Payroll Clerk / Human Resources Assistant

City of Amesbury; Amesbury (MA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 41,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Amesbury is seeking a Payroll Clerk / Human Resources Assistant to manage bi-weekly payroll and benefits invoices and to handle general HR administrative tasks for the City and School employees. You will review timesheets, prepare tax reports, reconcile benefits deductions, generate payroll reports in Softright, and assist with W-2s and 1095-Cs, preserving confidentiality.

This full‑time role supports onboarding, filing personnel records, and coordinating with departments while

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent with 2 years’ payroll processing experience.
• Municipal payroll experience preferred.
• Municipal human resources experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assumes responsibility for timely and accurate processing of bi-weekly payroll with correct deductions and changes.
• Reviews timesheets, inputs weekly payroll, and ensures accuracy.
• Prepares tax reports and analyses for payroll, benefits, budgets, or financial systems as needed.
• Reconciles employee benefits deductions on a monthly basis.
• Processes benefit and employee-related invoices for City and School employees, including OBRA and SMART plan deductions.
• Generates payroll reports and assists with W-2s and 1095-Cs; maintains payroll records.
• Coordinates with School and City departments on unemployment claims and verifications; handles payroll deductions for benefits.
• Performs HR administrative functions and assists with onboarding of new City and School employees.

Skills

Payroll processing

Municipal payroll knowledge

Attention to detail

Organization & communication

Confidentiality

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Softright

Job description

The City of Amesbury’s Payroll Clerk / Human Resources Assistant will be responsible for the bi-weekly processing of payroll and benefit invoices. In addition, they will be responsible for the administrative tasks of the City’s Human Resources department.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as examples of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Assumes responsibility for the timely and accurate processing of all City employee bi-weekly payroll, including correct deductions, taxes, any and all payroll changes, and specialized payrolls.
• Reviews all electronic and paper timesheets, inputs weekly payroll, and ensures accuracy.
• Prepares all tax reports and spreadsheet analyses for other payroll, employee benefits, budgets, or financial systems as needed.
• Reconciles all employee benefits deductions on a monthly basis.
• Processes all benefit and employee-related invoices for City and School employees, including a bi-weekly upload for OBRA and SMART plan deductions.
• Compiles and updates payroll earnings to maintain current and up-to-date information. Assists Harpers with the processing of W-2 forms and other required forms, such as 1095-Cs.
• Generates payroll reports to be uploaded and posted by Finance in Softright.
• Coordinates with School and City Personnel Departments to complete unemployment claim requests, employee verifications, and the processing of payroll deductions for various employee benefits, including direct deposit, deferred compensation, OBRA, and union dues.
• Performs administrative functions for the City’s Human Resources department including filing of employee personnel records, and assisting with hiring processes, for School and City employees.
• Assist the Human Resources Director in on-boarding of new City and School employees.
• Other related duties as assigned by the Human Resources Director.

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent plus 2 years’ experience in payroll processing, experience with municipal payroll preferred.
• Municipal human resources experience a plus

Required Skills and Qualities:

• Knowledge of payroll policies and procedures within a municipal environment.
• Working knowledge of state and local regulations as they pertain to payroll processing.
• Working knowledge of municipal accounting systems.
• Knowledge of modern office practices and procedures.
• Demonstrated advanced computer skills and spreadsheet proficiency.
• Demonstrated skills in working accurately with numbers with attention to detail, initiative, and problem-solving.
• Demonstrated skills in organization and communication, both oral and written.
• Ability to interact positively with all employees and managers throughout the organization.
• Ability to handle sensitive information and to maintain confidentiality.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position's essential functions.

This position is generally sedentary. Employees must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.

This position requires the employee to communicate, detect, converse with, discern, express oneself, exchange information.The ability to communicate information and ideas so that others will understand.Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.

This position requires the employee to detect, determine, perceive, identify, recognize, judge, observe, inspect, estimate, and assess.The ability to observe details at close range within a few feet of the observer.

This employee frequently moves boxes up to 20 pounds across office areas for various needs, including having to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

This position is primarily conducted indoors.

The City of Amesbury is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The City of Amesbury does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, genetic information, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status or membership in the armed services, marital status or any other protected category under federal or state law.

• Full‑Time / 35 hrs per week
• $26.00 - $30.00 per hour
• FLSA Status: Non‑exempt
• Union: Non‑Union