Payroll Operations Technician

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal-opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.

Why join the City of Oakland Finance Department?
As a Payroll Operations Technician, you will be an integral member of the Department of Finance Payroll Team and you will be key in executing day-to-day payroll/retirement processes, creating user documentation, and meeting key payroll/retirement deadlines. The Finance Department provides quality government financial services to the City of Oakland. We manage the City’s financial affairs with the highest degree of customer service, honesty, and integrity. We value teamwork, trust, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Customer service oriented. You will assist City employees daily, and work closely with City partners and vendors.
• A strong relationship builder with excellent communication skills. You will be conveying payroll and retirement information to employees; therefore, strong communication skills are crucial.
• Organized and detail-oriented. Due to a large volume of work with overlapping deadlines, we are looking for someone with strong organizational skills and an eye for detail.
• Able to work as part of a team or independently. You will be expected to work on projects that require collaboration with many different team members in your unit and other departments that will require you to use sound judgment and work independently at times.
• Dependable and results-driven. You will be supporting payroll and retirement operations for the entire City, so you will need to work well under pressure and balance multiple tasks.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Performing employment and pay verifications
• Research ing , verify ing , and processing payroll/retirement adjustments and changes for tax changes, compensatory time, leave without pay, deferred overtime, and related payroll information.
• Process ing tax changes, service credit requests, garnishment, wage attachments, workers’ compensation, and state disability offsets.
• Receiv ing , verify ing , and processing employee payroll deductions and union dues.
• Research ing employee employment, payroll, and salary history.
• Cancel ing , correcting, and reissuing incorrect salary checks.
• Process ing mail log daily
• Assist ing with special projects, such as but limited to EDD audit requests, year-end tasks, generation of W-2, and various reconciliations.

Read the complete job description by clicking this link: Human Resource Operations Technician (Payroll Operations Technician) .

*Click on the link below to see a video on what it's like to work for the City of Oakland!

Working for the City of Oakland


A few reasons you might love this job:

• Your work will directly impact City of Oakland employees, and the City's ability to provide important public services.
• You will be part of a great team who has fun and works hard.
• There are many opportunities for future growth and upward mobility.
• You will be working in Downtown Oakland with easy access to BART and other transportation.
• You will have excellent opportunities to grow and develop your skills and abilities.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You will work in a fast-paced environment, so you will need to multi-task and work on many projects simultaneously that have time-sensitive deadlines.
• You will need to assist City employees who need more in-depth education regarding pay, policies, and regulations.
• There are system limitations and a lack of training documentation.
• Time-sensitive deadlines affect individual employees who are highly invested in the outcome.
• You will need to learn the City ordinances, policies, MOUs, and materials quickly in a short time span.

Competencies Required:

• Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter to the job
• Mathematical Facility: Performing computations and solving mathematical
  problems
• Analyzing & Interpreting Data: Drawing meaning and conclusions from
  quantitative or qualitative data
• Using Technology: Working with electronic hardware and software applications
• Critical Thinking: Analytically and logically evaluating information, propositions,
  and claims
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Handling Stress: Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure,
  challenge, or adversity
• Building & Maintaining Relationships: Establishing rapport and maintaining
  mutually productive relationships

Minimum Requirements for Application

Th i s recruitment will produce two eligible lists. The restricted list will be for full-time, permanent part-time, or part-time City and Port of Oakland employees who meet the minimum qualifications. The open list will be for all other applicants who meet the minimum qualifications.

Education: High school education or equivalent, and any two of the following college-level courses: data processing, data analytics, payroll systems, payroll accounting, payroll administration, and/or accounting.

Experience: Two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in the operation of an automated payroll/personnel system.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Municipal government and organization experience.
• Experience with Oracle E-business version R12 payroll system.
• Experience with retroactive calculations.
• Experience with payroll/retirement laws/regulations.
• Experience with effective document logging and filing.
• Experience with creating user documentation and training.
• Experience with CalPERS
  
  

Supplemental Information

The Recruitment Process:

The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.

For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will be invited to the structured oral interview exam. You will be notified at least one week prior to the date. The tentative date of the structured oral interview is the week of September 23, 2024. Depending on the number of candidates who pass the structured oral interview, you may be asked to complete a secondary assessment before the recruitment is finalized. If a secondary assessment is scheduled, it will occur the week of October 7, 2024. If a secondary assessment is not scheduled, department hiring interviews will occur during this time frame.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.
What’s in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5 hour work weeks, and a flexible/hybrid remote schedule (after 6 months of successful training)
• 15 paid holidays
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

NOTICE: The City of Oakland has adopted a COVID-19 Employee Mandatory Vaccination Policy. Under the policy, all employees must, as a condition of employment: (1) report their vaccination status to the City no later than November 15, 2021; and (2) be fully vaccinated and verify that vaccination status to the City no later than November 29, 2021, unless the employee has applied for an exemption and is awaiting the City’s response or has been granted an exemption, or unless stricter State or Federal legal requirements apply. If offered employment, you will receive instructions regarding how to provide verification of vaccination or how to apply for an exemption which will be required prior to your start date. You may read the entire policy here (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader) .

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

How to Apply

Apply prior to the closing time of the job announcement and allow at least two to three hours to submit your application if you are a new user of the system. APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED ONLINE ONLY. You may apply and view current openings by visiting our employment opportunities webpage at:

http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oaklandca/default.cfm .

If you do not have access to a computer, there are computer stations available at any City of Oakland Public Library. There are also workstations at the Human Resources Management Department, 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor, Oakland, CA 94612. Workstations are available during regular business hours (normally 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Due to current events and pandemic-related safety concerns, City facilities may be closed to the public.

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday. You may also call the City of Oakland Human Resources Management Department during regular business hours at (510) 238-3112 for information; however, we are unable to provide technical support for the online application system.

The City of Oakland is committed to the wellbeing of its employees and offers comprehensive health and wellness services along with an array of other benefits for most positions. Benefits may include*:

• CalPERS Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Medical Waiver Plan - Cash-In-Lieu
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Benefits
• Group & Supplemental Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH)
• Pension Benefits
• Deferred Compensation

* Specific benefits may vary depending on the assignedspecific bargaining unit. Information regarding most benefits can be reviewed here: Employee Benefits Information Current MOUs may be reviewed here: City of Oakland Labor Agreements

Closing Date/Time: 9/13/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

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