Retirement Payroll Specialist

Job Details Level: Experienced

Job Location:

Penn Center - Denver, CO 80203

Position Type:
Full Time Salary Range: $31.00 - $35.00 Hourly Job Shift: Day Job Category:
Finance

The Retirement Payroll Specialist position is responsible for preparing, processing, and balancing PERA’s Defined Benefit (DB) monthly payroll for its approximately 142,000 recipients. This role includes processing various account modifications including but not limited to account termination, payee changes, returned benefit payments and auditing of the annual 1099-R files. This position requires the ability to understand and apply both accounting and general mathematical principles as well as the ability to generate and explain detailed communications.

It also requires the skills to manage complex and sensitive benefit information with empathy and professionalism, while ensuring strict compliance with applicable PERA law, rules and policies.

* This role is not part of the organization’s Human Resources Department and is not the same as a position that processes employee payroll.

Our ideal candidate is a detail-oriented, team player with strong numerical and analytical aptitude. The individual that we are seeking should have a positive attitude and a proven record of delivering excellent customer service, both written and verbal. The candidate must be flexible, adaptable, and able to perform the job accurately even when there are interruptions of their normal day-to-day workflow.

Employees are held accountable for all duties of the job. Individuals must be able to perform these duties with or without reasonable accommodations.

• Ensure timely and accurate processing of PERA’s monthly benefit recipient payroll in accordance with federal and state statutes and/or PERA rules
• Use strong mathematical and analytical reasoning to effectively process calculations and identify data inconsistencies so that information can be provided within a tight deadline
• Develop a thorough understanding of all aspects of PERA’s defined benefit program and provide efficient, reliable information to internal and external stakeholders using both verbal and written skills
• Conduct a range of intermediate and advanced defined benefit calculations and accurately process modifications to benefit payments
• Ability to communicate in a professional, caring, and compassionate manner about benefit program and payment information with members, retirees, estate representatives, and family members through in-office meetings, telephone calls, written correspondence, and email
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency and commitment to meet assigned deadlines, ensuring timely completion of tasks and contributing to the overall efficiency of team operations
• Manage multiple interruptions while achieving a consistent level of accuracy in completed tasks
• Monitor benefit eligibility, and perform calculations for the PERA survivor benefits program and domestic relations orders (DRO) to ensure compliance with statutory requirements
• Participate in the yearly calculation, audit, and validation of 1099-R documentation and reporting for benefit recipients
• Coordinate with all Benefit Administration teams or other departments across the organization including, Member Services, Accounting, Customer Service, and Insurance to ensure successful end-to-end processing for cross-functional and overlapping transactions
• Ability to research and process benefit recipient account updates including deductions, direct deposit, federal and state withholding, contact information, life events, and beneficiary designations
• Investigate and resolve payroll related issues, including returned benefit checks, returned direct…