Payroll Specialist

Position Summary

Qualifications

Required Qualifications (Minimum qualifications for this role)

Education

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field.

Experience

• Two (2) years of experience of progressively responsible administrative, bookkeeping, or accounting technician experience

Certifications or Licenses

Other Qualifications

Essential Duties

Duties assigned to this classification include, but are not limited to, the following examples.

• Processes the County-wide payroll program. Audits and calculates time sheets, inputs data into accounting system, balances payroll, generates and disburses checks/vouchers, and runs audit reports. Prepare reports for payroll, insurances, workers’ compensation, IRS, retirement, and other benefits. Post reconciled accounts to general ledger. Issue W-2s and 1095-Cs. Ensures compliance with appropriate regulations and policy. Meets with County Treasurer and Human Resources and Risk Management Director to clarify and resolve pay plan issues, clarify personnel rules, and ensures compliance with collective bargaining agreements.
• Monitors, processes, records, and maintains employee payroll database, including new hire information, withholding information, benefit information, and voluntary deductions.
• Applies thorough knowledge of automated payroll system in preparing semi-monthly payroll for all employees.
• Corrects time reporting changes or errors, calculating the correct pay amount, leave balances, retirement, union, FICA, workers compensation, unemployment, and disability amounts; processes any changes in employee voluntary deductions.
• Processes garnishments, federal and state liens on wages and Support Orders received.
• Processes and ensures accuracy of 941 forms, Oregon Quarterly/FRANCES, W-2’s, and 1095-C’s.
• Reconciles and remits electronic remittance on all deferred compensation and retirement funds to third party carriers on a monthly basis. Verifies monthly or quarterly statements from carriers to individual employee records.
• Advises department and employees on the proper form completion of income tax withholding forms (W-4); notifies Oregon Department of Revenue as required, based upon certain reporting requirements.
• Prepares monthly union remittances, e.g., dues, fair share and insurance and other voluntary deductions. Reconciles system-generated reports to the remittance.
• Assists employees and departments in resolving payroll concerns and responds to representatives from other agencies on payroll issues.
• Prepares and distributes confidential reports and updates to departments as needed. Conducts special studies, assembles data, and prepares reports pertaining to department activities and Collective Bargaining Unit negotiations.
• Administer the County Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) account by collaborating closely with Oregon PERS representatives, aligning payroll software integration, and ensuring seamless communication between systems and stakeholders.
• Responsible for all PERS reporting requirements, including eligibility, wage and demographic reports.

Supplemental Information

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Not a supervisory role but provides informal training/orientation to volunteers, or newly assigned personnel.

• Works under general supervision with recurring tasks performed independently. The supervisor provides professional advice on non-routine matters, and periodic reviews are conducted to ensure adherence to expected results.

• High degree of concentration with above normal periods of attention, above normal deadlines, or a high degree of creative thinking.
• The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items, such as papers, laptop bag, or small parts; or driving an automobile. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

• Everyday Risks/Discomforts: require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, and commercial vehicles, e.g., use of safe work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.