Payroll Accountant

Payroll Accountant

Department: Business Affairs

Classification: Accountant 1

Appointment Type and Duration: Regular,Ongoing

Salary: $24.99 - $38.15 per hour

FTE: 1.0

Review of Applications Begins:
September 29, 2026; position open until filled

Business Affairs (BA) provides efficient and effective business services for University of Oregon (UO) students, faculty, and staff; manages and secures UO material assets; and ensures UO business is conducted in accordance with all applicable regulations, policies, procedures, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and sound business practices.

Business Affairs consists of 5 divisions reporting to the Associate Vice President for Business Affairs and Controller and provides direct services to staff, students, and UO departments:
Financial Services/Accounts Payable/Travel, Student Financial Services, Payroll, Information Systems, and Treasury Management. These divisions manage the largest payroll in Eugene, support UO expenditures totaling more than $500 million, and manage the billing and collection of tuition and fees for more than 24,000 students. Business Affairs has approximately 64 FTE and an annual operating budget of $7 million.

The Payroll Accountant supports the accuracy, integrity, and compliance of the university's payroll, benefits, and retirement accounting functions. This position performs complex reconciliations of employee payroll deductions, retirement contributions, union dues, and benefit payments, working closely with Human Resources, vendors, and payroll staff to identify discrepancies, resolve issues, and ensure proper financial posting. The role assists with PEBB daily files, retirement entry processing, and reconciliation activities, as well as the preparation, auditing, and submission of union reporting and vendor invoices.

A key responsibility of this position is supporting payroll processing through the calculation and collection of over payments, processing of daily manual checks, and assisting the Payroll Accounting team with payroll posting, tax reconciliations, and research related to payroll tax accounts. The Payroll Accountant also processes benefit and retirement adjustments, performs testing of system programming changes and releases, and contributes to the accuracy of payroll data across systems.

The position plays a critical role in supporting workflow efficiency by establishing and verifying employee job records, mandatory deductions, tax withholding, retirement codes, benefit codes, and other key data elements in the Banner HRIS system. The accountant ensures consistency and compliance with pay rules, personnel policies, and data standards across all employee classifications. The role also develops and maintains data tools to streamline payroll processes and collaborates with management to identify and implement automation and workflow improvements.

Through a combination of analytical skills, attention to detail, and collaboration with internal and external partners, the Payroll Accountant helps safeguard payroll accuracy, maintain regulatory compliance, and support efficient payroll operations across the university.

Bachelor's degree with CPA or PA certificate; OR

Bachelor's degree with 30 quarter (20 semester) hours of college-level Accounting, OR

30 quarter (20 semester) hours of Accounting courses and three years of Accounting experience.

Transcripts must be submitted for all required and/or related courses. All courses must be from accredited colleges, universities, or private vocational schools.

* Accounting experience must include at least 3 of the following:

• Preparing transactions to be recorded in records of original entry;
• Preparing journal…