"Payroll Practitioner I"

Payroll Practitioner I

The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) is the central coordinating and support organization for a highly regarded cluster of seven independent colleges known as The Claremont Colleges. TCCS, with about 300 staff members, provides exceptional shared services to 9,000 students, and almost 3,600 faculty and staff. TCCS staff work in both student-facing services as well as administrative and operational services. Our numerous departments are located throughout The Claremont Colleges campus in the beautiful city of Claremont, California.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Payroll Practitioner works under the direction of the Payroll Manager, performing all payroll functions for seven separate entities of The Claremont Colleges consortium. This role serves as a resource for constituents in matters related to employee payments and ensures a high caliber of customer service in a professional manner. This position:

• Provides front line response and consultation to associates and leadership.
• Processes payroll for multitude employees. This requires detailed knowledge of policies and understanding of California wage and hour laws
• Performs a variety of routine and non-routine payroll functions including aspects of processing, reviewing, analyzing, and performing payroll functions with full accountability.
• Completes payroll cycles with adherence to established standards for accuracy and timeliness.
• Provides exceptional service to internal and external customers.
• Maintains the confidentiality of all Payroll and HR data.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Process regular payroll runs, balancing the timekeeping system integration with Workday inbound file.
• Review errors that are identified from the system and notify corresponding entities.
• Validate input, make any necessary adjustments, submit, and calculate payroll.
• Review the pre-check report, auditing for negative and zero wages, and ensuring terminated employees are not included.
• Create interface files and upload sick accruals, FICA, benefits, and comp adjustments into Workday.
• Print off-cycle checks as requested in addition to all entity's payroll checks and advices.
• Sort checks in accordance with each college's desires for distribution.
• Process daily payroll runs for special pay authorizations requests.
• Audit and attach proper documents for SOC compliance audits.
• Process wage garnishments and tax levy.
• Reconcile garnishments on pay-period basis.
• Receive payment elections changes for all employees and auditing for accuracy and following up on suspicious requests as necessary to maintain security.
• Run reports on non-resident alien documentation, following-up with the appropriate Human Resources contact to ensure all required taxes are withheld for the employees.
• Perform missing SSN and state reconciliation to ensure the proper state taxes are being withheld according to guidelines.
• Review payroll run to ensure all cost centers are posting to their corresponding sections and notifies finances of any discrepancies found.
• Sign-off on timecards, exporting final hours for payroll processing.
• Monitor the time import process and cycle closing.
• Report any Journal entry errors to corresponding parties across the organization, following-up when necessary to maintain payroll reporting accuracy.
• Resolve payroll bank account reconciliation discrepancies.
• Prepare and balance pay period tax reconciliation (tax ad hocs).
• Coordinate and process Unclaimed Property requests (escheatment).
• Prepare work papers and schedules for the annual financial audit.

Other Functions

• Daily - NOC notification from financial institution (Wells Fargo) deactivate the invalid accounts from employee file.
• Weekly - Create direct deposit pre-note integration file.
• Monthly - Perform internal billing.
• Update payroll internal processing forms. Create Workday SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures)

QUALIFICATIONS

Education: An associate degree with a focus on accounting or another related field, or an equivalent in a combination of education, training, and additional experience beyond the minimum required. Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) is desirable.

Experience: At least one (one) year of experience in the payroll field. Experience in accounting or payroll at a non-profit or higher education organization is preferrable.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office products, with proven strong skills in Excel.
• Familiarity working with an HRIS, preferably Workday, an electronic timekeeping system, and cloud-based systems.
• A demonstrated self-starter, with strong analytic, problem solving, critical thinking and research skills.
• Able to communicate clearly in writing and verbally.
• Strong customer service orientation and ability to work well with diverse internal and external constituents in a team-oriented environment.
• Proven organizational, time management, and multi-tasking skills and ability to meet deadlines in a busy environment.
• Proficiency in various accounting software systems and other information technology, and the ability to learn new software.
• Able to share knowledge and information and to learn new tasks.
• Able to collaborate effectively and congenially with superiors, peers, and constituents resulting in trust and free-flowing communication.
• Able to establish and adjust priorities that distinguish the important from the urgent.
• Able to multitask effectively and demonstrate responsiveness to constituents, peers, and superiors.
• Project and establish a standard reflecting a professional image through dress, demeanor, and office environment.
• Communicate relevant information clearly and concisely in a timely manner in English in written and verbal form.
• Demonstrate initiative through early identification of problems and resourcefulness in timely resolution.
• Able to be open and responsive to new ideas and change and can influence others likewise.
• Proven ability to follow through and implement plans and changes.
• Able to foster trust and respect from others.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An associate degree in accounting or another relevant field.
• Some experience working in a higher education or nonprofit payroll environment.

Work Schedule: The regular hours for this full-time position are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. May be required to work holiday, weekend, and/or evening hours. Regular hours may vary due to needs of the organization or business unit.

COMPENSATION

Pay: The pay range for this position is $29.80- $31.25 per hour.

Benefits: This position is eligible for our employment benefits package including:

• medical, dental, vision,
• 10% retirement contributions after one year (no matching required),
• group life insurance,
• generous time off,
• professional development funds,
• discounts for mobile plans, software, and entertainment,
• access to fitness facilities,
• and more!