Payroll Compensation Specialist

Hunt; New Jersey; On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

The Middlesex County Magnet Schools is seeking a Payroll & Compensation Specialist for the Central Office to manage full payroll cycles, ensure timely and accurate compensation processing, and provide confidential labor-relations support to district management.

The role requires strong analytical skills, experience with payroll/HRIS systems, and knowledge of NJ payroll regulations; CPP is preferred but not required. Twelve-month employment with a comprehensive benefits package is offered.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, HR, Public Administration, or related field.
• Progressively responsible payroll experience may substitute education.
• Experience with payroll in NJ public sector preferred.
• Knowledge of NJ payroll tax, wage-and-hour laws, and pension reporting is preferred.
• CPP certification is a plus but not required.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to handle confidential payroll and labor-relations information.

Responsibilities

• Administers and processes the district's full payroll cycle accurately and timely.
• Process payroll transmittals and verify payroll data before finalization.
• Prepare federal/state/local payroll tax filings and pension reports.
• Provide confidential labor-relations and negotiation support to management.
• Coordinate with Personnel to implement appointments, separations, and salary actions.
• Assist with month-end and year-end payroll-related reporting and audits.

Skills

Payroll processing

HRIS systems

Financial analysis

Confidentiality

Labor relations support

Education

Associate degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

Tools

Payroll/HRIS software

Microsoft Excel

Job description

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE MAGNET SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX

NOTICE OF OPENING

2026-2027

Payroll & Compensation Specialist

Central Office

Brief Description: The Board of Education of the Middlesex County Magnet Schools is currently seeking applicationsto fill the position of Payroll & Compensation Specialist for the 2026-2027 school year.

Department: Business Office of Operations

Reports to: School Business Administrator of Operations

Classification: Administrative/Confidential and Non-affiliated

POSITION SUMMARY

Under the direction of the School Business Administrator of Operations, the Payroll & Compensation Specialist provides confidential labor-relations and collective-negotiations support to district management. The position has regular and advanced access to management's confidential collective-negotiations strategies, proposals, costing assumptions, and other non-public labor-relations information, and performs duties used by management to formulate and evaluate negotiation positions.

The Payroll & Compensation Specialist works under the general direction of the School Business Administrator of Operations or assigned designee and collaborates closely with the Department of Personnel.

Qualifications:

1. A minimum of an Associate's degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, Public Administration, or a related field. Relevant progressively responsible payroll experience may be substituted for the educational requirement as determined by the District.
2. Proven experience in payroll administration, accounting, compensation, finance, human resources information systems, or a related field.
3. Prior payroll experience in a New Jersey public school district, governmental agency, or other public-sector environment preferred.
4. Working knowledge of federal and New Jersey payroll tax requirements, wage-and-hour laws, payroll reporting requirements, and applicable employment regulations.
5. Knowledge of New Jersey public employee pension and retirement reporting requirements, including the Internet-Based Report of Contributions (IROC), preferred.
6. Demonstrated experience processing payroll, payroll deductions, employee compensation changes, payroll taxes, pension contributions, garnishments, and other payroll-related transactions.
7. Proficiency with payroll/HRIS systems, financial management systems, spreadsheets, and other business technology.
8. Ability to prepare, interpret, analyze, and explain payroll, compensation, and financial information.
9. Ability to perform compensation costing, salary-guide analysis, payroll projections, and other quantitative analyses.
10. Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification preferred but not required.
11. Strong analytical, organizational, communication, time-management, and problem-solving skills.
12. Demonstrated ability to handle confidential employee, financial, personnel, collective negotiations, and labor-relations information with discretion and sound professional judgment.
13. Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board of Education may find appropriate and acceptable.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Payroll Processing & Administration

1. Administers and processes the District's full payroll cycle under the direction of the School Business Administrator of Operations, ensuring that employees are paid accurately and timely in accordance with Board-approved personnel actions, collective negotiations agreements, individual employment contracts, salary guides, Board policy, District procedures, and applicable law.
2. Process payroll transmittals, including collecting, verifying, entering, and maintaining authorized payroll information.
3. Review and verify payroll registers, exception reports, deduction reports, and system outputs before payroll finalization, and investigate discrepancies.
4. Processes authorized employee wages, salaries, stipends, overtime, longevity payments, retroactive payments, deductions, garnishments, reimbursements, and other payroll-related compensation.
5. Processes Board-approved and otherwise properly authorized salary changes, step movements, stipends, position changes, and other compensation adjustments based upon appropriate source documentation.
6. Maintains accurate payroll records for all employee classifications and ensures appropriate documentation supports payroll transactions.
7. Administers and processes employee payroll deductions and employer contributions, including taxes, pension contributions, benefit deductions, voluntary deductions, garnishments, and other authorized deductions.
8. Reviews payroll data for inconsistencies, unusual transactions, duplicate payments, incorrect deductions, or other discrepancies and promptly investigates and reports material concerns to the School Business Administrator of Operations.
9. Calculates and processes retroactive salary adjustments, contractual payments, stipends, overtime, longevity, and other compensation adjustments as authorized.
10. Maintains appropriate payroll calendars, processing schedules, checklists, and documentation to ensure payroll deadlines and reporting requirements are met.
11. Maintains appropriate records and documentation necessary to establish a complete and auditable payroll transaction history.

