Senior Payroll Specialist

Senior Payroll Specialist Job Location: Oro Valley, Phoenix, or Yuma Salary: $20.13/hr-$24.54/hr Grade: 13 Closing Date: Open Until Filled Job Summary: The Senior Payroll Specialist is the second level of a two-level Payroll Specialist series. The incumbent serves as back-up for the Accounting Manager to perform the functions of AZ360 maintenance and the direction of payroll staff. Has authorization of all internal and GAO critical functions, including the approval of manual warrants when the Payroll Manager is out of the office. Position acts as a resource for payroll questions, reports, and concerns from management and staff by researching and interpreting a variety of general and complex information through ASDB, SAAM, GAO, FLSA Federal, state statute policy, and procedures. Reviews, analyzes, verifies, and monitors payroll documents, reports, and entries for accuracy; makes necessary adjustments or corrections through established payroll/policy procedures. Helps develop, maintain, bi-weekly spreadsheets, calendars and audits deferred pay (Spread Pay) for 10-month staff. Maintain, update, review payroll records, and verify staff member HR data entry, tax exemptions, ASRS status, transfers, and resignations/terminations. Employee is responsible for auditing and correcting leave plans and deferred pay (Spread pay). Creates and monitors electronic and physical files. Responsible for effectively communicating payroll processes, changes interpreting payroll data. This position is responsible for providing effective customer service for all internal and external customers, as well as communicating effectively with team members within the Payroll, Finance, and Human Resources Departments. Helps review staff members' and supervisors' ETE entries for timeliness and accuracy, and provides technical support during the pay period ending. Provides assistance, support, and training to Payroll/Travel Specialists and employees. Employee creates payroll reports, audits errors, observes trends, suggests new payroll strategies, supports the budget team, the grants team, and Medicaid. Assures the quality control of all payroll transactions, paychecks, payroll accounting, and leave balance accrual, RASL and ASRS. Attend State and agency trainings. Position will be responsible for some or all of the listed duties and/or additional duties that occur from time to time. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities (KSAs): TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE Associate's degree or vocational training in a related field Previous payroll work-related skill, knowledge, or experience Administrative and clerical procedures: word processing, filing and record keeping, designing forms, Excel, and experience in data entry and MS Office skills. Governmental economic and accounting principles and practices. Analysis and reporting of financial data. Auditing of records Record retention Payroll legal codes, state and federal regulations, agency policy, and rules. Finance accounting function and budgeting process. Customer and personal services. KNOWLEDGE OF Administrative and clerical procedures and systems, such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology. Governmental economic and accounting principles and practices, and the analysis and reporting of financial data. Structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Complex arithmetic, algebra, statistics, and their applications. Business and strategic planning, resource allocation, production methods, and coordination of people and resources. Payroll legal codes, state and federal regulations, agency policy and rules, Finance accounting function and budgeting process. Principles and processes for providing customer services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. Design techniques, tools, and principles involved in the production of presentation materials, forms, and software usage DEMONSTRATED SKILLS AND ABILITIES Using mathematics, reason, and consistency to solve problems. Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions. Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to complete a job. Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design template. Managing one's own time. Developing reports and querying computer programs for various purposes. Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes. Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system. Determining the causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it. Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed. Use a 10-key and a calculator to check calculations. Work as a team to complete projects and create new systems. To be at the workstation on time and management of breaks and lunch. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents. Talking to others to convey information effectively. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Pre-Employment Requirements: Must be able to pass FBI and State background checks Defensive Driver Training Program to be completed by all agency personnel who drive on State business If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver's License Requirements. All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). Benefits: Benefit eligible employees have a variety of choices for medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, supplemental and dependent life insurance. Offered plans provide exceptional value to our employees and their eligible dependents. Employees have a 31-day period from effective date of hire to elected coverage. Elected benefits could start as early as 2 weeks after hire. Benefit eligible employees are automatically covered for basic life, non-smokers, accidental death and dismemberment and seat belt insurance. Benefit eligible employees are automatically enrolled in the State's retirement plan and long-term disability (LTD) program. Enrollment is mandatory and is subject to a 26-week