HR Payroll Administrator

Come make a difference and join team Metro!

King County Metro Transit's Employee Services Division is seeking a detail-oriented and equity-driven HR Payroll Administrator
to ensure accuracy, integrity, and compliance of payroll processes supporting over 6000 employees across a vast and diverse range of job classifications for one of North America's largest and most innovative transit agencies.

The HR Payroll Administrator is a new position where you will play a critical role in delivering timely, precise, and customer-centered payroll services for a large, complex workforce. You will interpret and apply labor contracts, analyze payroll and timekeeping data, resolve discrepancies, coordinate leave programs, support system enhancements, and develop procedures and training that strengthen consistency and operational excellence across the organization.

This position offers a high level of responsibility, independence, and influence. Your work will directly impact employees' experiences, operational efficiency, compliance practices, and Metro's ongoing commitment to equity and social justice. By ensuring payroll processes are fair, transparent, and reliable, you will help sustain the foundation of trust that enables Metro Transit to deliver safe, equitable, and high-quality service to our community.

This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) position expected to last through December 31, 2027, with the possibility of extension. Additionally, the selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Career Service, TLT, or SDA positions that may occur within this classification. The eligibility pool will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority.

An additional HR Payroll Administrator position is anticipated in the near future.

The HR Payroll Administrator is an Administrator II classification.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of this work. As the HR Payroll Administrator
, you will actively integrate these values into all aspects of your work, including the following duties:

• Administer payroll operations in compliance with Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs), federal and state regulations, King County policies, and departmental procedures.
• Process, audit, and maintain payroll records in People Soft, including adjustments, benefit accruals, step progressions, work schedules, union dues, combo codes, and time reporting codes (TRCs).
• Analyze payroll, timekeeping, leave, and financial data to identify discrepancies, ensure data integrity, resolve payroll issues, and maintain compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct audits of time reporting, overtime, leave usage, and personnel actions to ensure adherence with CBAs, payroll policies, and HR standards.
• Monitor payroll components of employee leave programs (FMLA, KCFML, PFML, Paid Parental Leave (PPL), On-the-Job Injury (OJI), and others), coordinate reimbursements, track leave balances, notify HR of exhausted leave entitlements, and support Affordable Care Act (ACA) compliance.
• Collaborate and coordinate with Metro Divisions, Employee Services work groups, and others to resolve payroll discrepancies and issues, implement personnel actions, validate and audit data, run reports and ad hoc requests, and ensure accurate payroll processing.
• Research, interpret, and apply complex CBAs, payroll regulations, and organizational policies to provide guidance to employees, supervisors, and management on payroll, leave, timekeeping, and cost accounting matters.
• Develop, implement, and maintain payroll procedures, standard operating procedures (SOPs), desk manuals, training materials, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and documentation to improve consistency, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency.
• Train, mentor, and onboard payroll staff and People Soft users including providing technical guidance on payroll processes, time reporting, and system functionality.
• Actively participate and support continuous process improvement (LEAN) efforts.
• Design, develop, and maintain payroll monitoring, tracking, and reporting systems, including leave compliance, reimbursement tracking, and payroll performance metrics.
• Support payroll system enhancements by maintaining People Soft configurations, developing queries, managing TRCs and combo codes, testing system upgrades, and validating configuration changes.
• Plan, coordinate, and implement payroll-related projects, including Employee Self Time Entry implementation, new CBA provisions, process improvements, compliance reviews, and resolution of systemic payroll issues.
• Maintain payroll and personnel records in accordance with federal and state records…