Payroll Tax, Pension & Regulatory Reporting

1. Prepares and submits required federal, state, and local payroll tax reports and filings in accordance with established deadlines and District procedures.
2. Prepares payroll information required for Forms W-2, quarterly payroll tax filings, Form 941, and other applicable federal and state reporting requirements.
3. Prepares and submits required New Jersey public employee pension and retirement reports, including IROC and other applicable pension-related reports.
4. Researches discrepancies involving payroll taxes, pension contributions, deductions, and governmental reporting and coordinates necessary corrections.
5. Maintains supporting documentation for payroll-related governmental submissions and ensures records are available for audit, monitoring, or regulatory review.
6. Remains current regarding changes in payroll tax requirements, pension reporting, wage-and-hour requirements, and other laws and regulations affecting District payroll operations.

Confidential Labor Relations & Negotiations Support

1. Provides confidential financial and payroll analysis to the School Business Administrator and other members of the District's management negotiations team in preparation for and during collective negotiations.
2. May prepare confidential costing analyses of collective negotiations proposals, including proposed salary increases, salary guides, step movements, longevity payments, stipends, overtime provisions, benefits contributions, retroactive compensation, and other compensation-related proposals.
3. Provides support in developing alternative salary-guide and compensation scenarios for management to use in evaluating collective negotiations proposals and settlement options.
4. Has access to and utilizes confidential management negotiations proposals, costing assumptions, settlement parameters, and other non-public labor-relations information prior to disclosure to employee organizations.
5. Regularly prepares confidential payroll and compensation analyses in support of grievance administration, arbitration, employee relations matters, and other labor-relations matters as directed by the School Business Administrator of Operations.
6. Maintains the confidentiality of management's collective-negotiations strategies, proposals, costing analyses, settlement parameters, and other privileged or confidential labor-relations information.

Collaboration

1. Supports and trains backup staff, ensuring adequate coverage and cross-training of vital payroll processing and compensation functions.
2. Coordinates with the Department of Personnel to implement Board-approved appointments, separations, leaves, salary placements, position changes and other personnel actions affecting payroll. The Payroll and Compensation Specialist shall not independently establish employee salaries, employment status, contractual entitlement, leave eligibility, or other personnel determinations reserved to the Department of Personnel, Superintendent, School Business Administrator, or Board of Education.
3. Serve as a point of contact for employee questions regarding pay, deductions, tax withholding and benefit contributions.

Financial Reporting & Audit Support

1. Assists with month-end and year-end financial closing activities by preparing payroll schedules, accrual information, outstanding payroll liabilities, and other payroll source documentation.
2. Provides payroll information necessary for financial reporting while maintaining appropriate separation between payroll processing and independent general-ledger reconciliation.
3. Prepares payroll and compensation documentation requested in connection with the District's annual independent audit and other authorized financial reviews.
4. Under the direction of the School Business Administrator of Operations, responds to payroll-related requests from internal and external auditors, governmental agencies, and other authorized reviewers.
5. Perform any other duties and responsibilities within the scope of employment as assigned by the School Business Administrator of Operations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT

Standard office environment.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Payroll and Compensation Specialist shall perform payroll responsibilities in accordance with established internal controls and segregation-of-duties requirements. The Payroll and Compensation Specialist shall not independently initiate, approve, process, and reconcile the same financial transaction. Independent reconciliation of payroll-related general ledger and cash accounts shall be performed by the Comptroller or another employee designated by the School Business Administrator of Operations.

Promptly identify and communicate payroll, financial, operational, and compliance risks to the School Business Administrator of Operations.

Protect the confidentiality and integrity of District payroll, employee, financial, collective negotiations, and labor-relations information.

EVALUATION:

Performance of this position shall be evaluated annually by the School Business Administrator of Operations in accordance with Board policy, applicable law, and established District procedures.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

Twelve-month position. The Board of Education shall establish salary, work year, benefits, and other conditions of employment.

Comprehensive Benefit Package:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance
• Retirement plan
• Paid time off

The Middlesex County Magnet Schoolsis an Equal Opportunity Employer