Payroll Coordinator

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).

The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.

We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

Primary Location:

Bargaining Unit:

No

MISSION

The City University of New York (CUNY) is the nation's leading urban public university serving more than 540,000 students in matriculated degree, certificate, and continuing education programs at 25 schools and institutions in New York City. The Office of Academic Affairs oversees a broad portfolio of programs at CUNY, all of them related to the university’s mission of providing accessible, high-quality education to all New Yorkers, and of helping City residents to prepare for and succeed in college and careers. Many of the programs managed by this unit are offered at CUNY colleges; others are directly operated out of the Central Office of Academic Affairs. The unit is in part distinguished by its strong commitment to high-quality instruction and counseling for students, ongoing professional development for staff and instructors, data-driven program management and improvement, and rigorous evaluation of its programs and initiatives.

General Description

The Personnel Services unit within the Office of Academic Affairs Fiscal Administration Department seeks a motivated, detail-oriented Payroll Coordinator to support payroll, personnel, and fiscal administration for Academic Affairs programs. Reporting to the Interim Supervisor of Personnel Services, the Payroll Coordinator will help ensure accurate and timely OneRF/Workday payroll processing, time and leave review, payroll reporting, data reconciliation, employee support, and coordination with RFCUNY Payroll, HR, Finance, supervisors, timekeepers, and program staff.

Duties & Responsibilities 

Payroll

• Process and validate bi-weekly payroll activity in RFCUNY’s OneRF/Workday system, including time entry, leave usage, payroll inputs, salary changes, retroactive adjustments, and employee resignations/terminations.

• Review time tracking records, payroll input, and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, required approvals, and alignment with payroll deadlines.

• Run and review payroll reports, and related outputs to identify discrepancies before payroll completion.

• Research and resolve payroll exceptions related to hours worked, time off, pay changes, funding distributions, cost allocations, deductions, and employee data changes.

• Coordinate with RFCUNY Payroll, HR, Finance, program timekeepers, supervisors, and program staff to support timely payroll processing, corrections, and issue resolution.

• Prepare payroll-related data change requests, funding updates, journal entry information, personnel expense reports, and supporting documentation for payroll and fiscal operations.

• Monitor salary, fringe, retroactive payment, and payroll-related expense activity against approved funding allocations and personnel budgets.

• Provide guidance to employees, supervisors, and program staff on OneRF/Workday time entry, payroll deadlines, approval workflows, leave reporting, and payroll-related inquiries.

Data Tracking and Reporting

• Maintain accurate payroll, time and leave, funding, and personnel data in OneRF/Workday to support payroll processing, fiscal reporting, and program decision-making.

• Reconcile payroll data against approved personnel budgets, funding allocations, timesheets, salary changes, retroactive adjustments, and program records to ensure costs are accurate and properly charged.

• Prepare payroll-related data summaries, reports, and supporting documentation for supervisors, program and department leadership, HR, Payroll, Finance, audit requests, and compliance needs.

• Track reporting issues, corrections, and follow-up items to support timely resolution, accurate recordkeeping, and continuous process improvement.

Other

• Respond to employee, supervisor, and program staff inquiries regarding payroll procedures, time and leave approvals, required documentation, and related program processes.

• Provide coverage for team members during absences to support continuity of payroll, personnel, and fiscal administration functions.

• Participate in staff meetings, system trainings, and professional development activities to stay current on payroll, personnel, and OneRF/Workday procedures.

• Support special projects, process improvements, and cross-functional initiatives within the Personnel Services Unit as assigned.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Two or more years of experience in payroll administration, HR operations, personnel administration, fiscal administration, or a closely related administrative field.

• Working knowledge of payroll processing, time and leave reporting, employee data changes, payroll documentation, and deadline-driven administrative processes.

• Experience reviewing payroll, timekeeping, leave, personnel, or funding data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with established procedures.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, including the ability to organize data, review reports, identify discrepancies, and support routine reconciliations.

• Ability to learn and accurately use OneRF/Workday or comparable HRIS, payroll, timekeeping, and reporting systems.

• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, follow-through, and ability to manage multiple assignments while meeting recurring payroll deadlines.

• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills with a commitment to responsive, professional customer service.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, resolve routine payroll or personnel-related issues, escalate complex matters appropriately, and work collaboratively with diverse employees and internal partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, accounting, public administration, higher education administration, or a related field.

• Experience using RFCUNY’s OneRF/Workday system or a comparable HRIS, payroll, timekeeping, or financial management system.

• Experience supporting payroll processing, timesheet review, time and leave tracking, employee data changes, salary adjustments, terminations, funding updates, or payroll-related documentation.

• Experience running payroll or personnel reports, reconciling discrepancies, and maintaining records for audit, compliance, grant, or fiscal reporting purposes.

• Intermediate Excel skills, including experience using spreadsheets to organize data, compare records, track transactions, and prepare summaries or reconciliations.

• Experience in a higher education, public sector, nonprofit, research foundation, or grant-funded environment.

• Experience assisting employees or supervisors with onboarding, payroll orientation, time entry, leave reporting, documentation, and approval workflows.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

• This position is based in a professional office environment and follows a hybrid work schedule: 70% in-person (7 days) and 30% remote (3 days) during each two-week payroll cycle.

• A laptop and other necessary equipment may be provided to support remote work.

• While performing these duties, the employee may be required to:

  • Sit for extended periods

  • Use a computer and other office equipment

  • Occasionally lift or move items up to 20 pounds

• Reasonable accommodations will be provided to individuals with disabilities or other needs in accordance with RFCUNY policies and applicable laws.

• Ability to travel to other CUNY sites as needed.

How to apply:

For full consideration, applicants should upload a position-focused cover letter and résumé as one Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF document in the résumé field. The cover letter should describe how the applicant’s experience relates to the responsibilities and qualifications of this position.

Pay Range:

6,2000

RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.