Payroll Specialist I

County of Kauai; United States; On-site; USD 48,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

21 days of vacation leave

21 days of sick leave

13 paid holidays (14 in an election ye

Free medical for your entire family!

Vested retirement benefits after 10 + 

Job summary

County of Kaua'i is seeking a Payroll Specialist I to coordinate and perform professional payroll processing for the County's semi-monthly payroll, ensuring accuracy and compliance with state and federal requirements.

The role requires a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field with one year of specialized payroll experience, and familiarity with payroll systems and reporting. Primary duties include reconciliation, data validation, and coordinating payroll workflows.

Qualifications

• Combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor's degree in accounting, business administration, or related field with one year of specialized work experience.
• Professional work experience in payroll processing and payroll pre-auditing and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and lead professional payroll processing for semi-monthly payrolls.
• Assist Central Payroll Accountant in processing payroll from timesheets to checks and reports.
• Review payroll claims for accuracy, legality, and completeness.
• Verify adjustments and documentation for accuracy.
• Process payroll actions from data through systems and databases.
• Prepare procedures and milestones for payroll projects (e.g., FLSA, time and attendance).
• Track exceptional pay and resolve discrepancies.
• File reports and payments to agencies and financial institutions.

Skills

Payroll processing

FLSA knowledge

Reconciliation

Data entry

Payroll reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field

Tools

Payroll software

Excel

Job description

Job Posting End Date: October 16, 2026

Job Title: Payroll Specialist I

Salary Range: N/A

Position Salary: 4,725.00 USD Monthly

Location: Department of Human Resources

Civil Service or Non Civil Service: Civil Service

Job Summary: Coordinates, leads, and performs professional payroll processing activities, including generation, reconciliation and recording of the County’s semi-monthly payroll; serves as a resource for the County’s payroll system; and performs other related duties as required.

Examples of Duties:

• Participates in preparing and processing a variety of legal forms, documents and related materials following established procedures;
• Assists the Central Payroll Accountant in processing the County’s payroll from receipt of timesheets through the processing and printing of payroll checks and reports;
• Reviews payroll claims for payments to ensure accuracy, completeness and legality of all earnings and deductions;
• Reviews and verifies the accuracy of the adjustments and documentations;
• Inquires and processes payroll actions from data through database and information systems;
• Researches and gathers information, participating in the preparation of detailed procedures, methods, and milestones for payroll projects, such as FLSA, time and attendance, etc.;
• Ensures accurate tracking of exceptional pay situations and follows-up as needed to resolve discrepancies;
• Files reports and payments to appropriate agencies or financial institutions for retirement, medical, Federal, and State taxes withheld, flexible spending, bank deposits, etc.;
• Reviews and reconciles employee pay data due to payroll corrections or retroactive adjustments;
• Assists with development, recommendation, and implementation of payroll processing procedures for the County ensuring required actions are made within deadlines;
• Performs complex office automation duties required different approaches and methods from one assignment and/or program to another;
• Maintains variety of programs on personal computers;
• May provide training as necessary to employees on payroll applications;
• Keeps abreast of changes in State and Federal laws and collective bargaining provisions that affect payroll processing;
• Recommends changes in procedures as needed;
• Determines best solution and makes recommendation to supervisor on corrective measures;
• Executes office automation functions such as storing and retrieving electronic documents or files, using electronic mail and information systems;
• Prepares statistical and operational reports;
• Attends and participates in meetings involving payroll processing and related matters;
• and Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Training and Experience: A combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree in accounting, business administration, or related field; and one (1) year of specialized work experience.

Qualifying Specialized Experience: Professional work experience in payroll processing and payroll pre-auditing and analysis.

Non-Qualifying Experience: The following types of experience will not be accepted as the professional experience required for these positions: Experience in positions where the duties did not require full professional knowledge and application of generally accepted accounting principles or auditing standards; and experience as an office manager or owner of business who supervises accountants, auditors or bookkeepers but does not participate in the accounting or auditing work with responsibility for its technical adequacy.

Work Shift/ Schedule:

Monday-Friday (United States of America)

Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the County of Kauaʻi that there shall be no discrimination in employment pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as amended, and the Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapters 368 and 378. Except for bona fide occupational or other legal requirements, no individual employed by the County, or applying for employment with the County, shall be subjected to discrimination on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, disability, marital status, pregnancy or reproductive health decisions, arrest and court record, assignment of child support, national guard participation, Veteran status, credit history, domestic/sexual violence victim status, or any other basis covered by state or federal laws governing non-discrimination.

Join our Team of over 1,300 employees on the island of Kaua’i and start building a better tomorrow for you, your family and the Kaua’i community!

Do you allow substitutions for minimum qualification requirements (education for experience or experience for education)? Yes we do! For more information about allowed substitutions for a specific position, visit Class Specifications and search the specific job description that you are interested in.

What benefits does the County of Kaua’i offer?

• 21 days of vacation leave
• 21 days of sick leave
• 13 paid holidays (14 in an election year)
• FREE medical for your entire family!
• Vested retirement benefits after 10 years of service!
• And much more!