FINANCE TECHNICIAN II-PAYROLL

City-of-St.-Pete-Beach,-Fl; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

City of St. Pete Beach is seeking a Finance Technician – Payroll & Human Resources Support to ensure accurate, timely payroll processing for City employees and to provide essential administrative support to the HR function.

The role acts as a liaison between Finance and HR, supporting onboarding, benefits elections, changes in status, confidential recordkeeping, routine HR reporting, audits, and open enrollment while upholding city policies and federal and state requirements.

Qualifications

• Requires high school diploma or GED; associate degree preferred.
• Finance Technician II: 2+ years in payroll, accounting support, or HR administration.

Responsibilities

• Process and administer bi-weekly payroll for all City employees with accurate time entry, deductions, withholdings, and pay calculations.
• Provide administrative support for HR functions including onboarding, employee status changes, benefits coordination, and personnel file maintenance.
• Coordinate payroll changes related to new hires, promotions, separations, benefits elections, and leave balances in collaboration with HR.

Skills

Payroll processing

Wage and hour laws

HR administration

Excel

HR/payroll systems

Communication

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate degree in accounting, finance, or HR

Tools

NEOGOV

Job description

The Finance Technician – Payroll & Human Resources Support is a key administrative and technical position responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing for City employees while providing essential administrative support to the Human Resources function. This role serves as a bridge between Finance and Human Resources, supporting employee lifecycle transactions, payroll compliance, and confidential recordkeeping in accordance with City policies and federal and state regulations.

Payroll Processing

• Process and administer bi-weekly payroll for all City employees, ensuring accurate time entry, deductions, withholdings, and pay calculations.
• Verify timekeeping data, coordinate approvals with department supervisors, and resolve discrepancies prior to payroll submission.
• Maintain payroll records and supporting documentation in compliance with retention requirements.
• Coordinate payroll changes related to new hires, promotions, separations, benefits elections, and leave balances in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Ensure payroll processing complies with City Personnel Rules, collective bargaining agreements (if applicable), and applicable federal and state laws.
• Act as back up to the Human Resources Specialist

Human Resources Administrative Support

• Provide administrative support for HR functions including onboarding, employee status changes, benefits administration coordination, and personnel file maintenance.
• Enter and update employee data in HR/payroll systems with a high degree of accuracy and confidentiality.
• Assist with routine HR reporting, audits, and documentation requests.
• Support HR calendar functions such as open enrollment, performance review cycles, and required employee acknowledgements.

Coordination, Compliance, and Controls

• Serve as a liaison between Finance, Human Resources, and departments to ensure payroll and HR transactions are processed accurately and timely.
• Support internal controls by maintaining segregation of duties between payroll processing, approvals, and releases.
• Assist with payroll and HR-related audits by preparing reports, documentation, and reconciliation support.
• Participate in payroll system updates, testing, and process improvements to enhance efficiency and compliance.

Minimum Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; associate degree in accounting, finance, human resources, or a related field preferred.
• Finance Technician II: Minimum of 2 years of experience in payroll, accounting support, or HR administration.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Emergency Response Status: As a condition of employment, City of St. Pete Beach employees may be required to work as directed during an undeclared and/or a declared emergency. All employees are subject to recall around the clock for emergency response operations, which may require irregular work hours, work at locations other than the normal work location, and may include duties other than those specified in the official job description.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Working knowledge of payroll processing, wage and hour laws, and basic HR administration principles.
• Payroll processing in NEOGOV preferred but not required
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage confidential and sensitive information.
• Proficiency with financial and HR/payroll systems and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel.
• Effective communication skills for interacting with employees, supervisors, and leadership.
• Ability to prioritize deadlines and manage recurring payroll cycles.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary work with occasional lifting of up to 10 pounds.
• Requires visual acuity for reviewing data and operating computer systems.
• Ability to communicate effectively in a typical office environment