Payroll Clerk

Position Information

County of Sonoma seeks qualified applicants for multiple Payroll Clerk positions!
Starting salary up to $30.14/hour ($62,905/year), a cash allowance of $600/month, and a competitive total compensation package*!
What Makes Sonoma County a Great Choice?Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to excellent benefits*, including:

• An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance up to $500 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Significant portion of health care premiums paid by County and access to several heath plan options
• County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
• Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
• Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range

The ideal candidates will possess:

• The ability to effectively complete detailed tasks, while working in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions
• A talent for accurately process electronic time-keeping and payroll data within evolving deadlines
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to courteously, professionally, and effectively interact and engage with diverse audiences, in one-on-one and group settings
• The ability to interpret and explain complicated policies, laws, and personnel agreements
• Knowledge of applicable employment regulations, such as FLSA wage and hour laws, Family Medical Leave Act, and California Family Rights Act
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, Word, Access, Outlook, and Human Resource Information Systems
• Solid organizational skills, attention to detail, and consistent follow-through

As a Payroll Clerk, you will be responsible for:

• Processing and maintaining personnel actions for your department's employees
• Analyzing and evaluating department payroll issues
• Applying State/Federal leave and disability laws, memoranda of understanding, Board resolutions, and other complex payroll policies and procedures that govern employees' salary and benefits
• Communicating with all levels of staff regarding payroll questions

• Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU).

Human Services, Regional Parks, and Transportation and Public Works are currently recruiting for Payroll positons in their departments. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Any combination of education and/or training which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, academic courses in business administration, legal practice, bookkeeping and/or accounting would provide this opportunity. A Certified Payroll Professional Certificate (CPP) is desirable.

Experience: Any combination of work experience which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, two years of experience in bookkeeping, statistical work, or accounting activities including the processing of payroll and personnel records, would provide such opportunity.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: the County's payroll and personnel records systems; salary policies and resolutions; and various terms and conditions contained in memoranda of understanding as they relate to a particular department; the County's classification plan; various types and kinds of occupations associated with a particular department; understanding of the numeric code systems utilized within the payroll system for job classes; and the master salary table; departmental policies, procedures and functions which relate to the payroll system; of general management and supervisory policies; and procedures of the various divisions within the department.

Working knowledge of: the County's overall payroll system; and the inter-relationship between a particular department, the Auditor-Controller's Office, Personnel Department and the Computer Services Department; employee benefits, insurances, allowances and related entitlements as outlined in memoranda of understanding with unions, unrepresented employees and contract employees; payroll deductions to include social security, and federal and state withholding taxes.

Ability to: understand, interpret and explain salary policies, procedures and systems to department management, supervisory and clerical employees affected by payroll activities; interpret and explain the various salary schedules, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment to departmental employees; make complex arithmetic calculations accurately and rapidly; establish and maintain cooperative and harmonious working relationships with co-workers, other department staff, and employees seeking information; function effectively as a lead worker over other clerical employees within the department working on the payroll system; ensure accuracy and processing of time worked records and related documents; effectively train new employees in the County's payroll and personnel system; instruct existing employees in new and/or revised payroll and personnel procedures; independently initiate, prioritize, and perform work assignments; analyze and solve problems related to payroll and related work activities; meet fixed or fluctuating deadlines in order to achieve work objectives; recognize and know the purpose of standardized forms related to payroll; compile and prepare periodic summaries and reports for statistical and administrative purposes such as employment inventory, cost distribution, and pay and leave entitlements and usage; operate electronic information system equipment at a speed of 40 words per minute.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all your employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and should be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the application, examination, and department selection processes.
APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses which state "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.
The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application & Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer are contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are accepted on-line at: www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be RECEIVED by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma prioritizes and is committed to continuously providing a workplace where equal employment opportunity is afforded to all people. Please view the County's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy for further information.

HR Analyst: AK
HR Technician: KC