Lead Payroll Admin Processing

Lead Payroll Administrator role at University of South Florida

Central HR consists of multiple areas of expertise including Talent Acquisition, Benefits, Classification & Compensation;
Employee and Labor Relations;
Continuous Process Improvement, HRIS, HR Business Partners and Talent and Learning Management. USF Human Resources is embarking on a multi-year transformation focused on a Human Resources strategy that elevates our people so that the University and culture support a competitive workforce advantage in line with our strategic plan.

The Lead Payroll Administrator reports to the Assistant Director of Payroll Services and serves as the primary point of contact for day-to-day payroll operations and payroll cycle processing activities. This position is responsible for coordinating and streamlining payroll processes, building redundancy across payroll functions, and ensuring accuracy and timeliness in payroll delivery. The incumbent directly oversees Payroll Administrators and provides guidance, training, and quality review of payroll transactions.

The role also supports system maintenance activities, including testing of system patches and updates, and validation of payroll results. In rotation with other team members, this position executes payroll processing jobs to complete gross-to-net calculations for the university’s employee population, including related off-cycle payments and outbound vendor files.

• Lead and develop Payroll Administrator I and II staff to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery.
• Support end-to-end payroll processing efficiencies and accuracy by reviewing data integrity reports, validating inputs, and taking action in Oracle HCM.
• Resolve escalated payroll discrepancies, retroactive adjustments, and pay issues to maintain employee trust and operational accuracy. Serves as the lead to bring items that need further escalation to the Payroll Assistant Director.
• Analyze payroll trends, variances, and adjustment rates to identify root causes and recommend and implement process improvements that enhance accuracy and reduce manual interventions.
• Oversee over payment recovery, off-cycle processing, and garnishment administration to ensure timely resolution and proper financial reconciliation.
• Strengthen cross-functional collaboration with HR, Accounting, and Legal to streamline workflows and improve payroll data quality.
• Lead system testing for quarterly patches, tax updates, and configuration changes, ensuring payroll system reliability and compliance.
• Maintain and enhance standard operating procedures (SOPs), training guides, and audit documentation to support operational excellence and knowledge continuity.
• Ensure compliance with all university, state, and federal wage and tax regulations, minimizing audit findings and financial risk.
• Monitor compliance with IRS, DOL, and state tax regulations.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and university payroll, wage, and hour regulations.

• Bachelor's degree and 2 or more years of related experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with Oracle HCM Cloud or similar enterprise HR/payroll systems.
• Experience in higher education or large, multi-entity organizations.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification.
• Degree Equivalency Clause:
  Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.

• SB 1310:
  Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
• A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
• (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
• (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
• (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
• (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
• Related work…