CAREER OPPORTUNITY
PAYROLL DIVISION CHIEF
The County of Santa Barbara is seeking an experienced professional to serve as the Payroll Division Chief
with the Office of the Auditor-Controller. The role of the Payroll Division Chief is to manage the County’s
centralized payroll functions. The chief accomplishes the County’s payroll processing objectives through
planning, coordinating, and monitoring the functions within the payroll division. The ideal candidate will
possess payroll processing expertise and knowledge of human resources management. The chief is a key
member of the Auditor-Controller’s management team, who serves as a catalyst for improving both the
division and the department as a whole.
The Payroll Division Chief is an at will position and will report directly to the Assistant Auditor-Controller,
while working closely with Human Resources, Santa Barbara County Employees’ Retirement System
(SBCERS), Risk Management, and County Counsel.
CLOSING DATE – Friday September 11, 2020 at 5p.m.
www.countyofsb.org/csd/
COUNTY
GOVERNMENT
Santa Barbara County is a
service-oriented organization
that functions with a workforce
of approximately 4,000
employees and an annual budget
of nearly $900 million. Covering
2,737 square miles, and bordered
on the west and south by the
Pacific Ocean, the County is
well- known for its mild climate,
picturesque coastline, and scenic
mountains. County employees
span 23 departments and strive to
improve the lives of a diverse
population of 425,840. Under
the Council-Executive form of
government, Santa Barbara
County is governed by the
County Executive Officer (CEO)
who is appointed by an elected
five-member Board of
Supervisors.
Please visit our website for
more information:
www.countyofsb.org
ABOUT THE AUDITOR-CONTROLLER
The Auditor-Controller is the chief fiscal officer of the County and is elected by Santa
Barbara County voters to provide property tax allocation, accounting, budgeting, and
financial services to county departments, school districts, special districts, cities, and
others. The department is dedicated to act in a way that will serve the public interest,
honor the public trust, and demonstrate a commitment to professionalism.
JOB SUMMARY
Under the general direction of the County Auditor-Controller, the Payroll Division
Chief is expected to uphold the values of Accountability, Customer-focus, and
Efficiency (ACE). Incumbents will lead other managers by modeling behaviors that
exemplify quality customer service. The Payroll Division Chief will also provide
effective and ethical leadership; help plan, develop, and implement programs that
effectively and efficiently use human and financial resources to achieve desired
results; and formulate goals and strategies that are consistent with the county's
mission and key business objectives.
IMPORTANT JOB FUNCTIONS:
Identify risks for the division and set goals/objectives to reduce those risks.
Develop project management plans to meet defined goals and objectives.
Maintain strong relationships and aid in ongoing participation with
interdepartmental projects and goals with the following key
departments and organizations:
o HR/CEO
o SBCERS
o Risk Management
o County Counsel
Provides advice to Human Resources/CEO on the design and implementation of employee benefit plans.
Affect change within the organization to streamline payroll processing at
the departmental level.
Create a reputation of aptitude, cooperation and innovation within
the organization.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:
Supervises others, including leaders and professional staff.
Leads project teams with members from various departments.
Assumes full leadership responsibility for assignments.
Designs and implements countywide standards, practices, and goals.
Leads significant countywide programs, projects, and/or initiatives from
inception to execution and may manage those programs once implemented.
Potentially managing the program after implementation.
Establishes project outcomes and measurements.
Assumes accountability for producing countywide results.
Formulates and influences County policy.
Interacts with and makes recommendations to policy makers at the CEO
and/or Board of Supervisors level.
Santa Barbara County is a land
of beautiful beaches and rolling
hills covered with oaks and
vineyards. Community
celebrations as diverse as Old
Spanish Days, Danish Days,
Rodeos, Flower, Avocado and
Lemon Festivals and an
International Film Festival
ensure that there is something
here for everyone, and with an
average temperature near 70, you
can enjoy the scenery year-
round.
With an area just over 2,700
miles, and a population of
425,840, there are a variety of
communities to choose from,
whether you are looking for a
small town or midsize city.
Santa Barbara County has a
number of institutions of higher
learning including University of
California Santa Barbara,
Westmont College, Fielding
Graduate Institute, Allan
Hancock College and Santa
Barbara City College. All
institutions participate in
cultural, academic and sporting
events.
LOCATION
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:
Possession of a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business,
Finance, Human Resources Management, or a related field of study
is required.
