Payroll Accountant

Job Summary :

Reporting to the Director of Finance (DOF), the Payroll Accountant is responsible for managing the overall payroll process for a 300+ employee non-profit organization, and performing the general ledger accounting, technical research, and compliance duties associated with the payroll function. Payroll processing includes, but not limited to calculations of wages, vacation/sick accruals, insurance and benefits, taxes and other payroll items, certain benefit reporting submissions, and employee reimbursement document review/processing. The Payroll Accountant closely collaborates with the Human Resources (HR) team with the bi-weekly payroll processing, compliance reporting support, and other projects as needed.

The Payroll Accountant is also responsible for performing accounting duties, which include, but not limited to payroll-related journal entries preparation, maintaining organized records, audit and tax workpaper preparation and documentation support (e.g. annual financial audit, 403(b), workers compensation, government contracts, etc.), and working with the accounting staff to facilitate staff time allocation to projects/programs and monthly contract billing support, intercompany transfers, and other analytical analyses support as needed.

Status:   Full-time, Nonexempt, Regular
Location: Chinatown neighborhood, San Francisco
Hours:     Work from home eligible, Monday through Friday, 9:00a.m. - 5:30p.m.
Salary:   $42.70 - $44.00 per hour; Comprehensive benefits

The Organization :   A private non-profit founded in 1977, Chinatown Community Development Center believes in a comprehensive vision of community. We own and/or manage approximately 36 affordable housing buildings serving over 4,500 low-income seniors, single adults, formerly homeless adults, and families of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Tenderloin, Western Addition, and Polk Gulch neighborhoods. We also build housing, develop grassroots leadership, and engage low-income residents and youth. Our employees are passionate about the mission; thrive in a family organizational culture; and embody values of empowerment, teamwork, and compassion. Chinatown CDC serves a diverse population and is committed to hiring practices that provide culturally competent services. We encourage people of color to apply.

What You Will Do:  
Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

Essential Functions:

- Responsible for preparation, accounting, and processing of payroll functions of the organization, ensuring pay is timely processed, accurate, and in compliance with local, state and federal regulations
- Responsible for learning and keeping current with changes in payroll regulatory environment (e.g. catch-up rules, IRS for changes, etc.), to further professional development and organizational knowledge support, partnering with HR team on any policy, regulation updates as needed
- Clear and concise communication with staff for payroll-related inquiries.
- Responsible for general ledger, time allocations to projects and programs (e.g. contract billing, property and development projects), reconciliations and allocations to filed compliance reports, and provide other analytical support as needed.
- Assist with designing and implementing process improvements for efficiency and accuracy in payroll workflow and continual strengthening of internal controls

Job Responsibilities:

Payroll:

