Payroll Specialist

Company: City of Santa Rosa
Location: Santa Rosa
Posted on: August 6, 2022

Job Description:

The Position
Bring your payroll and benefits experience to work for the City of Santa Rosa!
Open until filled. Apply today!
The City of Santa Rosa is committed to building a workforce reflective of our community and establishing a lasting culture of equity and belonging within our organization. Our collective talents and expertise contribute to high-quality public services that support a vibrant, resilient, inclusive City for our community and visitors. We celebrate a diverse workforce and welcome all qualified candidates to apply.
The Position
Payroll Specialists perform a variety of -highly specialized and complex technical and clerical accounting work related to the preparation and maintenance of an automated payroll system, including preparation and processing of the biweekly payroll and related disbursements and similar activities in the Payroll and Benefits Division of the Finance Department.

This is a full journey-level position with direct responsibility for the full-cycle payroll process, generation of paychecks and all related tasks, including special check runs, error monitoring and resolution, reporting, and reconciliation of related accounts. -Individuals in this position are required to have a working knowledge of payroll practices and municipal accounting practices and procedures involving multiple variables, complex accounting activities related to benefits, retirements programs, multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), special pays, complex CalPERS (California Public Retirement System) formulas and calculations, state and federal tax laws and regulations, and a wide variety of routine and non-routine personnel transactions.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate possesses -a minimum of one (1) -year of full cycle payroll processing experience with a government agency or an organization with labor unions and labor contracts using an ERP or HRIS system, a strong team orientation and an understanding of the complexity of processing payroll for a government agency. The ideal candidate will also have experience reconciling payroll clearing accounts; organizing and prioritizing a high volume of work under firm deadlines; understanding, interpreting and applying oral and written -instructions, policies and procedures related to processing payroll; performing detailed numerical work with speed and accuracy; establishing and maintaining effective working relationships; and providing excellent customer service to those contacted in the course of the work. Certification from the American Payroll Association is highly desirable.

The Selection Process
The first step in the selection process will consist of a review of each applicant's employment application and supplemental questionnaire for minimum qualifications.

Depending on the number and breadth of experience of the of applicants, the next step may consist of an online skills examination and/or a thorough evaluation of training and experience as presented on the applications and responses to supplemental questions. Applicants scoring highest in this process will be invited to online interviews.

Please complete a thoughtful, thorough Supplemental Questionnaire submission. - As part of the selection process, your responses to these questions will be scored using criteria specific to this position. Responses such as "See Resume" may be cause for -disqualification from the process.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Prepares and processes the full cycle bi-weekly payroll

Sets up and maintains employee master file records in the payroll system

Reviews personnel action forms (PAFs) and other employee deduction and contribution forms for completeness and accuracy and makes necessary entries into the payroll system

Reviews time and attendance records for accuracy and compliance with various MOUs and City policies

Reviews system-generated FLSA overtime payments, various payroll deductions and fringe benefit calculations and makes necessary adjustments

Performs complex retroactive pay calculations and applies adjustments

Runs trial payroll and reviews for accuracy; makes corrections as needed

Analyzes various payroll reports for error and out-of-balance messages and reconciles any discrepancies

Generates pay checks and direct deposits

Calculates separation payouts, including lump sum leave payouts and contributions to deferred compensation plans

Prepares spreadsheets to record and track disbursements

Creates accounts payable claims for payment of payroll liabilities and reconciles payroll clearing accounts

Tracks accrued payroll tax liability, monitors deadlines and prepares tax deposits

Assists employees with various questions and requests for information

Receives and researches requirements for wage assignment orders and tax levies and implements related deductions

Interprets and applies MOU provisions and City policies and procedures

Receives and completes various forms, surveys and verifications of employment

Assists in the preparation and reconciliation of annual W-2 forms

Establishes and maintains effective communication and working relationships with managers, supervisors, employees, retirees and all external customers

Maintains a variety of payroll records and assists with gathering information requested by auditors or in response to Public Records Act requests

Additional Duties:

Receives and reconciles monthly insurance invoices and prepares accounts payable claims for payment

Issues a variety of uniform benefits in accordance with MOUs and City policy and procedures

Tracks employee leaves related to FMLA, CFRA, PDL and Military

Notices employees on unpaid leave of amounts due for insurance benefits

Prepares journal vouchers

Perform related duties as assigned

Required Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS :
Knowledge of : The principles, procedures and practices related to financial recordkeeping and reporting; -basic bookkeeping methods and practices; business math, including fractions, decimals, percentages, and ratios; principles, best practices and methods for the preparation and maintenance of a complex automated payroll system, including preparation and processing of a biweekly payroll and related disbursements; -accounting, reporting, recordkeeping, reconciliation and -regulatory compliance; federal and State laws related to payroll and tax accounting; Fair Labor Standards Act and CalPERS regulations and requirements; techniques for providing effective customer service in dealing with City staff and others contacted in the course of the work; and proper business English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Ability to : Rapidly learn and conduct full-cycle payroll processing, calculate retroactive pay adjustments and other calculations required for complex payroll processing; understand, interpret, and apply the provisions of MOUs, legal documents and tax requirements; advise others on how to apply policies, procedures and standards to specific situations related to payroll policies; exercise judgment to analyze and categorize data and information in order to determine the relationship of the data with reference to established criteria/standards; compare, count, differentiate, measure and/or sort, as well as assemble, copy, record and transcribe data and information; classify, compute and tabulate data; research and solve complex payroll issues; accurately perform basic to complex arithmetic computations manually; calculate percentages, fractions, decimals and rations; interpret basic descriptive statistical reports and/or formulation data; work independently with minimal supervision; organize and prioritize work activities independently; communicate effectively, orally and in writing with employees and representatives of other entities such as CalPERS and State and federal tax agencies; establish effective working relationships with others; and use a computer and related software to input, query and maintain data.

Experience and Education : Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: - Experience -- Sufficient experience including bookkeeping, payroll or financial record keeping or other clerical accounting experience which demonstrates the possession of the knowledge and abilities listed above. Typically, this would include the equivalent of three (3) years of full time experience working in a full cycle payroll environment at an organization of similar size and complexity to the City of Santa Rosa. - Education - -Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade, supplemented with courses in accounting, business, or a related field. One year of college level course work in accounting or financial record keeping and American Payroll Certification is highly desirable.

LICENSE
This classification may require the use of a personal or City vehicle while conducting City business. In order to operate a vehicle, individuals must be physically capable of operating a motor vehicle safely and possess a valid California motor vehicle operator's license, OR be able to demonstrate the ability to travel on scheduled and unscheduled visits to various City locations which may or may not be reachable by public transportation.
Additional Information
Working conditions and physical job requirements are available on our website.

The City of Santa Rosa is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

Keywords: City of Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa , Payroll Specialist, Accounting, Auditing , Santa Rosa, California