The City of Costa Mesa is a General Law City operating under a Council/Manager form of government. The City Council consists of six members, elected from Districts, and a Mayor who is elected at large. The City Council appoints the City Manager. Costa Mesa is a full-service city supported by approximately 588 full-time staff. The FY 2023-24 General Fund operating budget is approximately $180.3M and proposed Annual Capital Improvement Program for FY 2023-24 is approximately $31.1M.

Under general direction of the Finance Director or the Assistant Finance Director, plans, directs, administers, and participates in the operations of the Payroll Section; supervises professional, technical, and/or clerical staff in processing and reconciling payroll; prepares financial and statistical records and reports, maintains compliance with federal, state, and local payroll laws and regulations for safety and non-safety personnel and performs related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• CERTIFICATION: Certification as a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) through the American Payroll Association (APA) is desirable.
• EXPERIENCE: Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in managing payroll in an internal and centralized process, including two (2) years of payroll experience in a government agency, and at least one (1) year in a supervisory or lead capacity.
• EDUCATION: Graduation from a four-year accredited college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, business or closely related field. Additional related experience may be substituted for the desired education on a year-for-year basis. Knowledge of public safety payroll processes are highly desirable.

An equivalent combination of training, certification and experience may also be considered.

The ideal candidate must have a proven track record of performing hands-on payroll work in a government agency which provides public safety (police and/or fire) services. The candidate shall understand the unique payroll intricacies, regulations and compliance requirements specific to public employees including knowledge of and experience navigating tax regulations and the Fair Labor Standards Act for public sector employees and the various work schedules (9/80, 3/12, 3/12.5, 24-hour shifts, etc.) and the Public Employees Retirement Law. The ideal candidate will have familiarity with payroll software and systems commonly used in municipal environments. The successful candidate will be detail oriented and thrive in a fast-paced environment and demonstrate a solutions-oriented approach to solving complex issues including the ability to think ‘out of the box’. The successful candidate must also demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work collaboratively with employees, department liaisons and labor groups.

The annual salary for the Payroll Supervisor is up to $130,344. A 3% increase to the salary range will be applied in July 2024. Please follow this link to view the Payroll Supervisor Brochure. To apply for this exciting career opportunity, please send a compelling cover letter and your detailed resume electronically to apply@bobhallandassociates.com by December 22, 2023. Please contact Sherry Johnson at (714) 273-4187 or Bob Hall at (714) 309-9104 should you have any questions regarding this position or the recruitment process.