What are the responsibilities and job description for the HR Payroll Administrator position at King County, WA?
Summary
Come make a difference and join team Metro!
King County Metro Transit’s Employee Services Division is seeking a detail-oriented and equity-driven HR Payroll Administrator to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance of payroll processes supporting over 6000 employees across a vast and diverse range of job classifications for one of North America's largest and most innovative transit agencies.
The HR Payroll Administrator is a new position where you will play a critical role in delivering timely, precise, and customer-centered payroll services for a large, complex workforce. You will interpret and apply labor contracts, analyze payroll and timekeeping data, resolve discrepancies, coordinate leave programs, support system enhancements, and develop procedures and training that strengthen consistency and operational excellence across the organization.
This position offers a high level of responsibility, independence, and influence. Your work will directly impact employees’ experiences, operational efficiency, compliance practices, and Metro’s ongoing commitment to equity and social justice. By ensuring payroll processes are fair, transparent, and reliable, you will help sustain the foundation of trust that enables Metro Transit to deliver safe, equitable, and high-quality service to our community.
This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) position expected to last through December 31, 2027, with the possibility of extension. Additionally, the selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Career Service, TLT, or SDA positions that may occur within this classification. The eligibility pool will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority. An additional HR Payroll Administrator position is anticipated in the near future.
The HR Payroll Administrator is an Administrator II classification.
Job Duties
Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of this work. As the HR Payroll Administrator, you will actively integrate these values into all aspects of your work, including the following duties:
We are looking for candidates who meet the following minimum qualifications:
Who may apply: We are accepting applications from all qualified applicants including current King County employees and the general public.
Required Application Materials
The following application materials are required:
Work Schedule: The work performed in this role is typically Monday through Friday, 8.00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but may at times require work outside of normal business hours. This position is non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for overtime pay, with prior supervisor approval.
Work Location: This position follows a hybrid work schedule currently requiring a minimum of two (2) days per week onsite at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle), consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work policy. Remote workdays may be adjusted or increased based on operational or business needs. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance of their assigned worksite to meet reporting requirements.
Safety Responsibility: Employees
Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Application Process
If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.
If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Sarah Ottele at sottele@kingcounty.gov.
King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.
King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.
Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
Benefits
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
I understand this recruitment requires a detailed cover letter no longer than two pages addressing a specific prompt: Articulating how your knowledge and experience aligns with the duties and qualifications of this specific position. Your cover letter should also summarize your experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements- including tax principles, wage and hour laws, labor laws, and state and county regulations and ordinances- in a large scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment.
How many years of experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements in a large-scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment do you possess?
Please select the types of work environments in which you have experience completing payroll processes (select all that apply):
If You Selected 'Other Work Environment' Above, Please Explain
05
Please describe your experience processing payroll in environments with multiple CBAs or job classifications. How many agreements or classifications did you support? If you do not have this experience, write N/A. Incomplete responses, or responses such as ‘see resume’ will remove application from consideration.
06
Please select the type of contracts and laws you have experience applying (select all that apply):
If You Selected ‘Other’, Please Explain
08
Please select the systems you have experience using (select all that apply):
If You Selected 'Other', Please Explain
10
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? AND Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? AND Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoff
12
If you have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, will you need accommodation in the recruitment process? This confidential information is solicited for the purposes of providing reasonable accommodation.
13
If you have a relative who works for King County Metro Transit, please provide the employee's name, position, and your relationship. Note: A relative is defined as a parent, child, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, grandparent, grandchild, in-laws, children, or relatives of a domestic partner. If you do not have a relative employed by King County Metro, please indicate “N/A”.
14
If you have a relative who works for Metro, please provide the Division of King County Metro that they currently work in. Select all that apply.
Come make a difference and join team Metro!
King County Metro Transit’s Employee Services Division is seeking a detail-oriented and equity-driven HR Payroll Administrator to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance of payroll processes supporting over 6000 employees across a vast and diverse range of job classifications for one of North America's largest and most innovative transit agencies.
The HR Payroll Administrator is a new position where you will play a critical role in delivering timely, precise, and customer-centered payroll services for a large, complex workforce. You will interpret and apply labor contracts, analyze payroll and timekeeping data, resolve discrepancies, coordinate leave programs, support system enhancements, and develop procedures and training that strengthen consistency and operational excellence across the organization.
