Payroll Specialist

Multnomah County • Portland, OR

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Central Payroll team of the Department of County Management (DCM) is looking for its next Payroll Specialist (Finance Specialist 2) to assist them in ensuring employees get paid correctly and timely. Payroll's mission is to produce timely and accurate wage payments to all county employees, payroll tax employment reports to governing agencies, and informational reports and feedback to county departments and the public. At Multnomah County, we don't just accept differences; we value it and support it to create a culture of dignity and respect and an environment of safety, trust and belonging , for our employees. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in accounting, finance, or a related field; experience may substitute for a degree
• Three (3) years of progressively responsible accounting or fiscal management experience
• Background check and reference checks: All finalists must pass a thorough criminal records check and reference check

Nice To Haves

• Full cycle payroll experience in a public sector, union environment.
• Full cycle payroll experience in a complex Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software environment (SAP, Workday, Success Factors)
• Professional certifications in payroll, accounting, finance or directly related field

Responsibilities

• Manual Final & Correction Checks: Department specific lead on payroll corrections and final payments that are processed daily. Validate time is entered and approved for final payment. Calculate payout in accordance with union agreement and county personnel rules. Manually adjust vacation, sick, comp and holiday accruals and payouts. Validate deductions and make adjustments as appropriate; includes settlement checks, lump sum and accrual payouts. Ensure payments are ready within the guidelines of state law, multiple union contracts and county personnel rules.
• Payroll Edit, Auditing, & Reporting: Run and validate payroll edit reports. Analyze, correct, and/or adjust employee pay, deductions, and related data, communicate with department liaisons and verify the changes have been properly implemented. Troubleshoot errors arising from current or retroactive status changes and validate impacts to pay, partnering with department human resource staff as needed.
• Court Orders & Garnishment Processing: Confirm validity of legal documents received by the County for garnishment, served by state and federal legal entities as well as other organizations entitled to order withholdings. Respond in writing to garnishments and complying with timelines and limitations established by state statutes and federal IRS codes. Record garnishment deductions in the Workday human capital management (HCM) system; audit for accuracy and ensure compliance with all relevant statutes governing the deduction, including maintaining priority for multiple withholding orders. Audit pay records for accuracy. Release order and refunds when required in a timely manner.
• Direct Deposit & ACH Management: Process direct deposits and returns; review routing number requirements, and communicate with employees when the routing number or account is problematic. Work directly with the bank to request reversals and deletions of ACH transactions when necessary. Create paper trail for auditing purposes. Verify funds are returned prior to issuing a replacement check. Provide documentation to the general ledger each pay period for auditing and reconciliation.
• New Hire & Unemployment Reporting: Comply with state law to report all new hires and process unemployment verifications and ensure accuracy of reported dollar amounts. Submit reports and claims for inaccurate wages through the state e-response system as a part of the fiduciary responsibility.

Benefits

• employer-funded retirement savings
• health and dental insurance at very low cost to full-time employees and their dependents
• paid parental leave
• wellness programs
• a focus on work-life balance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees