Payroll Supervisor

King County; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

The King County Sheriff's Office is seeking a Payroll Supervisor to lead five payroll staff and oversee bi-weekly payroll for over 1,100 employees, ensuring compliance with unions, and federal and state laws. You will manage the full payroll cycle with accuracy and timeliness, working with management and stakeholders.

Qualifications include 5+ years in payroll operations and labor contract administration; CPP/CPA and experience with PeopleSoft or Oracle/EBS are highly preferred.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional payroll operations experience.
• Five (5) years in labor contract administration and interpretation.
• Extensive experience with payroll production processing.
• Labor contract implementation and administration experience.
• Experience with complex payroll research and information gathering.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and delegation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership, supervision, direction, and training in payroll operations.
• Supervise staff by directing workflow and monitoring performance.
• Act as SME on payroll matters and payroll projects.
• Participate in strategic planning and revise payroll policies as needed.
• Research and analyze payroll data including overtime and retroactive payments.
• Coordinate contract implementation, COLA, and payroll calendar development.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Staff supervision

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field

CPP or CPA certification

Tools

PeopleSoft

Oracle/EBS

Payroll processing system

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity to join the King County Sheriff's Office as a Payroll Supervisor.

This position will provide strong leadership for five (5) payroll support staff and Payroll Specialists, and oversee the processing of bi-weekly payroll for over 1,100 employees by ensuring compliance with complex union contracts, federal, and state laws.

The Payroll Supervisor will oversee the full payroll cycle, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations, and handle sensitive financial data with a focus on accuracy and timeliness.

The position will work directly with all levels of management and provide high-level customer service to commissioned and non-commissioned roles. The supervisor performs a variety of non-routine and increasingly complex payroll tasks, exercises discretion and independent judgement in processing payroll data, and assists with special assignments and projects.

WHO MAY APPLY:

This position is only open to current King County employees.

The Payroll Supervisor is a civil service classified position. The recruitment and hiring process will be administered in accordance with King County Civil Service Rules. You can access these rules at Civil Service Rules.

For more information about application requirements go to civil-service-application-requirements.pdf

For more information about King County Service please visit our King County Civil Service website.

General job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provide leadership, supervision, direction, and training in all aspects of payroll and related operations.
• Supervise payroll staff by overseeing, directing, monitoring workflow and work product. Manage employee performance to ensure payroll work items are completed accurately and by assigned deadlines.
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on all payroll related matters and payroll projects.
• Participate in strategic planning efforts and develop and/or revise payroll policies and procedures for assigned work unit as necessary.
• Provide research and analysis related to financial data including payroll issues regarding overtime, special duty, salary earnings history, labor contract settlements and retroactive payments.
• Develop, plan, and manage special projects within work unit.
• Direct and assist staff in handling difficult or unusual payroll issues through research and interpretation of policies, contracts and procedures.
• Manage daily payroll decisions tied to contractual labor obligations, navigating complex financial variables that directly impact the Sheriff’s Office budget and expenditures.
• Work with external auditors, labor negotiators on 11 KCSO union contracts, public disclosure requests, and central payroll staff on complex and time sensitive questions related to payroll.
• Testify at labor arbitration hearings (when needed) as payroll subject matter expert for department.
• Work closely with management to identify and interpret technical information on current payroll administrative policies and procedures and help resolve complex payroll problems related to labor contracts.
• Coordinate with Central Finance and labor relations on contract implementation, COLA, payroll calendar development, future policies and computer systems conversions.

This role requires strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication, and the ability to manage a demanding workload with minimal supervision and the following:

• Minimum of five (5) years of professional, comprehensive accounting and payroll operations experience. An equivalent combination of education and professional experience in financial operations within a large organization may be considered.
• Minimum of five (5) years experience in labor contract administration and interpretation
• Extensive experience with payroll production processing
• Labor contract implementation and administration experience
• Experience in complex payroll research and information gathering
• Strong interpersonal, communication, conflict resolution, and delegation skills
• Supervisory or lead experience in payroll operations or related area
• Strong organizational and collaboration skills

Additional Requirements:

• You must be a United States citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident, or deferred action childhood arrival (DACA) recipient
• You must have the ability to read, speak, and write in the English language fluently
• Verify that you do not meet any of the KCSO Automatic Disqualifying Behavior requirements
• You must be able to meet all KCSO background standards as listed in section 10.14 of the Civil Service Rules. Background requirements will be evaluated throughout the hiring process

Desired Qualifications:

In addition to the minimum qualifications, competitive candidates will also have one or more of the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Experience with public sector practices, including experience with labor relations
• Experience with PeopleSoft or a similar payroll processing system
• Experience with Oracle/EBS financial system
• Previous experience in law enforcement or public safety agencies

WORK SCHEDULE:

Monday – Friday. This position is FLSA Exempt and is not eligible for overtime.

LOCATION:

This position is eligible to work in a hybrid model. This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week onsite and is subject to change based on business needs. The primary onsite location is at King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104.

RECRUITMENT TIMELINE:

Applications will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates will be invited to participate in an oral board interview. Below is the timeline for this recruitment:

Oral Board Interview:Early December 2026

Please note, dates are subject to change based on resource availability.

Here are resources to help with Civil Service examinations:

• Helpful tips for the Civil Service oral board interview: Video - Oral Board Examination Information
• Additional information on King County’s commitment to equity and social justice: Website - Understanding King County ERSJ Values and Commitments

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

The candidate selected for this position will be required to pass a comprehensive background investigation to include fingerprinting and a polygraph examination.

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS:

Please carefully review the list of required materials before submitting your application. Additional information on application requirements can be found on the Civil Service website.

• Candidates must complete an online employment application at www.kingcounty.gov/jobs with employment history going back at least ten years, if applicable, and all relevant experience that exceeds ten years. Applications that say “see resume” or do not have any work history listed in the application itself will not be considered. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed job application.
• Answer all the supplemental questions.
• Review the list of KCSO Automatic Disqualifiers and verify your qualification for employment with King County Sheriff's Office.

CONTACT:

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:

Sara Rogers, Senior Human Resource Analyst

Civil Service Administration | [e-mail]

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or if you have questions, please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

CLASSIFICATION:

The classification for this position is Administrator III.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.