Payroll Specialist

GRADE: G16 (Hourly Range/Step 1 - Step 8: $24.48 - $30.19)

Minimum Hourly Rate: $24.48

Standard Hours Per Week: 40

FTE: 1.0

Months Per Year: 12

Job Code: 1002

Position Type: Replacement Permanent/Regular

Location: Thornton, CO

Adams 12 Five Star Schools is deeply committed to a community of excellence, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. We commit to eliminating the predictability of who is included in excellence and who is not. Adams 12 Five Star Schools puts students first and supports our district's mission to elevate student success for every student every day in every classroom.

Candidates who can contribute to our goal are encouraged to apply and to identify their strengths in this area.

• Reviews and verifies information from Employee Action Forms, including new hires, changes, resignations, retirements and reclassifications, ensuring changes have been captured correctly for payroll, calculating adjustments for back pay, verifying salary changes, compensation, deductions, vacation/personal time payouts and additional pays, and coordinating with District staff regarding discrepancies.
• Provides excellent customer service to all levels of staff by receiving and responding to payroll, salary, benefits, banking and W2 related inquiries using discretion, effective oral and written communication, researching and solving complex problems independently, cross‑training and sharing information with the payroll team and other District staff members, and providing support, training and resources for district employees who submit payroll for processing and those with concerns or questions regarding pay practices addressed in the appropriate Master Agreement and District policies and procedures.
• Compiles, analyzes and enters into PSHR all coded supplemental timesheets, retro pay, terminations, payout calculations, pay lists, leave of absence/sick leave bank calculations and class coverage pay, ensuring proper payment of wages and salaries using multiple in‑house systems to correctly process salaries, paid leave, holiday pay, compensatory time, overtime, etc. while meeting deadlines, and coordinating with District staff regarding discrepancies.
• Completes and submits requests for written verifications of employment forms, rental forms and HUD forms, verifies income for childcare forms, and responds to phone and e‑mail requests for employment information on current and former employees.
• Accurately processes, maintains, verifies and enters changes and corrections to employee tax with holdings and bank options, and assists and communicates with employees for confirmation of submitted forms as needed.
• Processes, verifies, and maintains garnishments for employee child support, tax levies, bankruptcies, liens, etc.; completes and submits PERA Final Six‑Month Salary forms, PERA Refund Request forms and other PERA inquiries; completes Classified Service Credit Worksheets and unemployment benefit wage audits; runs, sorts, and distributes labor reports and researches/answers questions concerning labor and benefits reporting; reconciles, uploads and requests payment to vendors for tax‑sheltered annuities.
• Compiles and analyzes reports from multiple sources to complete final review of payroll entry and verifies data within defined deadlines.
• Ensures that employee payroll files for active and terminated employees comply with Federal, State, and District requirements, maintaining permanent payroll records.
• Contributes to the overall success of the Department of Financial Services by performing all other duties and responsibilities as assigned, acting as back‑up for other payroll specialist positions as needed, maintaining high levels of accuracy, maintaining a professional demeanor and appropriate levels of confidentiality, and providing excellent customer service.

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of 3 years general clerical experience, including 2 years of database application systems.
• Payroll experience preferred.

• Criminal background check required for hire.
• Payroll certification preferred.