Process full-cycle payroll using ADP Workforce Now, reconcile payroll-related accounts, prepare payroll journal entries and reports, support audits and financial close, respond to employee payroll inquiries, maintain payroll documentation, and assist with system testing and process improvements to ensure compliant, accurate, and timely payroll operations.
Position Summary:
Demonstrates and applies advanced knowledge of payroll administration, ADP Workforce Now processing, and general accounting principles through the end-to-end processing of payroll, reconciliation of payroll-related financial activity, preparation of accounting entries, payroll reporting, and maintenance of accurate financial records. Responsible for ensuring timely and accurate payroll processing in compliance with College policies, collective bargaining agreements, applicable tax regulations, accounting standards, and internal control requirements.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
As part of Terra State Community College’s ongoing commitment in providing the highest quality education and training to our students, faculty, staff and community, the College will:
Demonstrates and applies advanced knowledge of payroll administration, ADP Workforce Now processing, and general accounting principles through the end-to-end processing of payroll, reconciliation of payroll-related financial activity, preparation of accounting entries, payroll reporting, and maintenance of accurate financial records. Responsible for ensuring timely and accurate payroll processing in compliance with College policies, collective bargaining agreements, applicable tax regulations, accounting standards, and internal control requirements.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Processes full-cycle payroll from beginning to end for all assigned employee groups using ADP Workforce Now in accordance with established payroll calendars, institutional procedures, collective bargaining agreements, and applicable regulations.
- Reviews payroll data submitted by Human Resources and other authorized departments for completeness, accuracy, and compliance prior to payroll processing.
- Audits payroll exception reports, payroll preview reports, variance reports, deduction reports, tax reports, and payroll registers to identify discrepancies and ensure payroll accuracy prior to finalization.
- Validates earnings, deductions, benefit withholdings, tax calculations, supplemental compensation, stipends, retroactive adjustments, leave balances impacting pay, direct deposit activity, garnishments, and retirement contributions.
- Processes payroll adjustments including retroactive corrections, supplemental payrolls, off-cycle payrolls, overpayment adjustments, and approved payroll corrections.
- Balances payroll totals including gross wages, net pay, employer taxes, benefit deductions, retirement contributions, voluntary deductions, garnishments, and direct deposit funding.
- Validates payroll tax calculations, payroll liabilities, and payment funding prior to payroll transmission.
- Ensures payroll transmission deadlines are met and confirms successful payroll funding and processing.
- Runs, analyzes, and distributes payroll reports, deduction reports, tax reports, labor distribution reports, benefit reconciliation reports, and other payroll-related operational and financial reports.
- Develops and maintains recurring payroll reporting schedules and ad hoc payroll reports to support Finance, Human Resources, leadership, auditors, and regulatory compliance needs.
- Assists with payroll system configuration testing, payroll validation, implementation activities, and process improvement initiatives related to ADP Workforce Now.
- Maintains payroll calendars, processing checklists, standard operating procedures, desk manuals, and payroll workflow documentation.
- Responds to employee payroll inquiries related to pay calculations, deductions, direct deposit, tax withholding, wage statements, and payroll corrections.
- Maintains confidentiality of payroll, compensation, tax, and employee financial information. Coordinates and finalize College audit and working papers and provide guidance for the foundation audit
- Prepares payroll-related journal entries including wages, payroll taxes, retirement contributions, benefit accruals, employer-paid benefits, payroll reallocations, accrual reversals, and related accounting adjustments.
- Reconciles payroll-related general ledger accounts, clearing accounts, liability accounts, tax accounts, retirement accounts, and other assigned balance sheet and expense accounts.
- Assists with monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial close processes related to payroll and assigned accounting responsibilities.
- Performs account analysis and investigates discrepancies between payroll records, ADP reports, general ledger balances, and external reporting.
- Reviews labor distribution allocations, departmental funding, grant allocations, and payroll expense coding for accuracy.
- Prepares financial schedules, reconciliation workpapers, audit documentation, and management reporting as assigned.
- Supports accounting process improvement efforts, internal control enhancements, and payroll/accounting workflow efficiencies.
- Performs duties as assigned.
- Associate’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
- Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible payroll processing and accounting experience required.
- Demonstrated experience processing full-cycle payroll from beginning to end required.
- Experience using ADP Workforce Now payroll processing required
- Experience with payroll reconciliations, journal entries, audit support, payroll reporting, and financial close processes required.
- Experience in higher education, public sector, unionized, or grant-funded payroll environments preferred.
- Ability to effectively communicate one-on-one and in small groups.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and various software programs.
- Demonstrated ability to work with a diverse group of people.
- Effective verbal, written, and listening communication skills.
- Effective problem-solving skills.
- The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit and talk or hear.
- Reasonable accommodations will be made for individuals with disabilities.
As part of Terra State Community College’s ongoing commitment in providing the highest quality education and training to our students, faculty, staff and community, the College will:
- Educate students by means of free, open, and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth.
- Equip students with an opportunity to develop the intellectual skills they need to reach their own, informed conclusions.
- Not require, favor, disfavor, or prohibit speech or lawful assembly.
- Create a community dedicated to an ethic of civil and free inquiry, which respects the autonomy of each member, supports individual capacities for growth, and tolerates the differences in opinion that naturally occur in a public higher education community.
- Treat all faculty, staff, and students as individuals, will hold them to equal standards, and provide them equality of opportunity, with regard to those individuals’ race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
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What you need to know about the Chicago Tech Scene
With vibrant neighborhoods, great food and more affordable housing than either coast, Chicago might be the most liveable major tech hub. It is the birthplace of modern commodities and futures trading, a national hub for logistics and commerce, and home to the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association. This diverse blend of industry influences has helped Chicago emerge as a major player in verticals like fintech, biotechnology, legal tech, e-commerce and logistics technology. It’s also a major hiring center for tech companies on both coasts.
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