Workforce Administrator (Payroll Adminstrator)

Zūm is a rapidly expanding Series E startup backed by industry leaders Sequoia Capital, SoftBank, Spark Capital, and GIC, with a bold mission to transform the stagnant school transportation industry. Operating in over 15 states across the United States—with flagship hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle—we are actively extending our reach to the East Coast and Midwest regions. As a technology-driven company, we deploy cutting-edge solutions to manage and operate school district transportation systems while also launching our own charter platform and developing proprietary SaaS offerings. Additionally, we are spearheading a nationwide initiative to electrify school transportation fleets, simultaneously supporting local utilities by feeding much-needed energy back into the grid. We have been recognized as CNBC 50 disruptor, Financial Times 500 fastest growing companies, Fast Company World Changing Ideas.

About the Role

We're seeking a detail-oriented Workforce Administrator to manage critical payroll and HR processes for union and non-union employees at Rockford, IL Zum bus yard. Reporting to the Location Manager with a dotted line to the Payroll and People team, this role ensures accurate timekeeping, seamless onboarding, and exceptional employee experience for the workforce you support. You'll serve as the local point of contact for employee-related issues, working closely with HR, Operations, Finance, union representatives, and school districts. In this hybrid role, you'll balance high-volume hourly employee time administration with HR responsibilities while maintaining compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

What Makes You Successful in This Role

You're the organized, reliable person everyone counts on when they have a payroll question or need help navigating HR processes. You love the satisfaction of getting the details right, whether that's catching a timesheet error before it becomes a paycheck problem or making sure a new hire's first day goes smoothly. You're comfortable juggling a lot at once, from processing dozens of timesheets to answering employee questions to coordinating with multiple departments. You stay calm when things get busy, communicate clearly with everyone from drivers to corporate teams, and handle confidential information with absolute discretion. You're proactive, tech-savvy, and genuinely enjoy being the go-to person who makes sure people get paid correctly and on time because you know how much that matters.

• Timekeeping & Payroll Administration

  • Manage timesheets for union and non-union employees, ensuring accuracy and compliance with company policies and collective bargaining agreements

  • Calculate time and pay discrepancies with precision and respond to employee payroll queries promptly

  • Distribute physical pay documents to employees including paystubs and W-2 forms

  • Coordinate with Finance and Payroll teams to resolve discrepancies and ensure timely, accurate pay processing

  • Conduct regular review and audit activities within Zum's portal to ensure accuracy and compliance

  Employee Support & HR Operations

  • Execute new hire onboarding including I-9/E-Verify completion and HRIS employee profile setup

  • Coordinate with recruiting to ensure new hire paperwork and logistics are completed efficiently

  • Process employee status changes in the HRIS system accurately and in a timely manner

  • Create termination tickets, provide employees with final paychecks, and coordinate all off-boarding tasks

  • Maintain accurate and up-to-date filing systems for administrative records, ensuring compliance with retention requirements

  • Serve as primary local contact for employee questions and concerns on pay and HR, escalating issues appropriately

• Basic Qualifications:

  • High school diploma required; additional coursework in HR or payroll preferred

  • Minimum 1 year of payroll processing experience with high-volume operations (100+ employees)

  • Proficiency with payroll systems (ADP experience strongly preferred)

  Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience administering payroll in a union or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) environment

  • Background in transportation, logistics, or similar industry

  • Demonstrated ability to effectively engage with high volumes of employees and stakeholders

  • Proven track record of cross-functional collaboration across multiple departments

  • Strong attention to detail with the ability to meet strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment

  • Excellent decision-making skills with the ability to provide clear, authoritative guidance when needed

  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills

Zūm Services, Inc. and all its subsidiaries provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.