Payroll Specialist II

The City of Des Moines is seeking an experienced Payroll Specialist to play a critical role in ensuring our employees are paid accurately, on time, and in compliance with ever changing laws and regulations. This role has an opportunity to collaborate with various department professionals (Finance, HR, and IT) to improve processes and solve complex challenges while providing exceptional customer service.

The Payroll Specialist II will have a meaningful impact on the services that support the people who serve our community every day.

Closing Date

Open until Filled. Applications turned in by July 15, 2026 will have first consideration.

To Apply

Complete the online application at https://desmoineswa.applicantpro.com/jobs/and attach a resume and cover letter explaining how you meet the requirements.

Nature of Work

Under the general direction of the Finance Director, this role collaborates closely with the Human Resources Division to oversee and enhance the City's payroll function. The Payroll Specialist II is responsible for processing semi-monthly payroll, ensuring compliance with all applicable employment laws and accounting standards, managing technical payroll duties, and developing processes that promote accurate and efficient payroll operations.

This position also acts as the power user and administrator for the Executime Time and Attendance system, ensuring the system is configured to comply with state and federal laws, relevant regulations, and applicable policies. Key responsibilities include configuring, maintaining, upgrading, testing, and training for the City's payroll system. The role involves working with both complex manual and automated payroll processes, applying union contracts and policy language, and interpreting benefit deductions, tax withholdings, specialty pays, and shift conversions with considerable judgment and confidentiality. While the primary focus is on payroll, this position also ensures accurate input of benefits into vendor portals, manages the reconciliation of benefit payments, and handles additional accounting duties as assigned.

This position demands a high level of reasoning, confidentiality, and a strong ability to provide exceptional customer service and work collaboratively with various stakeholders. This is a more advanced role than a Payroll Specialist I due to its leadership responsibilities and complexity.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

This is the second classification in a series of two. This classification is distinguished from the Payroll Specialist I in that the duties and responsibilities are more complex and technical in nature, and thus require a higher degree of initiative and independence. Positions in this class perform responsible and specialized payroll and record-keeping as a primary assignment, with the added responsibility of being a power user and system administrator for the time and attendance module, ensuring its optimal configuration and functionality. Incumbents may perform other accounting and financial record keeping and business office administrative support work. Incumbents are expected to have understanding of the City's payroll-personnel system and accounting system at a level necessary to understand the relationship of their work to the total system. Incumbents are expected to work with a high level of independence in performing assigned payroll functions. In addition, incumbents are expected to use sound judgement and initiative to resolve payroll problems and to problem-solve when changes in processes, procedures and or state/federal or City compensation and benefit packages necessitate changes in procedures.

Essential Functions:

Payroll Processing

• Performs timely and accurate preparation of City semi-monthly payrolls in close collaboration with Human Resources and Information Technology.
• Researches, gathers, tabulates, assembles, analyzes, summarizes, and reconciles payroll transactions, related information, and records; reviews and monitors timesheet data for compliance with collective bargaining agreements, City policies, and applicable laws; identifies and resolves discrepancies as authorized; certifies payroll and benefit eligibility; and updates required systems.
• Administers payroll operations in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations, collective bargaining agreements, City policies, and benefit plan requirements by monitoring changes, interpreting requirements, and implementing necessary payroll processes and system updates.
• Acts as the power user and administrator for the Executime Time and Attendance system, overseeing its configuration, maintenance, upgrades, quality control, and system administration to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, labor agreements, and City policies. Ensures adjustments and corrections accurately reflect employee-reported time and supervisor approvals.
• Prepares, reconciles, and files all required payroll tax reports and related filings, including quarterly and annual reporting, ensuring compliance with applicable tax laws and reporting requirements.
• Coordinates and performs payroll accounting operational functions; evaluates accounting procedures and fiscal practices; recommends and assists in implementing new or revised payroll accounting systems, procedures, and records; and participates in developing computer programs for payroll accounting analysis.
• Maintains accurate leave accruals within the payroll system and administers shared leave and other leave tracking records in coordination with Human Resources to ensure accurate reporting and compliance.
• Performs payroll-related reconciliations to ensure the accuracy of payroll transactions, benefit deductions, tax withholdings, general ledger postings, and vendor payments, researching and resolving discrepancies as necessary.
• Performs complex payroll research and analysis; compiles payroll statistics, costs, and reports in support of management, labor relations, budgeting, and organizational decision-making.
• May design standard and ad hoc payroll and benefit reports utilizing payroll system reporting tools; may perform salary and benefit forecasting, budget support, variance analysis, and other financial reporting as requested.
• Identifies payroll-related accounting system issues, recommends process improvements, and collaborates with Information Technology, Human Resources, Finance, software vendors, and management to resolve system issues and improve payroll operations.

