Payroll Consultant (FA3)

State of Washington; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State Department of Licensing seeks a Payroll Consultant to manage payroll and benefits processing with attention to GAAP, GASB, and regulatory compliance. The role involves providing expert guidance to managers and employees, ensuring accurate reporting, and supporting a wide range of payroll actions and inquiries.

You will interact with executives and staff across the department and other agencies, promote clear communication, and help maintain equitable, accurate payroll operations

Qualifications

• Five years of combined relevant professional work experience and education.
• Two years of experience composing and formatting professional emails, memos, letters, and documents.
• Two years of experience using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Six months of experience interpreting employment laws and agency policies (RCW/WAC).
• Excellent and responsive customer service to internal and external customers.
• Ability to facilitate meetings, presentations, and training sessions.
• Ability to assess situations, apply judgment, and recommend solutions.
• Ability to handle stressful or adverse situations and prioritize tasks.
• Commitment to agency values of respect, trust, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Responsibilities

• Process payroll and benefit transactions accurately and timely, reconcile accounts per GAAP/GASB rules.
• Provide expert payroll consultation and responsive support to managers, supervisors, and staff.
• Communicate policies clearly and help with form completion and policy interpretation.
• Collaborate with executives, managers, and staff across multiple departments and agencies.
• Oversee payroll data accuracy, benefits eligibility, and attendance management.

Skills

5+ years experience

Professional email writing

Microsoft Office

Employment law knowledge

Customer service excellence

Facilitation

Judgment & decision making

Stress management

Prioritization

Diversity & inclusion

Curiosity & learning

Empathy & adaptability

Ability to communicate with empathy

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business or HR

Tools

HRMS/SAP

Job description

We are dedicated to growing a culture of belonging through our values:

Respect | Trust | Diversity | Inclusion | Equity

At the Department of Licensing (DOL), we recognize the importance of work life harmony and strive to create a culture where employees feel valued and respected. Our employees are trusted and encouraged to be a part of process improvements that impact their work, create value for our customers and help build trust in our government.

Our Human Resources Division is currently recruiting for a Payroll Consultant with excellent attention to detail and the ability to communicate clearly with empathy and compassion.

As one of the most visible state agencies and the second-largest revenue generator in Washington State, we engage with over 6 million residents each year and collect nearly $3 billion in taxes and fees. We understand that our services are vital to the daily lives of our customers, enabling them to live, work, drive, and thrive. We take this responsibility to heart and are dedicated to providing equitable and meaningful access to our services for every resident.

Are you ready to take the next steps in your career where you will have the opportunity to foster a supportive environment that enhances employee satisfaction? If so read on!

As a Payroll Consultant you will provide employee payroll consultation, ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations. Much of your time will be spent processing payroll and benefit activities which will include our new hires, transfers, retirements, separations, and internal employee actions. The work you will be doing will ensure our ability to provide accurate financial reporting, fiscal accountability, and compliance.

Some of what you will do:

• Ensure accurate, compliant, and timely processing and reconciliation of payroll and benefit transactions, maintaining balanced accounts in accordance with GAAP, GASB, SAAM, FLSA, and relevant regulations.
• Provide expert consultation and timely, responsive support to managers, supervisors, and employees regarding payroll, benefits, leave administration, and related inquiries.
• Deliver clear guidance to promote understanding of payroll and benefits policies, resolve complex issues, and assist with accurate form completion.
• Frequently interact with DOL executives, managers, supervisors, and employees, as well as employees from the Attorney General’s Office, outside investigators, union representatives, attorneys, Washington State HR employees (OFM), employees from other agencies, and members of the general public.
• Process payroll transactions, benefits eligibility, financial reconciliations, leave and attendance management.

What you will bring:

• Five (5) years of combined relevant professional work experience* and education.
• Two (2) years of experience independently composing and formatting professional emails, memos, letters, and other documents using proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Two (2) years of experience using Microsoft Products. This may include Word, Access, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• Six (6) months of experience identifying, interpreting, applying and explaining employment laws, rules and policies such as Collective Bargaining Agreement’s, Revised Codes of Washington (RCW) and Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
• Excellent and responsive customer service to all internal and external customers by listening attentively, identifying issues, providing options, fulfilling services, and exercising knowledge of applicable laws and regulations to provide technical assistance or resolve problems.
• The ability to:
  • Facilitate meetings, presentations, workshops and training sessions.
  • Independently assess a situation and/or analyze information and apply appropriate judgement using existing knowledge and resources to determine a logical and accurate course of action, recommendation, or solution.
  • Effectively handle highly stressful or adverse situations, making good decisions, working calmly and accurately and helping to calm others.
  • Effectively prioritize tasks in the presence of competing demands.
  • Understand and follow agency values of respect, trust, diversity, equity, and inclusion through behaviors and decisions. Promote and support a respectful, equitable, and inclusive workplace for all employees. Promote and support respectful, equitable, and inclusive delivery of services to customers.
  • Be curious about yourself and others, take responsibility for knowing your own strengths and weaknesses, and use learning to make government programs and processes more efficient and effective to serve all in Washington.
  • Be flexible, adaptable, customer-service focused, and willing and able to empathetically respond to the unique needs of the people you work with and serve.

Experience can be obtained concurrently.

*Experience could include payroll data entry, time & leave processing, personnel / payroll processing, reconciling payroll or accounting data, consulting with employees or managers on inquiries and time sensitive information, or experience providing technical payroll assistance to employees or supervisors on the phone, or in person, applying knowledge of rules, policies, and / or procedures, WACS or CBAs.

Up to four (4) years of relevant education may substitute year for year for experience. (Associates degree = 2 years Bachelor’s degree = 4 years)

What may help set you apart:

• A Bachelor’s degree in business, Human Resources, employment law, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience with the following:
  • Utilizing and/or entering data into HRMS/SAP.
  • Analyzing and reconciling general or subsidiary ledger for validity and accuracy to include making transactions to balance accounts.
  • The current Washington State human resource data and benefits system HRDIS/PAY AFRS/Enterprise system to analyze, calculate, and enter Journal Vouchers.
  • The Department of Retirement Systems verification website.
  • The Shared Leave process within state government to include but not limited to; USSLP, VISSLP and the FPSLP, tracking and processing donations and journal vouchers.

Additional Conditions of employment:

• The ability to work in-person in our Olympia office two (2) days a week or more as business needs arise.
• The ability to travel overnight and out of state.
• Prior to a new hire, a preemployment screening will be conducted. Information from the screening will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.

DOL is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with our commitment, we will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations.

For information about available accommodations, the interview process, or the position contact Dawn Loduha.

Come join us in changing the way government delivers services and help build a legacy of commitment to and excellence in diversity, equity, and inclusion!

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

A paycheck is just part of a total compensation package. We offer some of the nation’s best benefits.

We value diverse perspectives and life experiences. We employ and serve people of all backgrounds including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and veterans. We value the unique traits and attributes that each employee brings to the job. Through the diverse perspectives of an inclusive workforce, we will create a more respectful, productive, and unified team to better serve the public of Washington.

Veteran/Military Spouse Preference Notice

To take advantage of veteran/military spouse preference, please notify the Talent Acquisition Team. Please include the title of this position in the subject line.

The Washington State Department of Licensing is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex (including gender identity), marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

Persons requiring accommodation in the application process, during the recruitment process, or who need this job announcement in an alternative format, may contact the Human Resources Office at 360-902-4000 or may email the Talent Acquisition Team. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our ASL interpreter via Video Phone at 360.339.7344.

The candidate pool certified from this recruitment may be used to fill future similar vacancies for up to sixty days.