Business Application Specialist I​/II #JR-00441

The Business Application Specialist I/II in Finance will assist the Finance Team in their mission of delivering comprehensive financial and business services, as well as protecting the City’s resources in a high-quality, cost effective and innovative environment. It serves as the functional and technical lead supporting the City's payroll systems (HCM payroll and time-keeping). In partnership with IT, HR and Benefits stakeholders, this positions provides business application processes for system configuration, business process optimization, integrations, and issues resolution.

It will employ cross-departmental collaboration to ensure accurate, efficient and compliant payroll operations while supporting system enhancements, leading departmental testing and implementation efforts and providing strategic guidance to improve technology utilization.

• Maintain documentation for system configurations, workflows, integration points, and operational procedures and workflows as well as troubleshooting procedures.
• Perform ongoing analysis to ensure system is maintained, configured, and optimized in support of payroll processing and in compliance with City, state, and federal regulations.
• Identify business needs, processes, workflows, security roles, and functional setups needed to support payroll and cross‑functional operations.
• Serve as the Payroll Division’s subject matter expert for business systems, providing guidance, troubleshooting support, and aligning system best practices.
• Monitor system performance, identify operational issues, and resolve production problems, including those related to system updates, releases, and patches.
• Work with IT and third‑party vendors to conduct interface testing, validate system changes, and ensure seamless data flow, as well as troubleshoot integration failures, validate data accuracy, coordinate fixes, and migrate tested solutions into Production.
• Provide departmental oversight of inbound and outbound integrations between the HCM, the City’s timekeeping system, and other payroll‑related applications.
• Assist in the management and administration of the City’s timekeeping system(s), serving as the Payroll Division’s SME for configuration needs/revision, troubleshooting, and operational support; provide technical support to ensure timekeeping data accuracy, compliance with labor rules, and alignment with payroll processing requirements.
• Provide ongoing training by developing training materials, job aids and documentation for payroll and time-keeping systems users, coaching, and support to departmental staff to ensure proper system usage and adherence to established processes.
• Serve as Finance subject matter expert in the testing, validation, and deployment of timekeeping system enhancements, patches, and fixes.
• Conduct cost/benefit analyses for proposed system enhancements, technology investments, and process redesign initiatives.
• Analyze business operations to determine optimal system utilization and develop conceptual solutions that meet user requirements.
• Evaluate system performance, user experience, and operational effectiveness; recommend enhancements to maximize productivity and reduce manual effort.
• Ensure technology is leveraged effectively to improve payroll accuracy, reporting capabilities, and staff efficiency.
• Assess emerging technologies, system upgrades, and new modules for compliance with City standards and departmental applicability.
• Engage with City leadership, IT teams, and vendors to prioritize system‑related projects, define requirements, and coordinate timelines.
• Evaluate and prioritize requests for new features, modifications, and enhancements; oversee testing, validation, and deployment of system changes.
• Develop training materials, job aids, and documentation for payroll and timekeeping system users.

The City of Virginia Beach offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Health, dental, and life insurance
• Retirement and savings plans
• Annual and sick leave
• Opportunities for training, growth, and advancement

• Experience with HCM Payroll, Time Tracking, or related modules.
• Experience supporting enterprise timekeeping systems.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and troubleshooting skills
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non‑technical users.
• Experience working with IT teams, vendors, and cross‑departmental stakeholders.
• Knowledge of payroll regulations, compliance requirements, and operational best practices

The City of Virginia Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer.