Payroll Specialist

The PositionThe City of Santa Rosa is hiring motivated, hardworking individuals to join our Payroll Team! This is an excellent opportunity for those seeking a rewarding career providing critical support to our City's public employees!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 BENEFITS OF CITY EMPLOYMENT12 paid holidays annually, plus 1 to 3 "floating holidays" per year depending on hire date and years of service$500 Annual wellness bonusPaid Family Leave:Flexible schedule (9/80) available with management approvalThe City of Santa Rosa is a Public Service Loan forgiveness EmployerIn addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits, including retirement through CalPERS, a competitive leave accrual package, your choice of health plan, a flexible spending program, flexible work schedule options, and top of the line employer paid (free to you) vision and dental coverage. More information regarding benefits associated with this position can be found in the Unit 7 MOU and on our Miscellaneous Employee Benefits Page.ABOUT THE POSITION:In this role you will 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. 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.THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:Highly organized and detail orientedExcellent interpersonal and customer service skillsAptitude to learn and retain new skills quicklyTwo (2) years of payroll processing with a government agency or organization with labor unionsFamiliarity with an ERP or HRIS systemFamiliarity with FMLA, CFRA, PDLAn understanding of general ledger and debits and credits highly desirable.Experience interpreting policies & procedures related to processing payrollExperience performing detailed numerical work with speed and accuracyAbility to multitask and juggle shifting prioritiesAdvanced Basic excel skills for the reconciliation of benefits related invoices and leave of absence tasks.Ability to evaluate situations and provide well formulated responses based on law, MOUs, policy and past practice.FROM THE STAFF:"I like working for the City first because of the great benefit package. The large amounts that the City contributes towards my health insurance, pension, and other benefits add so much value to my total compensation. I also like the culture, and inclusiveness at the City. I've found that working alongside, and supporting all the people who make this City run smoothly, comes with a sense of pride too. I know my job helps contribute to the greater good of my community. Payroll is an important and rewarding department to work in. We get to interact with all departments in the City, which makes for an interesting workday. In Payroll we work closely with each other, with lots of cooperation and support. I've had the opportunity to learn so much, and improve my skills since coming to this department."-Payroll Specialist"I enjoy working for the City of Santa Rosa, the people are skilled, helpful and friendly. The benefits are really good, and I feel I am paid fairly for the work I do. It's nice to meet employees from around the City when they come to the department to drop off their change forms or ask questions. Payroll is multifaceted so there is a lot to know. You can learn something new almost every day which means you won't get bored. We're able to accomplish a lot and have fun doing it."-Payroll TechnicianHOW TO APPLY: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. Provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Incomplete responses, or responses such as "See Resume" may result in disqualification from the selection process.THE SELECTION PROCESS:The selection process will include a minimum qualifications assessment, and may also include an application and supplemental questionnaire review, followed by department selection interviews.ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.Examples of Duties and ResponsibilitiesPrepares and processes the full cycle bi-weekly payrollSets up and maintains employee master file records in the payroll systemReviews personnel action forms (PAFs) and other employee deduction and contribution forms for completeness and accuracy and makes necessary entries into the payroll systemReviews time and attendance records for accuracy and compliance with various MOUs and City policiesReviews system-generated FLSA overtime payments, various payroll deductions and fringe benefit calculations and makes necessary adjustmentsPerforms complex retroactive pay calculations and applies adjustmentsRuns trial payroll and reviews for accuracy; makes corrections as neededAnalyzes various payroll reports for error and out-of-balance messages and reconciles any discrepanciesGenerates pay checks and direct depositsCalculates separation payouts, including lump sum leave payouts and contributions to deferred compensation plansPrepares spreadsheets to record and track disbursementsCreates accounts payable claims for payment of payroll liabilities and reconciles payroll clearing accountsTracks accrued payroll tax liability, monitors deadlines and prepares tax depositsAssists employees with various questions and requests for informationReceives and researches requirements for wage assignment orders and tax levies and implements related deductionsInterprets and applies MOU provisions and City policies and proceduresReceives and completes various forms, surveys and verifications of employmentAssists in the preparation and reconciliation of annual W-2 formsEstablishes and maintains effective communication and working relationships with managers, supervisors, employees, retirees and all external customersMaintains a variety of payroll records and assists with gathering information requested by auditors or in response to Public Records Act requestsAdditional Duties:Receives and reconciles monthly insurance invoices and prepares accounts payable claims for paymentIssues a variety of uniform benefits in accordance with MOUs and City policy and proceduresTracks employee leaves related to FMLA, CFRA, PDL and MilitaryNotices employees on unpaid leave of amounts due for insurance benefitsPrepares journal vouchersPerform related duties as assignedRequired QualificationsQualifications: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