Possession of one of the following professional designations is
preferred: Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), Certified Public
Accountant (CPA), and Professional in Human Resources (PHR).
IDEAL CANDIDATE CHARACTERISTICS:
Experience in managing a comprehensive
automated payroll processing system; including
collaboration with IT personnel to develop
improvements and implement design changes and
provide necessary training for user community
Human resource management experience:
benefits and compensation, employee
development, and evaluating performance
measurements
Supervisorial experience to include: hiring, work
assignment, training, and performance evaluation
Proven abilities to gather, organize and present
financial and technical data in written and verbal
form
Strong interpersonal communication and
presentation skills to a variety of audiences
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex
technical resources and government laws and
regulations
Problem solving: recognition, data collection,
establishment of facts, and determination of valid
conclusions
TASKS
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Implements class and
compensation changes
initiate by Human
Resources Dept.
Conduct recurring training
for departmental payroll
administrators
Assists in gathering data
for labor negotiations
Determine and track
performance measurement
standards for division
Prepares quarterly payroll
newsletter
Provides effective and
ethical leadership
Creatively and strategically
plans, develops, and
implements programs that
use human and financial
resources to achieve results
Partners for strategy and
goal formation consistent
with the County’s mission
and key business objectives
Communicates and
collaborates effectively at
multiple levels Employee development of
payroll division team
Analyze issues and data
Manage bi-weekly payroll process for approximately 5000 full
and part-time employees
Manage job classes, earning & deduction codes and ed its
Oversee calculation and transmission of pay to employees
Ensure proper computation of required and elective
deductions from pay
Resolve edits/errors/adjustments/changes occurring in
every payroll
Oversee processing of Flexible Spending Plan,
Commuter Benefits Plan, wage garnishments, and other
miscellaneous voluntary deductions
Maintain extensive knowledge of:
o Federal and state payroll laws and regulations
o Mandatory programs, such as:
• Workers compensation
• State disability
• Unemployment
• FMLA
• Taxable and Nontaxable Compensation
• County benefit plans and programs
• Retirement plans: defined benefit &
defined contribution
• Flex benefit: health, dental, dependent
care, life/accident
• Social Security Section 218 plan
• Basic life and long-term disability
insurance
• Miscellaneous benefit plans
• MOU’s and other union agreements
Supervise a staff of five employees
Manage preparation and filing of payroll tax reports:
quarterly and annually
Address inquiries from internal and external parties
APPLICATION &
SELECTION PROCESS
Application Deadline:
September 11, 2020 5pm
Please apply online at:
www.sbcountyjobs.com
Review Applications to
determine those applicants who
meet the employment standards
Recruiters will communicate with
applicants by e-mail during each
step in the recruitment process.
Applicants are reminded to check
spam filters continuously during
the application & selection process.
Reasonable Accommodations
The County of Santa Barbara is
committed to providing reasonable
accommodation to applicants.
Qualified individuals with
disabilities who need reasonable
accommodation during the
application or selection process
should contact the recruiter listed
on the job posting. We require
verification of needed
accommodation from a
professional source, such a Medical
Provider or a learning institution.
Conditional Job Offer
Once a conditional offer of
employment has been made,
candidate will be required to
successfully complete a
background check, which includes
a conviction history check, and
satisfactory reference checks.
Appointee will be subject to a post-
offer medical evaluation or
examination.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
SALARY $114,084-$140,625.
Vacation: 12 to 25 days per year depending on length of public
employment.
Holidays: 11 days per year.
Sick Leave: 12 days sick leave per year. Unlimited accumulation,
one year of which can be converted to service credit upon
retirement.
Health Plan: Choice of medical (with vision care) and dental
plans. County contributes $316.50 twice monthly toward the
employee’s premium.
Retirement: The County offers a Defined Benefit Plan. For more
information, please visit:
http://www.countyofsb.org/hr/MOU.aspx?id=10988
Other Benefits: Term-life insurance policy; long-term disability
insurance; Flexible Spending Plan, choices include: pre-tax health,
life and accident insurance premiums, and health care and
dependent care spending accounts.
New Hire Expenses: The County may provide reimbursement for
reasonable relocation expenses (governed by Board policy).
For more information on County benefits, click HERE.
The County of Santa Barbara respects and values a diverse workforce and
strongly promotes strategies and activities to recruit, develop and retain
qualified men and women of varied backgrounds, lifestyles, experiences
and races.