payroll and benefits reports and dashboards for leadership
• Support HRIS data audits and participate in system upgrades, implementations, and testing
• Run monthly payroll reports for workers compensation reporting, and submit those reports to vendor.
• Support annual workers compensation audit
• Recommend and implement process improvements that streamline payroll and benefits operations

Minimum Qualifications: 

• 3-5 years of experience in payroll, ideally in a high-growth environment
• Experience with multi-state payroll processing and associated tax regulations
• Working knowledge of wage laws, benefit plan administration, and general accounting principles
• Proven track record in benefits reconciliation and compliance auditing
• Knowledge of equity programs (ISOs, NSOs, RSUs) and their financial and tax implications, and interest in building on this knowledge.
• Experience with payroll and HR data management
• Proven discretion with high attention to detail when managing confidential compensation data
• Advanced Excel and HRIS reporting skills; proficiency with Google Workspace or Microsoft Office
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills 

Bonus Qualifications:

• Experience with Workday and ADP is strongly preferred
• Certifications in SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, FPC, CPP, PHR, or related  is strongly preferred
• Startup or high-growth company experience
• Experience in the nuclear or energy industry 

Competencies: 

We are looking for an that is:  

• Passionate about making advanced nuclear a reality
• Passionate about clean energy 
• Willing and able to learn quickly 
• Willing to think differently and do things in new ways 
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, highly iterative startup environment 
• Excited to think creatively, critically, and reflectively about the problems they are solving while  not leaning only on what has been done before
• Willing to propose novel and creative solutions to technical problems 
• Able to communicate technical content and results verbally
• An excellent writer who can write in a modern active voice, so make your cover letter compelling and write it well!

Who you are: 

A startup person: You aren't driven by titles or hierarchy and prefer efficiency to excess process. You don't  need or expect to have a lot of guidance, but you enjoy working in a fast-paced team. If you prefer the  culture and feel of a large organization, that is great, but you likely won’t enjoy working with us! There is  plenty of important work and plenty of good opportunities with organizations like that. 

Motivated: You are self-motivated. You bring enthusiasm to the team, and imbue a sense of passion that  goes beyond clocking in and clocking out. This isn’t about a fake or arbitrary “pieces of flair” mentality or  lack of work-life balance! It is about being a part of the vision and feeling a part of reaching team goals. 

A team-player: Oklo genuinely is a team. We aren’t about taking credit for ourselves, and we aren’t about  pushing blame to others. We do incredible things because we work as a team. 

An excellent communicator: We need a person who is not only technically competent but also a clear and  upbeat communicator. 

Creative: Being creative means that when things fall outside clear scopes or processes or problems arise  without clear solutions, you are able to identify it as well as invent ways to solve a problem or fill a need  without micromanagement. The successful person in this job will not only be creative, but also enjoy being  creative and solving open-ended problems which may change day-by-day. 

Detail-oriented: This focus is a big part of excellence, consistency, and quality. Excellent grammar and  spelling matter for both good communication as well as the image of the company that we put forward.

About Oklo travel requirements:

Oklo requires remote employees to travel to headquarters (Santa Clara, CA) twice a quarter annually, based on business or team needs, including attendance at team meetings, off-sites, and other company events or gatherings.

About Oklo compensation: 

Salary: $80,000-$120,000 

Salary may fall outside of the range provided and will be dependent on applicant experience. 

Oklo offers robust compensation packages including competitive pay, equity, performance bonuses, 401k,  health insurance, FSA, flexible work hours, flexible time off and other benefits.

About Oklo Inc.: Oklo Inc. is developing fast fission power plants to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy at scale; establishing a domestic supply chain for critical radioisotopes; and advancing nuclear fuel recycling to convert nuclear waste into clean energy. Oklo was the first to receive a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy for a commercial advanced fission plant, was awarded fuel material from Idaho National Laboratory, and submitted the first custom combined license application for an advanced reactor to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Oklo is also developing advanced fuel recycling technologies in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. National Laboratories.

#CHOP: Oklo’s Values
Collaboration: We go further, together. We bring diverse perspectives, listen actively, and build trust through transparency and respect. We work across disciplines, sharing ownership to turn complex challenges into shared successes.
Humility: We are team players who act for the good of the company and for the world. We are focused on our mission, not personal recognition.
Ownership: We take pride in what we do and how we do it. We are proactive in finding solutions and see tasks through  to completion. We are committed to delivering on our promises to provide clean, reliable, and affordable energy.
Pathfinding: We chart new ground where no path exists by approaching challenges with curiosity, courage, and creativity while navigating ambiguity.