Senior Pension Payroll & Compliance 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

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.