Researches, counsels, provides routine and specialized information to, and answers inquiries from active employees or retirees on retirement system matters such as membership, eligibility service credit, separation, disability, refunds, and report requirements

Interprets and applies a variety of complex laws, rules, and regulations regarding retirement systems, fiscal control, and/or garnishments in the course of assigned responsibilities and specialty

Prepares a variety of worksheets and spreadsheets, calculating employer and employee contributions for retirement, reconciling and balancing retirement contributions and variance reports to payroll registers and general ledger accounts

Prepares accounts payable, wire transfers, and support documents for payroll deduction payments

Receives and processes wage garnishments, researching earning records, verifying employment status, notifying appropriate persons and agencies of garnishments, and assisting employees and district staff with calculating garnishment formulas

Prepares and processes warrants and submits payments to various agencies and reconciles data with payroll registers, the general ledger, and accounting records

Creates, adjusts, and balances payment spreadsheets to County payroll registers and employer burden reports following strict time lines

Balances and reconciles gross earnings, voluntary deductions, tax deductions, and taxable earnings with year-to-date reports and general ledger accounts

Prepares and electronically transfers employer and employee withholding and deduction contributions to requisite agencies

Participates in, develops and conducts workshops and/or training for employees, management, districts, and others regarding retirement system regulations, proper record keeping procedures, reporting requirements, implementation of new/changed law, routine and/or specialized accounting and fiscal procedures related to an assigned specialty, providing information, resolving problems, and answering questions as needed

Maintains input and output controls on journal entries submitted for updating General Ledger records

Prepares and maintains "Vendor List" for all deductions which can be taken/withheld from warrants

Develops, prepares, balances, receives, calculates, and/or reconciles a variety of manual, computerized, mandated, and specialized financial reports for requisite local and State agencies, resolving discrepancies, recording adjustments

Operates internal accounting-payroll information systems, microcomputer hardware and software including spreadsheet, word processing, presentation, and related programs and systems

Performs related duties as assigned.

Internal fiscal controls and policies

Appropriate laws, codes, rules, regulations, statues, and guidelines related to employee retirement and payroll deductions

Business and modern office methods, practices, and procedures

Standard office equipment including microcomputer, calculator, typewriter, copier, and fax machine

Software spreadsheet and word processing application programs

Plan, organize, and perform assigned tasks under stringent time requirements

Understand, interpret, and apply appropriate laws, codes, rules, regulations related to retirement, retirement benefits, and payroll deductions

Make arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy, identifying and correcting errors in arithmetical calculations performed by others

Analyze, understand, and apply internal fiscal controls in the performance of work assignments

Establish, accurately prepare, and maintain a variety of financial summaries, documents, and reports

Effectively operate and use office and microcomputer equipment, hardware, and software including spreadsheet and word processing programs

Establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.

Payroll Deduction/Retirement Specialist I: Generally, the required knowledge and abilities will have been acquired through at least three years of increasingly responsible financial or statistical record keeping work, preferably including retirement system and/or payroll deduction functions supplemented by college or university coursework in accounting.

Payroll Deduction/Retirement Specialist II: In addition to the training and experience of the Payroll Deduction/Retirement Specialist I, the advanced knowledge and abilities will have been acquired through at least a one year incumbency as a Payroll Deduction/Retirement Specialist I with the Santa Clara County Office of Education or two years of equivalent experience in payroll processing, retirement deductions, and/or retirement system.