Payroll Administrator

Payroll Administrator

A successful candidate will play an active role in the City of College Park's existing operational success. The purpose of the position is to serves as a key liaison between Human Resources, Finance, employees, benefits providers, and external agencies and requires strong technical knowledge, attention to detail, sound judgment, organization, and customer service skills.

Essential Functions

Independent judgment is required to identify, select, and apply the most appropriate of available guidelines and procedures, as well as interpret precedents. The Payroll Administrator is responsible for overseeing the accurate, timely, confidential, and compliant administration of the City's payroll operations. This position manages all payroll functions, including payroll processing, taxes, deductions, garnishments, benefits, leave balances, reconciliations, employee records, and year-end reporting, while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, City policies, and established procedures.

Payroll Administration

• Manage and oversee the City's end-to-end payroll process for all employees.
• Process, review, validate, and balance bi-weekly and monthly gross-to-net pay calculations, ensuring the timely and accurate distribution of pay and deductions.
• Process regular, special, supplemental, and off-cycle payrolls accurately and within established deadlines.
• Review payroll information for accuracy, including hours worked, overtime, leave, deductions, stipends, allowances, pay changes, and other compensation.
• Verify payroll changes and ensure appropriate authorization and documentation are received before processing.
• Review payroll registers and reports before final payroll approval.
• Prepare and print checks.
• Maintain accurate payroll records and ensure payroll documentation is properly retained.
• Identify and resolve payroll discrepancies promptly and professionally.
• Ensure payroll procedures are consistently followed and recommend improvements when appropriate.
• Submit GMA retirement reports each payroll.

Payroll Taxes and Regulatory Compliance

• Prepare payroll tax deposits, 941s, DOL Quarterly State Taxes, and W2's.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of federal and state payroll tax requirements.
• Monitor changes to payroll tax laws, regulations, withholding requirements, and reporting requirements and recommend necessary changes to payroll practices.
• Ensure accurate preparation and distribution of annual W-2s and other applicable tax documents.
• Research and resolve payroll tax notices, discrepancies, and agency inquiries.
• Maintain compliance with applicable federal and state wage and hour laws and payroll regulations.

Garnishments and Legal Deductions

• Administer employee garnishments and other involuntary deductions in accordance with federal and state requirements.
• Review and interpret garnishment orders, tax levies, child support orders, bankruptcy orders, and other legal documents affecting payroll.
• Ensure deductions are accurately calculated, processed, remitted, and documented.
• Maintain confidentiality of employee information related to garnishments and other sensitive payroll matters.
• Communicate with courts, government agencies, attorneys, and employees regarding payroll-related legal deductions as appropriate.
• Monitor garnishment changes, releases, and termination notices to ensure timely updates.

Payroll Reconciliation and Finance Coordination

• Work closely with the Finance Department to reconcile payroll, payroll taxes, deductions, benefit payments, and related general ledger accounts.
• Prepare and review payroll-related reports, journal entries, and accounting documentation.
• Assist with payroll-related audits and provide supporting documentation as requested.
• Coordinate payroll funding and ensure payroll transactions are accurately recorded.
• Provide Finance with accurate payroll information necessary for financial reporting and budgeting.

Human Resources Coordination

• Work closely with the HR Director and/or HR Generalist on employee compensation, new hires, promotions, transfers, salary adjustments, terminations, leave, and other personnel actions affecting payroll.
• Administers the City's Defined Benefit plan, 401K, and Deferred Compensation plans.
• Interact with insurance companies, brokers, and other external agencies with regard to the accuracy of transmission and monitoring of benefit files and payroll changes on benefits programs.
• Ensure personnel and payroll changes are properly documented and entered into the payroll system.
• Coordinate with HR regarding benefits deductions, enrollments, changes, and employee status changes.
• Assist with employee onboarding and offboarding processes as they relate to payroll.
• Maintain accurate and confidential employee payroll records.
• Support HR initiatives, audits, reporting, and special projects involving payroll data.

Reporting, Audits, and Records

• Prepare payroll reports, maintain accurate records and supporting documentation, and assist with audits and compliance reviews.
• Research and respond to audit findings and payroll-related inquiries while ensuring compliance with record-retention requirements.

Process Improvement and Systems

• Monitor and improve payroll processes to enhance efficiency, accuracy, internal controls, and customer service.
• Support payroll system upgrades, testing, and enhancements while maintaining procedures, process documentation, and appropriate controls and segregation of duties.
• Performs other duties as required.

The omission of specific duties does not preclude the supervisor from assigning duties that logically relate to the position.

We seek candidates who are flexible, well-organized, creative, inquisitive, resourceful, detail-oriented, ethical, collaborative, and committed to inclusive educational excellence. The ability to prioritize and juggle multiple tasks in a dynamic environment while maintaining quality work products is essential for success in this position.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The successful candidate should have demonstrated knowledge and experience in:

• Comprehensive payroll processing and administration.
• Federal and state payroll tax requirements.
• Wage and hour regulations.
• Garnishments, tax levies, child support orders, bankruptcy orders, and other involuntary deductions.
• Payroll deductions, earnings registers and employee benefit deductions.
• Payroll reconciliations and basic accounting principles.
• Payroll reporting and year-end tax reporting.
• Payroll and/or HRIS systems.
• Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Confidential records management and data security.
• Internal controls and payroll audit procedures.

The position requires the ability to:

• Perform highly detailed work with a high degree of accuracy.
• Analyze payroll discrepancies and determine appropriate corrective action.
• Interpret and apply payroll laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of employee and financial information.
• Meet recurring payroll deadlines in a high-volume environment.
• Communicate effectively with employees, managers, Finance, HR, vendors, and government agencies.
• Exercise sound judgment and independently resolve routine payroll issues.
• Manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and quality.
• Establish effective working relationships across departments and levels of the organization.
• Must possess computer skills; must have knowledge in preparing and administering budgets; planning, directing, and administering human resources programs and systems; resolving conflicts and gaining cooperation among competing interest groups, researching complex issues and developing recommended actions and communicating both orally and in written form.
• Must be able to present information clearly and in an interesting manner to elected officials and the general public.
• Must be able to deal fairly and calmly with issues requiring conflict resolution.
• Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with City officials, employees, and the public.
• Must be able to use tact and courtesy in dealing with the public.
• Must be able to analyze and evaluate procedures and work processes and to exercise appropriate judgment in establishing priorities and work methods.
• Must be able to establish and maintain effective working relationships to deal effectively and courteously with others, and to work independently and in team settings.
• Must be able to type or use a personal computer with word processing and related software and to enter and retrieve information with reasonable speed and accuracy.
• Moderate physical activity. Requires handling objects of average weight up to fifty (50) pounds