Payroll and Benefits Officer

Our District:

Why Choose School District No. 60?

• Fort St. John is the most affordable small city in BC for housing/real estate with rental prices to suit any budget ( )
• Competitive salary, extended health, benefit coverage, pension
• Community access to mountains, lakes and wildlife
• Small town vibe with city amenities
• Regional Airport that provides reliable access to the community and access to major International Airports (YVR & YYC)

Position Description:

The Payroll and Benefits Officer position is a key member of the finance team. As a member of the exempt staff, the hours of work are eight (8) hours per day and are 12 months per year. This role will provide administration, maintenance and accountability of employee benefits for approximately 800 employees in a multi-unionized organization. This role focuses on the accurate and timely processing of payroll across all assigned employee groups within the District.

Job Duties:

• Calculating employee earnings from time sheets, individual pay out requests, accrued leaves and other source documents.
• Processing data for computerized payroll system, including employee tax and banking information, classifications, pay rates, deductions, required withholdings and net earnings, terminations, and leaves in accordance with collective agreements and legislation.
• Performing a variety of routine and non-routine functions including reconciling discrepancies in SDS, reviewing, and entering manual time sheets and processing and monitoring garnishes.
• Reconciling payroll and benefits for month end.
• Providing ongoing advice, guidance, and follow-up to District staff on payroll and benefits administration processes.
• Liaising with the Human Resources Department, schools and other departments, investigating and responding to queries regarding payroll and benefits.
• Providing information to government organizations including Service Canada, BC Pension Corporation, WorkSafe BC, Canada Revenue Services, and Family Maintenance.
• Setting up Teaching staff sick accrual and leave banks.
• Enrollment, updating and termination of benefits coverage.
• Completing LTD and Salary Indemnity Claims.
• Producing Records of Employment and completing required pension forms for the pension plans
• Processing pensionable service applications and responding to queries from District staff and the Pension Corporation on employee pension benefits.
• Ensures that source information is appropriate, authorized and properly coded to meet collective agreements, legislation, and District policy.
• Review and verify payroll and benefits information.
• Review earnings summaries and other reports including master files.
• Ensure security procedures are followed.
• Produce special cheque run requests to address ad hoc payments.
• Prepare and distribute electronic pay statements.
• Resolve discrepancies and errors and bring transaction patterns to the attention of the Payroll Manager.
• Ensure accurate and complete supporting documentation for source documents are received, recorded, and filed to provide adequate audit trails
• Exercise due diligence regarding possible misrepresentations and frauds and inform the Payroll Manager as required.
• Provide suggestions for change, development and assist with the formulation and implementation of payroll and benefits procedures to improve the overall operations of the payroll and benefits section.
• Participating in the orientation and training of new staff.
• Assists with special projects as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

The preferred candidate will have an outstanding ability to multi-task, prioritize, and be able to exercise independent judgement and action while dealing with employees at all levels, as well as the public. The successful candidate will possess the following qualifications and attributes:

• A Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) designation from Canadian Payroll Association, plus completion of the first year of an accounting/business program at an accredited post-secondary institute will be a definite asset.
• Extensive knowledge of payroll and benefits computer systems.
• Good working knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with all District employees, including administrative staff, teaching staff, support staff and other departments, as well as various benefit carriers.
• Ability to meet deadlines efficiently while working under pressure and with many interruptions.
• Impeccable attention to detail, with a high degree of accuracy.
• Adept at handling confidential and sensitive documents.
• Comfortable with data entry.

For more information, please contact Alicia McKinnon, Payroll Manager at 250-262-6000 or amckinnon@prn.bc.ca.