Payroll Specialist

Job Summary

This role is ideal for a payroll professional who enjoys technical payroll processing, compliance, reconciliation, and employee support in a structured, service-focused environment.

The Payroll Specialist will support biweekly payroll preparation and processing, maintain confidential payroll records, resolve payroll discrepancies, and ensure compliance with applicable wage, tax, and payroll regulations. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to an essential public-sector function while working with experienced payroll leadership, collaborative internal departments, and established financial systems.

This is a strong opportunity for someone who values accuracy, confidentiality, teamwork, and long-term career stability in payroll and benefits administration.

Key Responsibilities

- Process and support biweekly payroll, including payroll entries, deductions, leave adjustments, wage attachments, manual checks, and related payroll transactions.
- Maintain, verify, and reconcile complex payroll records using computerized financial and payroll systems.
- Process wage garnishments, levies, tax-related items, deferred compensation reports, check requisitions, and wire transfer spreadsheets in accordance with applicable regulations.
- Respond to payroll inquiries from employees and departments, research discrepancies, and assist in resolving payroll exceptions.
- Prepare special reports, spreadsheets, supplemental data, audit support materials, and year-end payroll documentation as needed.
- Maintain confidential payroll files, control logs, tax payment records, and required payroll documentation in compliance with policies and regulations.

Compensation and Benefits

- Pay Rate: $33 to $42 per hour.
- Job Type: Temp-to-Hire.
- Location: Sunnyvale, CA.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

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For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program.

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Additional Skills

Required Qualifications and Skills

- Support biweekly payroll preparation, processing, verification, reconciliation, and reporting.
- Process confidential payroll data, wage garnishments, deductions, manual checks, and payroll adjustments.
- Research and resolve payroll discrepancies, employee inquiries, and transaction exceptions.
- Prepare payroll reports, spreadsheets, tax-related records, and audit support documentation.

- High school diploma or tested equivalent required.
- College-level coursework in accounting, economics, business administration, public administration, or a related field required.
- Two or more years of technical financial support experience, including some payroll experience and use of automated financial systems.
- 3 to 5 years of relevant payroll, financial support, or payroll administration experience preferred based on role level.
- Knowledge of payroll recordkeeping, payroll terminology, payroll processing rules, and related regulations.
- Ability to understand and apply wage and hour laws, tax laws, payroll policies, ordinances, and related procedures.
- Proficiency with computerized payroll or financial systems, spreadsheet applications, database tools, and standard office software.
- Strong mathematical, analytical, reconciliation, and data processing skills with a high level of accuracy.
- Ability to identify errors, correct improper entries, maintain confidential records, and meet payroll deadlines.
- Strong communication skills with the ability to explain payroll matters clearly and professionally to employees and departments.

Preferred Qualifications

- Public sector, municipal, government, or agency payroll experience.
- Experience with PERS service credit requests, State Employment Development Department earnings verification, or deferred compensation reconciliation.
- Familiarity with EFTPS, Federal, Medicare, OASDI, State Income Tax, and SDI tax payment tracking.
- Experience assisting with year-end payroll audits and complex payroll reporting.
- Strong working knowledge of advanced spreadsheet functions and payroll database management.
- Experience with Oracle a plus