Payroll Specialist

DC Retirement Board; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The District of Columbia Retirement Board is seeking a Payroll Specialist to ensure accurate, timely retirement benefit payments for 14,000+ members. This role supports end-to-end pension payroll operations, maintains data integrity, and collaborates with Benefits, IT, Internal Audit, and Finance to deliver secure payments.

Responsibilities include reconciling calculations, managing ACH/EFT, handling tax reporting inquiries, and supporting audits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field preferred.
• Relevant, directly applicable work experience may be acceptable, in lieu of a college degree.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely and accurate processing of monthly retirement benefit payments.
• Reconcile benefit calculations in compliance with plan provisions and regulations.
• Monitor payment exception reports and resolve discrepancies; manage ACH/EFT processing.
• Coordinate with third‑party vendors, payroll systems, and financial institutions on payment transmissions.
• Investigate anomalies and conduct root‑cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
• Participate in monthly, quarterly, and yearly audits by providing payroll documents and explanations.
• Maintain accurate member, payment, and financial data within retirement systems.
• Support annual payroll cycles, including 1099‑R processing and tax reporting inquiries.
• Assist in fraud detection and escalation of unusual payment activity.
• Collaborate with IT on testing related to payment files and system upgrades.
• Engage in data clean‑up initiatives and continuous improvement projects.
• Provide financial support for inquiries related to payments, taxes, garnishments, and retroactive adjustments.
• Coordinate with Benefits, Accounting, and IT to ensure secure file transmissions and system enhancements.

Skills

Advanced Excel (Pivot tables, vlookups

ERP systems expertise

Payroll processing

Data integrity and accuracy

Analytical problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Relevant work experience may substitute for degree

Tools

Pension administration software

ERP financial systems

Job description

ABOUT THE D.C. RETIREMENT BOARD

The District of Columbia Retirement Board is an independent agency of the District of Columbia Government. Our mission is to manage and control the assets of the D.C. Police Officers' and Firefighters' Retirement Plan and the D.C. Teachers' Retirement Plans as well as to administer benefits for the members of the plans.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for ensuring the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of monthly retirement benefit payments for over 14,000 members, survivors, and beneficiaries of the District of Columbia Police Officers, Firefighters and Teachers retirement plans (the District Plans). This role supports end-to-end pension payroll operations, maintains high standards of data integrity, and collaborates closely with the Agency’s Benefits, Information Technology (IT), Internal Audit, and Finance (accounting unit) departments to deliver secure and efficient payment services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

(Duties that occupy a major portion of time and importance of the job)

• Ensure timely and accurate processing of monthly retirement benefit payments, one‑time adjustments, and other disbursements
• Reconcile benefit calculations in compliance with plan provisions and statutory regulations, following the completion of validation by the Benefits Quality Team and the transition of records to pay status.
• Monitor payment exception reports and resolve discrepancies promptly. Manage ACH/EFT processing in accordance with NACHA standards, including returned items, corrections, and fraud‑prevention measures.
• Coordinate with third‑party vendors, payroll systems, and financial institutions on payment transmissions, returned payments, and ACH/EFT issues.
• Investigate anomalies and conduct root‑cause analysis to prevent recurrence.
• Consistently follow internal control standards and actively participate in monthly, quarterly, and yearly audits— both internal and external—by providing necessary payroll documents, explanations, and assistance when needed.
• Maintain accurate member, payment, and financial data within retirement systems.
• Support annual payroll cycles, including 1099‑R processing, reconciliation, and member inquiries related to tax reporting.
• Support fraud detection and prevention efforts by identifying unusual payment activity and escalating concerns to management.
• Collaborate with IT and system administrators on testing related to payment files, system upgrades, enhancements, and data integrations.
• Participate in data clean‑up initiatives and continuous operational improvement projects.
• Provide subject‑matter financial support for inquiries related to payments, tax withholding, garnishments, and retroactive adjustments.
• Collaborate with member services, actuarial teams, legal counsel, and finance leadership to resolve complex benefit issues professionally and accurately.
• Work collaboratively with cross‑functional teams to ensure timely and accurate payment processing, including coordination with Benefits on member status updates, Accounting on general ledger alignment, and IT on file structure, secure transmissions, and system enhancements.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Ability to interpret and apply plan rules, financial policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of fiduciary responsibility and the importance of safeguarding sensitive financial and personal information.
• Proficiency with ERP systems or pension administration platforms.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and lookup functions.
• Familiarity with ACH/EFT processing, banking file formats, and financial institution interfaces.
• Skilled in performing accuracy checks and identifying data inconsistencies.
• Strong analytical abilities with a proven capacity to troubleshoot payment discrepancies.
• Customer‑service mindset, especially when supporting retirees experiencing payment issues.
• High degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines within a monthly payment cycle.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and work with sensitive personal and financial information.
• Strong understanding of payroll controls, benefit calculations, and financial reconciliations.

REQUIRED EDUCATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field preferred.
• Relevant, directly applicable work experience may be acceptable, in lieu of a college degree.

JOB EXPERIENCE (YEARS & TYPE)

• Minimum five (5) years’ experience in financial operations, payroll administration, pension/benefits processing, or similar work in a government or public‑sector environment.
• Experience with retirement plan operations, benefit calculations, or pension/payroll processes.
• Experience with pension administration systems and/or large ERP financial systems.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Normal office environment.

COMPENSATION LEVEL

DCRB Grade 07

This job description describes the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all tasks, duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

DCRB is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the employer will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourage both prospective employees and incumbents to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.