Staff Accountant - Payroll & Accounting Operations

BASIC JOB PURPOSE /

SUMMARY:

The Staff Accountant – Payroll & Accounting Operations plays a critical role in ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and completeness of the Port’s payroll activity, accounting records, and accounting operations.

This position supports payroll accounting, accounts payable, employee reimbursements, purchasing card activity, reconciliations, audit-ready documentation, and general accounting support. Working within third-party payroll and HR systems, this position focuses on accounting accuracy, reconciliations, documentation, internal controls, and reliable support for Finance Department operations.

This position partners closely with the Senior Accountant and collaborates across the organization to ensure accounting transactions, payroll activity, accounts payable support, and supporting documentation are accurate, timely, and well controlled. The role requires strong attention to detail, sound judgment, confidentiality, clear communication, and a continuous-improvement mindset within a public-sector environment.

• Support and implement the Port’s Mission, Vision, and values through professionalism, integrity, teamwork, confidentiality, and responsible financial stewardship.
• Perform other duties, responsibilities, and special projects as assigned in support of Finance Department and organizational objectives.

• Execute payroll accounting processes, including review of payroll inputs, supervisor approvals, pay-period changes, exception items, and payroll calendar deadlines.
• Reconcile payroll, benefit, retirement, deduction, and leave-related activity to source records, payroll reports, and general ledger accounts to support accurate financial reporting and audit readiness.
• Prepare or support payroll-related journal entries, benefit and deduction reconciliations, accrual support, and related schedules for Senior Accountant review.
• Research and resolve payroll accounting variances, coding questions, missing documentation, and employee payroll inquiries while maintaining confidentiality and complete supporting records.

• Maintain accurate employee master data, payroll source records, and supporting documentation in BambooHR and related systems to support payroll processing, reconciliations, reporting, and audit readiness.
• Coordinate workflow documentation for employee changes, onboarding and offboarding transactions, policy acknowledgments, assigned asset tracking, and required records to ensure complete support for payroll, accounting review, and internal controls.

• Maintain complete, organized accounting support for payroll, benefit, employee program, and related finance transactions in accordance with Port policies and applicable records-retention requirements.
• Review transaction support for coding accuracy, approval evidence, allowable use, completeness, and consistency with internal control expectations.
• Maintain checklists, calendars, workflows, and standard procedures that support timely reconciliations, complete documentation, manager follow-through, and audit readiness.
• Identify missing documentation, approval gaps, recurring exceptions, or unclear handoffs and coordinate timely resolution to strengthen accounting controls and reduce rework.

• Review, code, and support accounting activity for employee-related expenditures, including travel, reimbursements, credit cards, training registrations, memberships, workwear, cell phones, and other approved employee programs.
• Verify transaction support for allowable use, proper coding, approval status, budget alignment, completeness, and consistency…