Senior Accountant, Payroll

Job Title:Senior Accountant, Payroll
Location: Hybrid San Diego, CA 92101. Onsite, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. Telework Monday & Wednesday.
Length: Temporary to Hire
Schedule: Monday - Friday
Pay: $83,000 - $110,000 DOE

Job Description:

Manpower is assisting out client who is seeking a Senior Accountant, Payroll. The department supports the day-to-day business operations of the organization through a team organized into two functional areas: Accounting & Finance and Revenue & Project Control. As part of the Accounting & Finance group, this position will supervise a small team of employees with a focus on payroll duties. The department has a role in supporting all agency programs. The team is highly regarded for their ability to maintain an exceptional level of accuracy and for providing outstanding customer service.

The organization has great pride in being a fiscally responsible public agency and has implemented rigorous accounting processes and financial reporting procedures to monitor expenses, encumbrances, grant funds, and project budgets, and accurately document various types of financial transactions. The agency has been awarded the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the past fourteen years. 

Job Responsibilities

·         Ensure timely payroll processing and related services, and activities for the organization’s staff group of 400 plus employees; ensure compliance with applicable tax, CalPERS pension plans, various payroll deductions, labor, and other mandated requirements; coordinate all payroll disbursements, including maintaining extensive back-up documentation.  A combination of education, and recent work experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.

·         Review agency wide timecards, process Human Resource action forms, process in-house employee payroll disbursements and benefit changes, prepare and file complex tax reporting, process payroll journal entries, perform payroll reconciliations, investigate and correct accounting errors, and maintain payroll policies and processes.

·         Supervise a small team of payroll accountants and specialists; mentor, coach, train, and provide career development opportunities.

·         Plan, coordinate, review, and participate in a wide variety of advanced level professional, analytical, and administrative finance and accounting duties including project accounting, managing and coordinating financial record keeping and reporting, and financial research and analysis.

·         Maintain and monitor financial management systems and records; ensure financial records are accurate and comply with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and regulations, codes, policies, rules, and procedures.

·         Coordinate and support the preparation of the organization records for internal audits, the annual external financial audits, and for audits by various governmental and outside agencies.

·         Participate in year-end closing procedures, including closing duties, and complex reconciliations and financial reports.

·         Provide excellent customer service; provide timely responses/assistance to all the organization staff regarding payroll questions.

·         Develop and implement automated procedures and processes to create efficiencies with reporting workflows.

·         Support the implementation and integration of the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for in-house payroll functions and other systems’ process improvements.

·         Stay up to date on any changes in payroll State or Federal legislation.

Experience and Qualifications

·         Bachelor’s degree with major course work in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.

·         Five years of recent full-time payroll, finance, and accounting operations experience; recent experience as a supervisor or lead.

·         Experience with payroll calculations, deductions, accounting, reporting, and reconciling accounts.

·         Experience with multi-state and in-house payroll, knowledge of and experience with CalPERS or a similar defined benefit plan is preferred.

·         Demonstrated knowledge and experience with the principles and practices of financial accounting, audits, and Governmental fund accounting and reporting.

·         Familiarity with laws, regulations, and reporting requirements pertaining to municipal finance administration, government accounting, and the expenditure of public funds is desirable.

·         Knowledge of auditing practices and experience preparing for and coordinating internal and external financial, compliance, and performance audits, and researching and responding to audit requests and questions.

·         Demonstrated ability to implement and maintain internal control procedures and transaction processing efficiency for applicable business functions; ability to continuously monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of accounting and finance methods and procedures.

·         Demonstrated experience providing technical direction and evaluating the work of professionals; experience selecting, scheduling, training, evaluating, and motivating employees; experience building strong teams and supporting employee development.

·         Experience with Tyler ERP (formerly Munis) or implementing a new payroll or accounting system is preferred.

·         The final candidate selected for this position must successfully pass a pre-employment criminal background check and credit check.