Statewide Payroll Specialist

Commonwealth of Massachusetts•Boston, MA

3d•$80,412 - $117,590•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of the Comptroller ensures that the more than $50 billion in annual transactions authorized by the general appropriations act and supplemental appropriations are executed in accordance with all statutory requirements and recorded in compliance with accounting standards. We also oversee capital assets, federal funding inflows, and other transactions. We also own and maintain statewide payments and payroll systems, safeguarding critical financial information. We operate in support of our partners, the financial staff at more than 150 departments and agencies across the Commonwealth. As stewards of the public trust, we aspire to inspire confidence by maintaining our core principles: clarity, integrity, and accountability. The powers and obligations of the Office of the Comptroller are generally dictated by M.G.L. c. 7A. The mission of the Statewide Payroll Team is to ensure accurate, timely and compliant payroll services while promoting department accountability, consistent statewide practices, and responsible stewardship of public resources. Through education, guidance and collaboration, we empower departments with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively manage payroll responsibilities and support a strong, reliable statewide payroll operation. The Statewide Payroll Team promotes the consistent application of payroll policies and practices across multiple systems, supporting the integrity, accuracy, and reliability of statewide payroll operations. The team serves as a trusted resource for payroll professionals across the Commonwealth. CTR is seeking qualified candidates for one full-time (37.5 hours/week) Payroll Specialist (Program Coordinator III) position on the Statewide Payroll Team. The Payroll Specialist supports the accurate and timely administration of statewide payroll and serves as a key resource for payroll, Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance, and Time & Attendance/Time & Labor processes. The position is responsible for reviewing and reconciling payroll and timekeeping data, supporting ACA eligibility monitoring and required reporting, and analyzing and testing Time & Attendance and Time & Labor functionality. The Payroll Specialist works closely with departments to resolve issues, maintain data quality and compliance, and ensure that payroll policies, collective bargaining provisions, and business requirements are accurately reflected in system processes and configuration.

Requirements

At least (A) four years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management or public administration the major duties of which involved program management, program administration, program coordination, program planning and/or program analysis
Of which at least one year must have been in a supervisory capacity
A Bachelor’s degree with a major in business administration, business management, or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.
A Graduate degree with a major in business administration, business management or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of three of the required (A) experience.
A Bachelor’s or higher degree with a major other than in business administration, business management or public administration may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.
Strong communication skills
Impeccable attention to detail
Superior time management
Proven multitasking ability
Ability to contribute and work productively as part of a team and equally as an individual contributor
Positive attitude
Capacity to remain flexible and learn new standards and guidelines as necessary
Ability to work well under pressure

Nice To Haves

1–2 years of experience supporting Affordable Care Act (ACA) administration, including employee eligibility tracking, ACA data review and reconciliation, and preparation or support of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C.
Working knowledge of ACA employer reporting requirements
Experience administering or supporting Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance, including eligibility monitoring, measurement periods, data validation, and required reporting.
Experience with Time & Attendance and/or Time & Labor systems, including time reporting, payable time, overtime, premiums, and exception processing.
Experience analyzing, defining, or maintaining Time Reporting Codes (TRCs) or comparable timekeeping and payroll codes.
Experience translating payroll policies, collective bargaining agreements, and business rules into system or configuration requirements.
Experience developing and executing test scenarios and test scripts, including regression, integration, and user acceptance testing (UAT) for payroll or Time & Labor system changes.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in business administration, business management, accounting, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including demonstrated experience using advanced formulas and features to analyze and reconcile data.
Working knowledge of the Commonwealth’s HR/Payroll system (HRCMS).
Working knowledge of the Commonwealth’s Finance/Labor Cost Distribution system (Mosaic/LCD).
Working knowledge of the Commonwealth Information Warehouse (CIW) or a comparable data warehouse or reporting solution.

Responsibilities

Support accurate and timely payroll processing in accordance with established payroll schedules, policies, procedures, and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
Review payroll and timekeeping data for completeness and accuracy and investigate discrepancies prior to payroll processing.
Reconcile payroll results and identify and resolve payroll exceptions.
Respond to department questions regarding pay, time reporting, deductions, and payroll procedures.
Maintain payroll documentation, procedures, controls, and audit records. Support internal and external payroll audits and compliance reviews.
Lead the administration of the Commonwealth’s Affordable Care Act compliance program, including employee eligibility tracking and reporting.
Monitor employee hours and applicable measurement, administrative, and stability periods in accordance with Commonwealth’s ACA measurement methodology.
Review employee data to identify potential ACA eligibility or compliance issues and coordinate corrections with departments. Manage preparation, validation, and filing of Forms 1094-C and 1095-C.
Perform regular audits and reconciliations of payroll, benefits, HR, and ACA data to ensure completeness and accuracy.
Serve as a subject matter resource for Time & Attendance and Time & labor functionality, process, and configuration. Define and document Time Reporting Code (TRC) requirements, including payroll mapping, eligibility, reporting, and downstream impacts.
Translate business policies, collective bargaining agreements, and payroll rules into system configuration requirements. Analyze the interaction between time reporting, Time & Labor rules, payroll calculations, and downstream reporting.
Perform impact assessments before implementing changes to TRCs, Time & Labor rules, or related system configuration. Develop detailed test scenarios and test scripts for Time & Attendance system changes. Perform unit, regression, integration, and user acceptance testing related to TRCs, Time & Labor rules, payroll interfaces, and system enhancements. Validate calculated time, payable time, overtime, premiums, exceptions, and payroll results against expected outcomes.
Use and create queries, reports and other data analysis tools to identify data issues.
Work with departments to ensure data quality and compliance.
Ensure payroll and employee information is handled in accordance with confidentiality and data-security requirements.
Maintain clear documentation supporting system changes, testing, approvals, reconciliations, and compliance activities.
Assist with development and maintenance of standard operating procedures and process documentation.
Identify root causes of recurring issues and recommend sustainable process or system solutions.
Ensure departmental communication is timely and informative.
Actively assist Team and Leadership with cross training, knowledge transfer, disaster recovery, risk assessment and internal control review.
Remain current with CTR policies and procedures, read CTR memos, updates, attend annual internal control, risk, and fraud prevention trainings.