Benefit Administration

• Administers payroll-related employee benefit processing, including benefit enrollments, vendor maintenance, payroll deductions, payment processing, reconciliation of vendor billings, and resolution of discrepancies. Coordinates with Human Resources to ensure compliance with applicable state and federal laws, regulations, City policies, and benefit plan requirements.
• Partners with Human Resources to address employee data requests, benefit enrollment issues, leave administration, and personnel-related inquiries while ensuring compliance with City policies, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable laws.
• Serves as the primary point of contact for employee inquiries regarding deferred compensation, retirement benefits, payroll deductions, and other payroll-related benefits by providing guidance, interpreting program provisions, and coordinating with benefit providers as needed.

Customer Service

• Provides technical assistance regarding payroll processing and resolution of complex payroll issues; serves as the payroll and timekeeping liaison to department timekeepers; responds to employee, supervisor, department head, and outside agency inquiries regarding payroll procedures, calculations, policies, and compliance requirements; develops payroll procedures, manuals, and training materials; and conducts payroll and timekeeping training.
• Exercises independent judgment in resolving payroll, tax, benefit, and timekeeping issues while ensuring compliance with applicable laws, regulations, City policies, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Coordinates and assists with payroll audits, compliance reviews, public records requests, and other payroll-related reporting requirements, including data collection, reconciliation, and analysis.

Enterprise Systems Administration

• Serves as the payroll subject matter expert for Executime, MUNIS, and other payroll-related enterprise systems. Participates in system implementation, configuration, testing, upgrades, reporting, process improvements, and ongoing system administration to ensure efficient payroll operations, data integrity, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and City policies.

Additional Duties

• Establishes and maintains cooperative, effective working relationships with co-workers, other City employees, and the general public using principles of good customer service.
• Reports for scheduled work with regular, reliable and punctual attendance.
• Performs other duties as assigned, including but not limited to being assigned to work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, equalize peak work periods, or balance the workload.

Necessary Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Payroll principles and practices.
• Accounting principles and fund accounting.
• Current federal, state, and local laws governing public sector payroll administration, payroll tax reporting, accounting systems, and municipal budgeting procedures.
• Federal and state wage and hour laws.
• Payroll tax reporting, withholding requirements, and related federal and state reporting obligations.
• Employee benefit administration and payroll-related benefit processing.
• Payroll accounting principles, payroll reconciliations, and internal controls.
• Public sector payroll administration, including the interpretation and application of collective bargaining agreements, City policies, and payroll regulations.
• Electronic payroll, timekeeping, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

Skill and ability to:

• Maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information and confidential records.
• Research, analyze, and resolve payroll system discrepancies, errors, and omissions; coordinate and implement corrective action as appropriate.
• Demonstrate attention to detail.
• Operate computers utilizing a variety of software including automated financial systems, word processing, spreadsheet, database and other applications related to the area of assignment.
• Maintain accurate payroll and personnel data within automated payroll and financial systems.
• Plan and organize work.
• Perform statistical, mathematical and financial analysis; interpret the data.
• Interpret and apply federal, state, and local payroll laws, regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and City policies.
• Perform arithmetic computations accurately and quickly.
• Prepare, reconcile, and analyze payroll reports, tax filings, and financial information.
• Perform payroll reconciliations and identify, investigate, and resolve discrepancies.
• Administer electronic payroll and timekeeping systems, including system testing, troubleshooting, reporting, and process improvements.
• Apply general accounting principles to the keeping of account records and the preparation of financial reports.
• Understand complex written and oral instruction.
• Formulate and design forms, graphs and program spreadsheets.
• Work independently and make decisions under broad guidelines.
• Work under pressure and/or continual interruptions, and to deal with a variety of deadlines of both an immediate and flexible nature.
• Maintain fair, equitable and cooperative working relationships with co-workers.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with the public, other employees, using tact, discretion and courtesy.
• Provide technical guidance and training regarding payroll procedures, policies, and payroll systems.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Coordinate projects and responsibilities with intradepartmental co-workers.

Education and Experience Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, or a closely related field.
• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in payroll administration, payroll accounting, benefits administration, or a closely related field.
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential duties of the position.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Public sector payroll and benefits administration experience.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification.

Special Requirements:

• Successful completion of a pre-employment background and criminal history check.
• Because of the known effects of tobacco use, the City of Des Moines does not hire applicants who use tobacco products.