This position offers a high level of responsibility, independence, and influence. Your work will directly impact employees’ experiences, operational efficiency, compliance practices, and Metro’s ongoing commitment to equity and social justice. By ensuring payroll processes are fair, transparent, and reliable, you will help sustain the foundation of trust that enables Metro Transit to deliver safe, equitable, and high-quality service to our community.
This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) position expected to last through December 31, 2027, with the possibility of extension. Additionally, the selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Career Service, TLT, or SDA positions that may occur within this classification. The eligibility pool will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority. An additional HR Payroll Administrator position is anticipated in the near future.
The HR Payroll Administrator is an Administrator II classification.
Job Duties
Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of this work. As the HR Payroll Administrator, you will actively integrate these values into all aspects of your work, including the following duties:
- Administer payroll operations in compliance with Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), federal and state regulations, King County policies, and departmental procedures.
- Process, audit, and maintain payroll records in PeopleSoft, including adjustments, benefit accruals, step progressions, work schedules, union dues, combo codes, and time reporting codes (TRCs).
- Analyze payroll, timekeeping, leave, and financial data to identify discrepancies, ensure data integrity, resolve payroll issues, and maintain compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
- Conduct audits of time reporting, overtime, leave usage, and personnel actions to ensure adherence with CBAs, payroll policies, and HR standards.
- Monitor payroll components of employee leave programs (FMLA, KCFML, PFML, Paid Parental Leave (PPL), On-the-Job Injury (OJI), and others), coordinate reimbursements, track leave balances, notify HR of exhausted leave entitlements, and support Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance.
- Collaborate and coordinate with Metro Divisions, Employee Services workgroups, and others to resolve payroll discrepancies and issues, implement personnel actions, validate and audit data, run reports and ad hoc requests, and ensure accurate payroll processing.
- Research, interpret, and apply complex CBAs, payroll regulations, and organizational policies to provide guidance to employees, supervisors, and management on payroll, leave, timekeeping, and cost accounting matters.
- Develop, implement, and maintain payroll procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), desk manuals, training materials, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and documentation to improve consistency, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency.
- Train, mentor, and onboard payroll staff and PeopleSoft users including providing technical guidance on payroll processes, time reporting, and system functionality.
- Actively participate and support continuous process improvement (LEAN) efforts.
- Design, develop, and maintain payroll monitoring, tracking, and reporting systems, including leave compliance, reimbursement tracking, and payroll performance metrics.
- Support payroll system enhancements by maintaining PeopleSoft configurations, developing queries, managing TRCs and combo codes, testing system upgrades, and validating configuration changes.
- Plan, coordinate, and implement payroll-related projects, including Employee Self Time Entry implementation, new CBA provisions, process improvements, compliance reviews, and resolution of systemic payroll issues.
- Maintain payroll and personnel records in accordance with federal and state records retention requirements, including document organization, cataloging, inventory management, and Content Manager administration.
- Communicate proactively with Metro Divisions to obtain information, resolve data issues, and ensure payroll deadlines are consistently met.
- Other duties as assigned.
We are looking for candidates who meet the following minimum qualifications:
- Experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements in a large scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment.
- Experience interpreting and applying labor and collective bargaining agreements for employees across diverse job classifications.
- Working knowledge of Fair Standard Labor Act (FLSA) Law.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to identify issues, work with large datasets, troubleshoot and resolve data problems, and ensure accurate data entry and data integrity with meticulous attention to detail and sound judgment.
- Experience using enterprise systems such as PeopleSoft and Oracle EBS to maintain and analyze HR, payroll, and financial data.
- Technologically adept, with strong proficiency across the Microsoft Office Suite including intermediate-level expertise in Microsoft Excel.
- Proven ability to manage a high-volume workload, prioritize tasks, and meet established deadlines while collaborating effectively with colleagues across various work groups.
- Experience developing and improving administrative processes, documentation, and standard operating procedures.
- Experience training others, mentoring, or providing system/process support to end users.
- Proven ability to work both independently and as part of a team while demonstrating initiative, accountability, and attention to accuracy including in situations with incomplete information or operational ambiguity.
- Experience building and maintaining strong working relationships with various individuals and groups from diverse backgrounds and roles.
- Strong interpersonal skills, including maintaining confidentiality, navigating sensitive situations, and communicating with tact and diplomacy.
- Experience providing high-quality customer-focused service in a professional setting.
- Working knowledge of Metro Transit’s operations, policies, and procedures.
- Payroll processing experience in a Department of King County.
- Experience using PeopleSoft and Oracle EBS.
