Payroll Manager

City of Somerville; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance through GIC

Dental coverage

Vision care

Tuition reimbursement

Public pension program

Job summary

The City of Somerville seeks a Payroll Manager to lead the City’s payroll operations, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing. You will supervise payroll staff, coordinate with HR, Finance, Treasury, and Retirement, and serve as the subject matter expert on payroll systems and reporting.

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree with 3–5 years’ payroll experience, strong Excel/Word/Outlook skills, and familiarity with MUNIS. APA preferred; government payroll experience is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and 3–5 years’ payroll experience
• APA certified preferred
• Proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook and Internet
• Governmental payroll experience preferred
• Knowledge of MUNIS preferred
• Ability to handle information in a confidential and professional manner

Responsibilities

• Oversee payroll accounting and administration with independent judgment
• Ensure timely, accurate payroll processing and compliance with laws
• Audit payroll records, balances, and reports
• Coordinate with HR, Finance, Treasury, Retirement and other departments
• Act as liaison with outside payroll provider and Munis system issues
• Prepare payroll-related reports and ad hoc financial analyses

Skills

Payroll management

Independent judgment

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

MUNIS

Excel

Word

Outlook

Internet

Job description

Statement of Duties:

The Payroll Manager is responsible for overseeing the City's payroll operations and performing complex accounting, compliance, and administrative work related to payroll processing. This position ensures the accurate, timely, and compliant administration of all payroll activities while serving as the City's subject matter expert for payroll operations, payroll systems, and related financial reporting. The Payroll Manager provides guidance to departmental payroll staff, monitors payroll processes and controls, and collaborates with Human Resources, Finance, Treasury, Retirement, and other City departments to ensure the integrity of payroll data and compliance with applicable federal, state, local, and collective bargaining requirements. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties.

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.

• Perform complex payroll, accounting, and administrative work requiring a high degree of independent judgment to ensure compliance with payroll accounting standards, applicable laws, regulations, and collective bargaining agreements.
• Ensure the integrity of all payroll accounting transactions and guarantee that all employees are paid accurately and on time.
• Oversee the accurate preparation, balancing, auditing, and processing of the City's weekly, biweekly, monthly, and special payrolls.
• Review and run pre-payroll audit reports each payroll cycle to identify, investigate, and resolve discrepancies before payroll submission.
• Responsible for inputting, maintaining, and auditing payroll records and transactions, including employee salary and wage records, and promptly resolving discrepancies to ensure accurate employee compensation.
• Audit and record compensated absence data submitted by departments as part of the weekly payroll process to ensure accurate leave balances and payroll reporting.
• Understand, interpret, and administer contractual benefits as they relate to payroll issues. Analyze, prioritize, and complete time-sensitive payroll assignments while troubleshooting employee, departmental, and vendor payroll-related inquiries.
• Perform complex payroll data entry and provide daily guidance, instruction, and technical support to departmental payroll clerks regarding payroll procedures, policies, and system requirements.
• Create and maintain computer-generated spreadsheets and reports to track wages, taxes, deductions, adjustments, corrections, and other payroll-related data.
• Perform miscellaneous wage and compensation transactions necessary for the preparation, maintenance, and reconciliation of payroll records.
• Act as the primary liaison between the City and the outside payroll provider to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and timely processing of payroll.
• Serve as the City's payroll representative and primary point of contact for all Munis Payroll-related issues, including system troubleshooting, testing, process improvements, and coordination with Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, and software vendors.
• Interact with Treasury, Human Resources, Retirement, department personnel, and employees regarding benefits, payroll processing, reporting, and other payroll-related matters.
• Reconcile general and subsidiary ledgers to payroll reports and ensure payroll records accurately support financial reporting requirements.
• Monitor budget-to-actual spending within departmental personal services budgets and assist in identifying, researching, and resolving payroll-related budget variances.
• Assist Legal and other authorized departments by preparing payroll-related public records reports and responding to payroll information requests in accordance with applicable public records laws and confidentiality requirements.
• Assist in the implementation, enhancement, and ongoing administration of timekeeping, attendance, and payroll system initiatives, including payroll process improvements.
• Train departmental payroll clerks and provide ongoing support to ensure consistent application of payroll policies, procedures, and system functionality.
• Assist with the implementation and ongoing administration of bi-weekly payroll processing and other payroll initiatives.
• Serves as acting Payroll Director in the director's absence.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree and three to five (3-5) 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.

Special Requirements

• APA certified preferred.
• Understand the basic principles of accounting, auditing and bookkeeping with regards to maintaining payroll records and accounts. Governmental payroll experience preferred. Must be proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook and Internet.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Knowledge of MUNIS preferred; knowledge of W-2’s, external audits, taxable fringe benefits and HRIS link to payroll; relevant payroll experience including maintenance, preparation, balancing, internal controls and payroll taxes. Knowledge of Municipal Finance Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts helpful. Knowledge of tax requirements helpful.

Abilities: Ability to interpret and administer contractual benefits. Ability to handle information in a sensitive, confidential and professional manner is essential; 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; excellent data processing skill in the use of personal computers and office software including word processing, computer and spreadsheet applications. Must be detail oriented and maintain high level of accuracy.

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

Minimal 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. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment or photocopy paper (up to 30lbs.).

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, In-Person, City Hall Hours.
Salary: $90,000-$93,600 annualized, plus benefits.
FLSA: Exempt
Union: Non-Union
Date Posted: October 1st, 2026

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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.