Payroll Officer 1

Are you a sophisticated payroll professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment?

If so, we are hiring for a Payroll Officer 1 and invite you to explore this opportunity!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) is recruiting for a Payroll Officer 1. This position is responsible for the payroll and employee benefit functions for over 1500 employees, which includes both managerial employees and employees in many different bargaining units.

Position Details:

The Payroll Officer 1 position will be located in the Fiscal Services Unit at 1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT. This is a full-time, 40 hours per week position, with a Monday-Friday schedule of 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Some occasional Saturdays may be required.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Complete payroll operation, including supervision of staff assigned to payroll;
• Staff management includes training, performance evaluations, maintain unit procedures and standards for all of payroll;
• Oversee complex factors including bargaining units, weekend and shift differential and/or seasonal employees;
• More details can be found in the job specification.

What We Can Offer You

Working for the State of Connecticut can offer an array of experiences to add to your skillset. In addition, we provide a comprehensive benefits package:

• Work/life balance including flexible scheduling and generous time off
• Health coverage and wellness program incentives
• Retirement savings plans
• A challenging, yet rewarding experience!

Discover how you can Make an Impact

This is a competitive recruitment, open to the public.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

All State employees shall follow the guidelines as listed in Executive Orders 13F (3a) and 13G (3a).

To Apply:

• Complete a Master Application and directly apply to this recruitment.
• Supplemental documentation such as a resume or cover letter are no longer being accepted at the time of application however, you may be asked to submit them at a later time closer to the interview stage. Please ensure that your application is thorough and complete and include all details within the application. You will be unable to make revisions once it is submitted.

What to Expect After You Apply:

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.

Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. This position may require you to prepare a lesson plan presentation as part of the interview process.

Important Notes from DESPP HR:

Candidates who have been selected for employment with the Department of Emergency Services & Public Protection are subject to a detailed background investigation, including a fingerprint supported state and federal criminal history record check along with reference checks. Selection for employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the background investigation. Also considered in this selection process: Any pending or disciplinary history within the past 2 years and review of attendance records.

Candidate selected for an interview must provide the following at the time of interview:

• State Employees: Two (2) most recent performance evaluations, cover letter and a completed CT-HR-13 form.
• Non-State Employees: Two (2) letters of professional reference from a current and/or previous supervisor, cover letter, and a completed CT-HR-13.

Should you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Samantha Wasef, HR Associate – Talent Solutions: Samantha.Wasef@CT.Gov

In a State agency, facility or institution, this class is accountable for supervising a small payroll operation or assisting in supervising a moderate to large size payroll operation.

Schedules, assigns, oversees and reviews work of staff; provides staff training and assistance; conducts performance evaluations; determines priorities and plans unit work; establishes and maintains unit procedures; develops or makes recommendations on development of policies and standards; acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding unit policies and procedures; prepares reports and correspondence; reviews accuracy of payroll including shift differential payments, annual increases, collective bargaining increases, retirement calculations, workers compensation benefits and revisions for attachments; prepares or closely supervises more complex portions of a payroll such as retroactive payments or garnishments; supervises reconciliation of payroll deductions and coding of payroll expenditures; supervises maintenance of time records including issuing semi-annual leave balances; supervises control and distribution of paychecks; answers employees questions relating to payroll; may compile payroll expenditure data for budget preparation; may provide information and process paperwork regarding employee fringe benefits; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; considerable knowledge of and ability to apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; knowledge of and ability to apply state payroll policies and procedures; knowledge of uses of office machinery used in accounting work; some knowledge of governmental accounting as it applies to payroll; considerable skill in performing arithmetical computations; interpersonal skills; oral communication skills; supervisory ability.

Five (5) years of experience in complex clerical work in accounting or payroll.

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have had payroll preparation as the principal responsibility.

College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of two (2) years.

Our preferred candidate will demonstrate they have experience with the following:

• Experience in organization and supervising the work of others;
• Experience with Health insurance changes and billing;
• Experience in calculating and processing retroactive payments;
• Experience with preparing reports through PeopleSoft Financial Systems and/or STARS;
• Experience working with Kronos;
• Experience verifying checks issued by an outside entity;
• Experience professionally interacting in person, via telephone, in writing and using electronic communications;
• Experience in multitasking while effectively managing a high volume of work;
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, creating formulas, V-lookups, pivot tables, etc. 

Persons having responsibility for supervising or observing the behavior of inmates or custodial individuals will be required to possess a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certification by the time of permanent appointment.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.