Payroll Supervisor

King County, WA; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent medical, dental, and vision

Retirement plan access

Flexible schedules

Telecommuting options

Job summary

King County Sheriff's Office in Seattle, WA is seeking a Payroll Supervisor to lead five payroll staff and oversee bi-weekly payroll for 1,100+ employees, ensuring compliance with union contracts and state and federal laws. The role requires directing the full payroll cycle, handling sensitive data, and coordinating with management.

The position emphasizes SME-level payroll expertise, policy development, and collaborative problem solving across labor relations and finance.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of professional accounting and payroll operations experience.
• Experience 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, conflict resolution, and delegation skills.
• Supervisory or lead experience in payroll operations or related area.
• Strong organizational and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• 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, and managing performance to meet deadlines.
• Act as a SME on payroll matters and projects.
• Participate in strategic planning and develop payroll policies and procedures.

Skills

Payroll operations

Labor contracts

Supervisory experience

Policy research

Contract interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

CPP or CPA

Tools

PeopleSoft

Oracle/EBS

Job description

Summary

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 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.

Job Duties

• 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.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• 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

• 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. The oral board interview: Early December 2026. Please note, dates are subject to change based on resource availability.

• 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

• 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.

Classification

The classification for this position is Administrator III.

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values

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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

Benefits

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what’s best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page. This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.