- Audit timesheets and address any discrepancies with supervisors. Send reminders to employees to complete timesheets and supervisors to approve relevant timesheets.
- Monitor employee expenses submitted via the Paylocity module to ensure adherence to the expense reimbursement policy, and review chart of account coding to ensure cost is allocated to the appropriate cost centers.
- Review all changes to salary, W4 withholdings, voluntary deductions and mandatory deductions. Verify accuracy of all employee related benefits, check deductions compared to monthly invoices of various insurances and benefits, reconcile financial data with payments.
- Prepare calculations based on personnel action forms for HR to submit for new hires, terminations, and garnishments for accuracy and in compliance with labor regulations. Also, prepare, review, and ensure the accuracy of garnishment payments and other withholdings.
- Generate and transmit payroll journal entries into accounting systems with verification of proper coding, with a strong understanding and ability to identify and payroll-specific items for intercompany-related journal entries and reconciliations.
- Responsible for processing transactions relating to Section 125 accounts (FSA, Transit, Parking, Dependent Care plan, etc.), ensuring the appropriate amounts have been reflected in the biweekly payroll processing, and reconciling accounts against internal financial records.
- Prepare and ensure the accuracy of all 403(b) contributions per pay period prior to submission to TPA; review against payroll register to ensure both sets of data agree plus any discrepancies are timely addressed; review IRS limits to ensure payroll system computes the correct contribution amounts; prepare monthly deposits reconciliation; and maintain organized records for 403(b) audit-readiness.
- Prepare and timely submit monthly workers’ comp premium reports, reviewing payroll system generated reports to create submission template, and collaborating with Accounting team for payment remittance as appropriate
- Coordinate with HR on communication(s) with staff regarding payroll inquiries including, but not limited to, tax status, voluntary deductions, vacation, and sick leave accruals as appropriate.
- Provide timesheet and expense report training for new hires onboarding, as needed, to ensure staff are educated on the payroll platform on how to prepare and submit timesheets and expense reports as per organizational procedural guidelines and policy.
- Support Human Resources personnel with payroll data as required
- Update and maintain payroll procedures manual for Payroll, plus continuous strengthening, and reevaluation of internal controls for the payroll function within the organization. Collaborate with HR team on joint HR-Payroll manual for workflow of various processes between both teams.
- Maintain complete payroll files and ensure proper general ledger allocations, payment receipts, and other various payroll-related documentations outside of payroll system.
- Coordinate audit inquiries and payroll tax returns filing / compliance.
- Responsible for managing the annual workers’ compensation audit; supporting HR with the annual 403(b) audit; payroll-related items from the annual, consolidated financial audit, and providing assistance on any other audit(s) as needed.
- Lead in submitting payroll technical support inquiries with payroll system provider as appropriate when issues are identified from payroll-related or system-related issues.

Accounting duties:

- Prepare biweekly payroll and employee expense entries with proper chart of accounts coding based on entities, program, development, and other codes as appropriate, plus calculate and prepare period-end accrual/reversals (e.g. year-end).
- Reconcile staff time allocations to annual and quarterly filed compliance reports for audit-ready preparedness and complete recordkeeping.
- Produce labor statistics and reports for grant applications, budget alignment, headcount, entities and programs
- Support the monthly Government Billing process with producing required documentation(s) from funder(s)
- Assist with internal controls audit testing, audit workpaper preparation, and documentation support gathering during annual financial audit. Collaborate with HR team on certain testing sample documents and organize for management review prior to auditor submission.
- Support DOF and accounting staff, as needed, with various payroll analyses related to budget-to-actual variance reviews, financial analyses, and benefit changes, etc.

Others:

- Embody organization values (respect & compassion, empowerment, teamwork)
- Contribute to a safe and pleasant work environment
- Follow policies and procedures, including safe work practices
- Other duties as assigned

What You Bring:

- General understanding and application of generally accepted accounting principles
- General knowledge of payroll and labor law compliance requirements
- Ability to manage and prioritize deadlines/workflows, and staying highly organized
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Consistent and meticulous attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills
- Ability to exercise confidentiality
- Solid technology and computer skills, ability to prepare/generate spreadsheets and navigate different systems plus databases as needed
Education and Experience (Minimum Qualifications):  
- Two to four (2-4) years college level accounting courses, or two to four (2-4) years general accounting experience in payroll and general ledger
- Four (4) years of experience using Paylocity Payroll or similar system(s) (e.g. ADP, Rippling, etc.)
- Computer experience in accounting systems, Microsoft Office Applications with intermediate skills in Excel required, and working within a cloud database environment
- Knowledge of labor practices and regulations
​​Preferred Qualifications:​   
- Bachelor/associate degree in accounting or related field, or equivalent experience
- ​​​​​​​Experience in using MIP/Momentive software
- Experience working for a nonprofit, especially ones that specialize in real estate, affordable housing development
- Certified payroll certificate or courses in ADP or similar systems
- Bilingual / conversational fluency in Chinese language (primarily Cantonese)

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of race (includes hairstyle and hair texture), color, religion (includes dress and grooming practices), age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical condition and reproductive health decision making), national origin (includes language restrictions), ancestry, citizenship, disability, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristic), genetic information or characteristic, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or participation in an EEO protected activity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
SAN FRANCISCO FAIR CHANCE ORDINANCE
All final candidates will undergo a background check. For certain positions this will include a fingerprint check. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in accordance with the  San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.