PAYROLL MANAGER (PROJECT/TEMPORARY)

University of Washington - Bothell, WA

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Bothell, WA

Educational Services

About the position

The University of Washington (UW) is seeking a Temporary Payroll Manager for its Housing and Food Services (HFS) department. This role is crucial in ensuring the smooth operation of payroll processes and compliance with relevant laws and regulations. The Payroll Manager will be responsible for overseeing payroll administration, leading a team, and collaborating with various departments to enhance payroll systems and processes. The position requires a strong understanding of payroll management, particularly within an HRIS environment, and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders. In the Payroll Administration segment, the Payroll Manager will develop and maintain an auditing schedule for Workday activities, ensuring the successful completion of semi-monthly payroll and monthly leave accruals. They will serve as a subject matter expert on Workday, providing technical support and resolving issues as they arise. The role involves running reports, compiling data, and conducting analyses to ensure payroll accuracy and compliance with regulations. The Payroll Manager will also collaborate with HFS partners to improve coordination and processing of payroll information, troubleshoot time clock installations, and develop tools to ensure accurate payroll. Leadership and collaboration are key components of this role, as the Payroll Manager will model positive organizational values and participate in cross-functional teams to implement workplace improvements. The position also includes supervisory responsibilities, where the manager will oversee the payroll team, evaluate their work, and provide guidance for professional development. The working conditions for this position are flexible, with the expectation of working evenings and weekends during peak hiring times. The approximate start date is set for October 14, 2024, and the position is expected to last for approximately 6-8 months, allowing for up to two days of remote work per week.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain an auditing schedule for Workday activities to ensure the successful completion of semi-monthly payroll and monthly leave accruals.
• Serve as Workday subject matter expert to assist in resolving technical issues and escalate larger issues to the ISC for investigation.
• Provide technical support for HFS on Workday and Duo (Two-Factor Authentication) and end-user support on completing Workday transactions.
• Run reports, compile, and summarize data, and conduct analysis to ensure payroll accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Provide direction to the payroll team regarding resolution of Workday errors related to payroll and leave administration.
• Develop process improvement metrics for reports, projects, and presentations.
• Collaborate with HFS partners to create, modify, and provide improved coordination, processing and reporting of information.
• Work closely with HFS IT and units to coordinate and troubleshoot time clock installations.
• Research, collect data and resolve time clock discrepancies, errors, and malfunctions.
• Design and develop tools to help with the assurance of complete and accurate payroll, and in providing information to customers and clients.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the ISC and designated HFS staff, collecting detailed information about issues, resolving at the lowest organizational level and/or escalating to the ISC as needed.
• Identify trends and follow up on consistent issues, developing communication strategies as necessary.
• Develop and manage the annual budget and planning process for area of responsibility.
• Partner with HFS HR to resolve complex problems with creative solutions, meet regulatory requirements, and assist employees.
• Develop learning and tools that are relevant and accessible to HFS staff.
• Create and administer policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure compliance with the University, state and federal laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure records management complies with UW policies and procedures.
• Identify, articulate, and model values and behaviors that support an organizational culture characterized as positive, productive, and committed to supporting staff and serving students.
• Serve as a member of the Business & Finance leadership team.
• Participate in HFS cross-functional teams and actively engage in developing and implementing workplace improvements.
• Attend and actively participate in Business & Finance leadership meetings.
• Supervise the work completed by direct reports, ensuring appropriate productivity and quality.
• Evaluate the work completed by direct reports and provide constructive feedback to support success.
• Provide guidance to direct reports on requirements and/or opportunities for learning and professional development.
• Plan, schedule, and direct the work of the payroll team.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or closely related field.
• Four years of experience in a payroll or accounting environment.
• Experience managing payroll using an HRIS or the equivalent.
• Effective administration of state and federal laws related to payroll compliance.
• Administration of payroll for overtime eligible and overtime exempt staff.
• Effective communication and problem solving with employees.
• Effective organization, planning and scheduling of work.
• Successful prioritization of complex and often competing priorities.
• Effective communication, adaptation, and visualization of data for a diverse audience.
• Curiosity and eagerness to learn and adapt to new technologies.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience working with Workday or other comparable payroll systems.
• Experience in payroll management or related fields at a public institution of higher education.
• Successful completion of training and testing required to execute Workday security role within one month of hire.

Benefits

• Generous benefits and work/life programs offered by the University of Washington.
• Professional growth opportunities and unique resources in a diverse environment.