STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Payroll Officer 1

Hybrid

Recruitment #240827-6146AR-001

Introduction



The State of Connecticut, Department of Social Services (DSS) is actively recruiting a Payroll Officer 1 to join our team located at our Central Office, 55 Farmington Ave. in Hartford, CT.

Position Highlights:
  • Full-time, 40 hours per week
  • First (1st) shift
  • Monday - Friday
  • 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
  • Hartford, CT
The Role:
The Payroll Officer 1 will be responsible preparation and maintenance of DSS payroll approximately 1,860 employees spanning across 12 field offices and the central office.  The Payroll Unit includes one Associate Fiscal Administrative Officer and two Payroll Clerks. The selected candidate will report directly to the Associate Fiscal Administrative Officer within the Payroll Unit.

Responsibilities include:
  • Assist with assigning and reviewing the work of payroll clerks.
  • Assist with determining priorities and plan unit work.
  • Utilize Core-CT and EPM reporting modules for unit oversight and required agency reporting.
  • Provide staff training and assistance regarding payroll processing and benefits.
  • Oversee complex factors including bargaining units’ employees.
  • Respond to employee inquiries regarding benefit and compensation information.
  • Calculate and process additional payments such as Longevity, retroactive salary adjustments, retirement accruals and termination payouts.
  • Establish and maintain unit procedures.
  • Act as liaison with other units, agencies, and outside officials regarding unit policies and procedures.
  • Manage competing priorities while meeting strict deadlines.
About Us:
DSS delivers and funds a wide range of programs and services as Connecticut’s multi-faceted health and human services agency.  DSS serves about 1 million residents of all ages in all 169 Connecticut cities and towns.  We support the basic needs of children, families, older and other adults, including persons with disabilities.  Services are delivered through 12 field offices, central administration, and online and phone access options.

What’s In It For You:
  • To work for a Forbes top company: ‘ForbesState of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 - State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule;
  • Professional growth and paid professional development opportunities.
  • A healthy work-life balance to all employees.
  • State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loan forgiveness after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.
Discover the opportunity to:
  • Engage in a rewarding career
  • Assist our employees so they can achieve success
  • Make a difference in the public sector
  • Work together in a collaborative team environment

Selection Plan

For Assistance in Applying:

Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Application Process:

This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.

For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from branch to branch but it does not impact your state service credit.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the minimum qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date, unless otherwise specified.

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

Please ensure that your application is complete. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the state of Connecticut.

Selection Process:

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs) which will be sent to you via email after the closing date. The email notification will include an expiration date by which you must submit (Finish) your responses. Please regularly check your email for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders, as emails could end up there in error.

During the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation supporting their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc. at the discretion of the agency.

Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.

Contact Information:

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process.

Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Christopher Lavallee at Christopher.Lavallee@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

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.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • 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.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

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

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a payroll clerk.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

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.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience applying human resources statutes, regulations, policies, procedures and bargaining unit contract and agreement terms to payroll.
  • Experience working in a payroll office and processing the payroll of a large agency (1000 or more employees).
  • Experience processing payroll functions in Peoplesoft/Core-CT for the lifecycle of payroll.
  • Experience processing medical, dental and group life benefits.
  • Experience using Microsoft 365 suite to include Word, Excel, and Outlook.
  • Experience identifying problems, researching solutions, making a decision, and verifying the accuracy of that decision.
  • Experience with adapting to changing work priorities and compressed deadlines.
  • Experience communicating to a diverse population.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

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.

Conclusion

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.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.