Payroll Specialist

Rancho Santiago Community College District • Santa Ana, CA

5d

About The Position

The ideal candidate will demonstrate cultural competency in serving diverse community college populations, including faculty, management, and students from varied ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This includes those with differing abilities, AB 540 students, DACA recipients, Foreign Residents, VACA participants, and Continuing Education students. They will support RSCCD’s mission to promote self-awareness, knowledge, and communication skills, enabling all members of the college community to participate creatively and confidently in an ever-changing world. Candidates will contribute to an inclusive and collaborative workplace culture that supports the diverse needs of faculty, management, staff, and students. They will effectively provide services and support to individuals with differing academic preparation levels and unique learning or workplace needs, ensuring equitable access and opportunities for success. Candidates should demonstrate cultural competency, sensitivity, equity-mindedness, and a commitment to anti-racism in all interactions and contributions. Through their role, they will empower students to achieve their educational and career goals while promoting a positive and inclusive environment where faculty and management can thrive, fostering creativity, confidence, and lifelong learning throughout the college community.

Requirements

• AA degree and at least two years of experience in payroll preparation and practices, preferably in a college or school district environment.
• Knowledge of principles and techniques involved in payroll preparation, monitoring, and control.
• Knowledge of pertinent federal and state laws, codes, regulations, policies, and procedures affecting payroll records and programs.
• Knowledge of practices and principles of financial and statistical record keeping, including general and basic timekeeping and record keeping.
• Knowledge of record keeping associated with fringe benefit programs, their applicable contracts, laws, and regulations.
• Knowledge of modern office practices, procedures and equipment, including use of computer for data entry, word processing, spreadsheets, database operations, and other office applications.
• Knowledge of correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.
• Ability to perform complex and technical accounting work related to the preparation of the district payroll.
• Ability to plan, prioritize and organize a large volume of work to successfully meet constant payroll deadlines.
• Ability to prepare necessary reports.
• Ability to follow through on own initiative to clear up discrepancies or obtain necessary support materials.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to read, understand, and interpret laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to explain various payroll related procedures and practices.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.
• Ability to use diplomacy in dealing with complaints and angry, upset employees who may be verbally abusive.
• Skillfully operate various office equipment and machines including ten-key calculator, computer terminal, keyboard, printer, copier, and microfiche equipment.
• Candidate must demonstrate clear evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ability, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, staff, and the community.

Responsibilities

• Performs specialized, technical financial record keeping operations related to the complex elements of the district's payroll activities; audits and analyzes payroll timesheets and other documents to prevent and correct errors in salary payments; inputs data, updates and maintains district and county computer databases for personnel/payroll-related records; liaisons with Information Technology Services (ITS) in maintaining and updating the in-house payroll/personnel system; executes a variety of complex computations involving gross pay, retirement, taxes, contract calculation, retroactive pay, and leave records; monitors all employees' eligibility/enrollment in PERS, STRS, social security, Medicare, or any other retirement system; liaisons with the Risk Management office and Payroll Manager in monitoring worker's compensation absences, approval, and payments; maintains current insurance files on all eligible employees and prepares and processes payment to all insurance companies; liaisons with the benefit person in personnel in monitoring enrollment, terminations and insurance changes; responsible for processing and maintaining records of employee voluntary deductions and makes payments to proper companies; maintains files on employees' sick and vacation records; prepares and distributes accrual notices; responds to inquiries concerning payroll, sick and vacation accrual balances; prepares and submits employment verifications, unemployment audits, IRS information inquiries, subpoenaed information as well as PERS, STRS, social security and any other retirement system requests for information; independently prepares correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, and other payroll-related documents using a computer; sorts and distributes employee payroll checks on appropriate paydays and W-2 forms at year end; performs other related duties as required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree