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Tacoma Water Payroll Administrator

Salary

$88,774.40 - $124,966.40 Annually

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Non-Classified

Remote Employment

Flexible/Hybrid

Job Number

P0160-25C

Department

Water

Opening Date

06/09/2025

Closing Date

6/23/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

Position Description

Tacoma Water is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Payroll Administrator to oversee our complex payroll operations and internal business processes. This pivotal role supports all of Tacoma Water by leading a team of twelve timekeepers, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness in all payroll functions. If you're a subject matter expert in payroll administration with a knack for leadership, process improvement, and data analysis, we encourage you to apply!

About the Role

As the Tacoma Water Payroll Administrator, you'll be the go-to expert for all things timekeeping and payroll at Tacoma Water. You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy, acting on behalf of leadership to create, implement, and sustain robust internal business processes and procedures. Your comprehensive knowledge of eight collective bargaining agreements, coupled with a deep understanding of City, federal, and state policies, will be crucial in ensuring compliance and mitigating risk.

This role requires a proactive leader who can drive change, troubleshoot complex issues, successfully communicate to a diverse workforce, and provide critical insights to senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities

+ Lead and Develop Timekeeping Team: Train and mentor twelve timekeepers, ensuring accurate and timely processing of all payroll-related functions. Provide guidance on policies, collective bargaining agreements, and SAP transactions.

+ Program Management & Compliance: Act as the program manager for timekeeping operations, ensuring accurate biweekly payroll audits and compliance with City, federal, and state regulations, including FLSA, FMLA, and PFML. Serve as the primary liaison to the Finance/Payroll department and interact with Labor Relations as needed.

+ Analysis & Reporting: Conduct complex data analysis and provide insights and recommendations to Senior Leadership on workforce management, including absence trends, OJI, FMLA, PFML, and overtime, to inform strategic decisions.

+ Change Management & Process Improvement: Lead implementation and change management for timekeeping and payroll process modifications across Tacoma Water, including operationalizing collective bargaining agreement changes and ensuring clear communication and documentation.

Qualifications

Minimum Education*

Bachelor's degree in public or business administration or directly related field

Minimum Experience*

2 years of analytical and/or program coordination/management work in area related to assignment (payroll administration)

*Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Desired Qualifications

+ Experience with SAP

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

City of Tacoma Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Tacoma's diversity is its greatest asset. Tacoma embraces its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character. Communities of color and immigrant communities are fundamental to Tacoma's entrepreneurial spirit, workforce, and long-term success. In Tacoma, equity and empowerment are top priorities, meaning that all Tacoma residents must have equitable opportunities to reach their full potential and share in the benefits of community progress. One of our goals is for the City of Tacoma workforce to reflect the community it serves. We actively work to eliminate racial and other disparities and welcome candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skill sets and experiences. Our goal is for Tacoma to be an inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and play.

The City of Tacoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workplace. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, and local laws.

Apply

Interested individuals should apply online and attach a detailed resume and cover letter that includes job experience, major responsibilities and accomplishments related to this position.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received for interview consideration.

Reference checks will be conducted on final candidates and appointment is subject to passing a background check.

Communication from the City of Tacoma:

We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from cityoftacoma.org and/or governmentjobs.com must be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders.

If you have any additional questions regarding this position, please contact the Human Resources Department at 253.591.5400 prior to 4pm on the date of this posting closing.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Do you have an equivalent combination to Bachelor's degree in public or business administration or directly related field AND 2 years of analytical and/or program coordination/management work in area related to assignment? *Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

+ Yes

+ No

02

This role requires strong troubleshooting skills. Provide an example of a significant payroll discrepancy or error you had to investigate and resolve. What was your systematic approach to identifying the root cause, and how did you ensure it wouldn't recur?

03

Payroll operations are often high-stakes and time-sensitive. Describe a period of high pressure or a particularly tight deadline you faced in a payroll role. How did you manage your workload and ensure accuracy under pressure?

04

Describe a situation where you had to analyze a complex problem with incomplete information. What steps did you take to gather the necessary data, and how did you arrive at a solution?

05

One of the City's Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and describe any experience you have working with diverse groups of people.

06

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

+ Job Interest Card notification

+ Professional organization

+ Military organization

+ City of Tacoma employee

+ Online job board posting

+ Word of mouth

+ LinkedIn

+ Tacoma Training & Education Program (TTEP)

+ Indeed

+ Facebook

+ Instagram

+ Careers in Government

+ Government Jobs

+ Outreach Event

+ National Diversity Network

+ African American Job Network

+ Disability Job Network

+ Asian Job Network

+ Latino Job Network

+ Retirement Job Network

+ LGBT Job Network

+ Veteran Job Network

+ Other

07

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer

City of Tacoma

Address

Human Resources Department 747 Market Street Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone

253-591-5400

Website

http://www.cityoftacoma.org

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