Who may apply: We are accepting applications from all qualified applicants including current King County employees and the general public.
Required Application Materials
The following application materials are required:
- An online King County application updated with accurate contact information and relevant work history going back at least 10 years (or more, if necessary) with all job duties clearly explained.
- Completed supplemental questions. Responses to supplemental questions must be supported and verifiable by information found within your application materials.
- A cover letter no longer than two (2) pages articulating how your knowledge and experience aligns with the duties and qualifications of this specific position. Your cover letter should also summarize your experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements- including tax principles, wage and hour laws, labor laws, and state and county regulations and ordinances- in a large scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment.
Work Schedule: The work performed in this role is typically Monday through Friday, 8.00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but may at times require work outside of normal business hours. This position is non-exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for overtime pay, with prior supervisor approval.
Work Location: This position follows a hybrid work schedule currently requiring a minimum of two (2) days per week onsite at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson Street, Seattle), consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work policy. Remote workdays may be adjusted or increased based on operational or business needs. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance of their assigned worksite to meet reporting requirements.
Safety Responsibility: Employees
- Responsible for understanding this policy and their role in safety
- Report all safety concerns
- Follow safety practices and procedures as necessary to maintain a safe work environment and in conformance with applicable regulations, policies, and training
- Report safety and security concerns and ideas to supervisors or anonymously through data collection system
Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Application Process
If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.
If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Sarah Ottele at sottele@kingcounty.gov.
King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.
King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.
Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
Benefits
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what’s best for themselves and their eligible dependents
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite activity centers
- Employee Giving Program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
I understand this recruitment requires a detailed cover letter no longer than two pages addressing a specific prompt: Articulating how your knowledge and experience aligns with the duties and qualifications of this specific position. Your cover letter should also summarize your experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements- including tax principles, wage and hour laws, labor laws, and state and county regulations and ordinances- in a large scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment.
- Yes, I understand and have attached the required cover letter addressing the specific prompt.
- No, I have not attached the required cover letter and understand my application will be removed from consideration.
How many years of experience completing payroll processes, ensuring policy compliance, and applying regulatory requirements in a large-scale complex payroll operation, public sector, and/or unionized environment do you possess?
- Less than one year of experience.
- One to two years of experience.
- Two to three years of experience.
- Three to four years of experience.
- More than four years of experience.
- I do not possess this experience but can learn.
Please select the types of work environments in which you have experience completing payroll processes (select all that apply):
- Unionized
- Public Sector
- Private Sector
- Payroll operation for up to 100 employees
- Payroll operation for more than 100 employees
- Other work environment
- None of the above
If You Selected 'Other Work Environment' Above, Please Explain
05
Please describe your experience processing payroll in environments with multiple CBAs or job classifications. How many agreements or classifications did you support? If you do not have this experience, write N/A. Incomplete responses, or responses such as ‘see resume’ will remove application from consideration.
06
Please select the type of contracts and laws you have experience applying (select all that apply):
- Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)
- Collective Labor Agreements (CLA)
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- King County Family Medical Leave (KCFML)
- Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
- Paid Parental Leave (PPL)
- On the Job Injury (OJI)
- Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Other
- None of the above
If You Selected ‘Other’, Please Explain
08
Please select the systems you have experience using (select all that apply):
- PeopleSoft
- Oracle EBS
- Workday
- ADP
- UKG/Kronos
- SAP
- NEOGOV
- Other
- None of the above
If You Selected 'Other', Please Explain
10
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? AND Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? AND Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my Career Service role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoff
12
If you have a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, will you need accommodation in the recruitment process? This confidential information is solicited for the purposes of providing reasonable accommodation.
13
If you have a relative who works for King County Metro Transit, please provide the employee's name, position, and your relationship. Note: A relative is defined as a parent, child, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew, grandparent, grandchild, in-laws, children, or relatives of a domestic partner. If you do not have a relative employed by King County Metro, please indicate “N/A”.
14
If you have a relative who works for Metro, please provide the Division of King County Metro that they currently work in. Select all that apply.
- a. Bus Operations Division
- b. Capital Division
- c. Employee Services Division
- d. Facilities Division
- e. Finance & Administration Division
- f. General Manager's Office
- g. Marine Division
- h. Mobility Division
- i. Rail Division (including Streetcar)
- j. Safety, Security & Quality Assurance
- k. Vehicle Maintenance
- l. I do not know which Division my relative works in at Metro Transit
- m. I do not have a relative that works for King County Metro
- Required Question