Lead Payroll Specialist

San Diego Unified School District; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 73,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

District-paid health benefits

Bilingual differential

Job summary

San Diego Unified School District is seeking a Lead Payroll Specialist to train and guide payroll staff while coordinating complex payroll activities. The role will involve analytical duties related to preparing, processing, and auditing payrolls and handling special projects.

The position supports a 12-month schedule at the Payroll Department in San Diego, CA, with a focus on accuracy and compliance in a large governmental payroll environment.

Qualifications

• Associate Degree in business administration or related field and four years of progressively responsible accounting experience in a computerized payroll system environment, two years of which must be in a large governmental or school district payroll system.
• Specialized payroll certification desirable.
• Note: Your related education and experience must be clearly represented in the work history and education section of your application.

Responsibilities

• Provide training and guidance to Payroll Specialists and other Payroll personnel as assigned; schedule, coordinate, and perform analytical, complex, and specialized payroll accounting duties related to preparing, processing, and auditing of payrolls.
• Perform special projects and assignments as directed.
• To view the detailed position description for Lead Payroll Specialist, click here.

Skills

Payroll accounting

Training & guidance

Education

Associate Degree in business administration or related field

Job description

Lead Payroll Specialist

San Diego Unified School District Payroll Department - San Diego, California Open in Google Maps

This job is also posted in San Diego Unified School District Job Opportunities

Job Details

Job ID: 5924835

Application Deadline: Sep 28, 2026 11:59 PM (Pacific Standard Time)

Re-Posted: Sep 14, 2026 7:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: To Be Determined

Job Description

The San Diego Unified School District is currently accepting applications for the position of Lead Payroll Specialist. This promotional / open opportunity is open to all interested candidates.

OVERVIEW:

San Diego Unified School District, the second largest district in California and one of the top largest urban school districts in the United States, is looking for professionals who care deeply for students and are committed to the communities in which they serve.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT:

Because each person is born with inherent worth and dignity, and because equitable access and opportunity are essential to a just, educated society, San Diego Unified employee commitments include being respectful of differences and diverse perspectives, and being accountable for one’s actions and the resulting impact.

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Lead Payroll Specialist will, under the direction of an assigned supervisor, provide training and guidance to Payroll Specialists and other Payroll personnel as assigned; schedule, coordinate, and perform analytical, complex, and specialized payroll accounting duties related to preparing, processing, and auditing of payrolls; perform special projects and assignments as directed.

To view the detailed position descriptionfor Lead Payroll Specialist, click here .

VACANCY / POSITION SPECIFICS:

• Working Location: Payroll Department -4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
• Work Schedule: 12 months per year / 40 hours per week.
• Salary: This position is paid on theOTBSSalary Schedule. Grade048. To view the Salary Schedule, click here .
• Positions 20 hours per week or greater qualify for District-paid health and wellness benefits for the employee and their eligible dependents.
• Vacancies that require the incumbent to be Bilingual will be noted. Candidates considered for positions that require bilingual skills will be invited to a Performance Test (Qualifying Only) for oral and written fluency. Bilingual positions qualify for a 5% bilingual differential.

This is a PROMOTIONAL/OPEN opportunity, which means that current monthly salaried employees receive precedence over other candidates on the eligible list. For a promotional/open posting, the top ten internalcandidates will be provided unless there is an insufficient number of internalcandidatesand then the list will be supplemented with the top externalcandidatesto make up the list of ten (Employment Regulations for the Classified Service of the San Diego Unified School District: Article IV, Section 9).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

A combination of training, experience, and/or education equivalent to an Associate Degree in business administration or related field and four years of progressively responsible accounting experience in a computerized payroll system environment, two years of which must be in a large governmental or school district payroll system. Specialized training or completion of a payroll certification is desirable.

NOTE: Your related education and experience must be clearly represented in the work history and education section of your application.

Licenses and Other Requirements:

None

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

If you have questions about your application, please email [e-mail] .

The San Diego Unified School District communicates information regarding the hiring process via email. Please be aware that the District is not responsible for messages blocked by your email service. In an effort to allow our emails through your personal spam filter, you can try to add [e-mail] [e-mail] to your safe senders list.

San Diego Unified School District is committed to equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs and activities shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying by reason of the following actual or perceived characteristics: age, ancestry, color, mental or physical disability, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, immigration status, marital or parental status, medical condition, nationality, national origin, actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, or on the basis of a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.

For more information about equity in employment, contact:

Title II Coordinator & Uniform Complaint Compliance Officer Eric Rico: [phone], [e-mail] / Title IX Coordinator Anna Ward: [phone], [e-mail] / 504 Coordinator Eri Nall: [phone], [e-mail]

Position Type: Full-Time
Salary: $6,537.14 to $7,943.06 Per Month

Contact Information

• Human Resources
• Email: [e-mail]

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