Payroll Director

cityofsomerville; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 114,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance (GIC)

Dental coverage

Vision care

Retirement pension

Tuition reimbursement

MBTA pass

Free Blue Bikes membership

Job summary

City of Somerville is seeking a Payroll Director to oversee all payroll operations, ensuring timely and accurate payments and strict adherence to policies. You will manage staff, implement procedures, and coordinate benefits under collective bargaining agreements.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree and 5–7 years of experience, with CPP preferred; knowledge of Munis and Payroll for Windows is essential. Strong confidentiality and organizational skills are a must.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and five to seven years of experience; CPP preferred.
• Knowledge of Tyler Enterprise ERP (Munis), Payroll for Windows, W-2s, external audits, and HRIS linkage to payroll.
• Abilities to handle confidential information and work independently with deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and data processing skills.

Responsibilities

• Supervise preparation of weekly, biweekly, monthly, and supplemental payrolls.
• Oversee inputting, record keeping, and auditing of payroll activities.
• Direct payroll operations within budget and resources; train staff.
• Prepare and maintain payroll policies and related training.
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll payments; reconcile discrepancies.
• Coordinate benefit payments per collective bargaining agreements; conduct reports.

Skills

Payroll supervision

Accounting

Staff training

Attention to detail

HRIS knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CPP preferred

Tools

Tyler Enterprise ERP (Munis)

Payroll for Windows

W-2 processing

HRIS integration

Job description

Statement of Duties:

The Payroll Director is responsible for routine and complex supervisory, accounting, and administrative work in managing the payroll function, and performs related duties as required.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type 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.

• Provides working supervision for the preparation of weekly, biweekly, monthly, and supplemental payrolls
• Possesses responsibility for inputting, overseeing, record keeping and auditing all payroll activities
• Manages and supervises payroll operations to achieve goals within available resources
• Trains, motivates, and evaluates assigned staff and reviews progress and directs changes as needed
• Responsible for the development and maintenance of a payroll standard operations procedures manual and the related training of departmental personnel in City prescribed procedures
• Ensures integrity of payroll accounting transactions to ensure all employees are paid timely and accurately. Verifies employee salaries and age records. Provides prompt resolution to any discrepancies.
• Prepares and maintains municipal payroll records and calculations to include appropriate sick leave, overtime, personal leave, vacations and other miscellaneous wage and compensation actions such as periodic wage and salary updates to the payroll system, retroactive pay adjustments, and other normal maintenance requirements
• Interacts with payroll clerks to instruct, guide, and assist with payroll issues
• Ensures accurate preparation and balancing of weekly, monthly, and special payrolls
• Reviews wages computed and corrects errors
• Coordinates, interprets, schedules and processes payments of various contracted benefits contained in collective bargaining agreements
• Periodic reconciliation to various withholding and deduction reports
• Monitors budget to actual spending in personal service budgets
• Audits and records compensated absence data submitted by departments on the weekly payroll
• Produces reports detailing sick and vacation time usage broken down by department and employee
• Prepares and maintains policies and procedures related to payroll
• Participates in collective bargaining information gathering
• Monitors and documents departmental compliance with payroll procedures in accordance with departmental, collective bargaining federal, state and local rules and regulations
• Preparation and reconciliation of all quarterly and annual federal and state reports. Reconciles and distributes year-end W2/1099 forms for both City and School
• Maintains all Local, Federal, and State required documents related to payroll
• Conducts a continuing study of all payroll related policies, programs, and legal issues to keep top management informed of new developments and suggestions for improvement

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree and five to seven (5-7) years’ experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. CPP preferred.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill:

Knowledge: Knowledge of Tyler Enterprise ERP (Munis),Payroll for Windows; W-2’s, external audits, taxable fringe benefits and HRIS link to payroll; relevant knowledge including maintenance, preparation, balancing, internal controls, and payroll taxes.

Abilities: Ability to handle information in a sensitive, confidential, and professional manner; ability to understand and apply procedures, regulations and policies related to areas of specialized expertise; ability to work independently, meet deadlines and be able to prepare ad hoc financial reports.

Skill: Excellent organizational skills; data processing skill in the use of personal computers and office software including word processing, computer, and spreadsheet applications.

Work Environment:

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental 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.

Physical Skills:

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs).

Motor Skills:

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills:

Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $110,000-$114,400 annualized + benefits
Union: Non-Union
Date Posted: July 17th, 2026

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or [e-mail].

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.