Payroll Partner - Analyst

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

This is a leave replacement for a fixed term duration.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The Payroll Partner - Analyst provides strong customer service and payroll expertise to the campus community on behalf of Financial Operations. This role contributes to the reliability and availability of UBC's payroll system by providing Tier 2 support, problem resolution, and ensuring services meet or exceed customer service levels at all times.

The Payroll Partner - Analyst will troubleshoot complex payroll and systems issues, provides recommendations on how capabilities of the University's financial systems can be used and optimized to improve business processes, and solve business problems to support the short-and-long-term direction of financial operations. The incumbent will provide support and work direction to designated staff by managing the coordination of work while monitoring operations to ensure standards are met and payroll is processed according to established procedures.  This position performs payroll accounting duties in the accumulation, recording, and processing payroll data related to overpayments, arrears and retroactive payments.

Organizational Status:

The Payroll Partner - Analyst reports to the Payroll Team Leads and Manager, Payroll Operations and Control. Interacts directly with the Integrated Service Centre (ISC), Payroll Team Leads, Payroll Analysts, Financial Operations stakeholders, other UBC client units.

Work Performed:

- Ensures payroll systems processing results in an accurate accounting of financial and statistical events.
- Provides guidance and direction to entire University community in handling payroll system functions

- Provides guidance and advice regarding collective agreements, contracts, government legislation and University policies regarding Payroll processes - Leads the communication to appropriate groups on advising of critical dates reflecting system events, down-time, cut-off dates and scheduled deadlines to ensure accurate processing of information
- Identifies, analyzes and troubleshoots any work problems and monitors operations to ensure departmental standards are met

- Collects, analyzes, interprets, summarizes and maintains financial, statistical and other related data to identify possible errors or irregularities causing discrepancies.

- Analyzes incidents and initiates system improvements and modifications and process improvements to reduce user problems and improve data integrity
- Performs business model reviews and through re-engineering of the business processes generate new information technology-based business solutions. The re-engineering requires an understanding of the existing processes and business needs, and the information technology opportunities in Payroll and Finance.
- Leads the analysis of  payroll daily, weekly and monthly, and manage input/output to and from the payroll system with other system integration (e.g. HR, finance);
-Identify key trends within the organization, providing insights that allow payroll to proactively better manage and engage employees;
- Acts as a TIER 2 liaison for payroll and systems related problems between managers, system users, ISC staff and/or vendors.
- Responsible for calculating complex payments and recovery of wages resulting in collection

-Ensure the integrity, quality, accuracy and consistency of payroll data flow by generating variance/change reports to conduct quality control reviews and compare to the appropriate data sources;
-Leads and collaborates in complex projects with multiple work streams and multiple stakeholders;
- Develops, analyzes and defines business cases and project schedules for system upgrades and other improvement initiatives including major strategic projects;
-Establish, monitor and communicate KPIs using a dashboard or similar tool;
- Provides training and/or orientation on payroll system features to Managers, Payroll staff and payroll system user groups;
- Conducts research to provide information to document payroll best practices and participates maintaining business process documentation.
- Assists in the reconciliation, production, and web filing of tax forms (T4A and T4A’s) as part of the calendar year-end requirements.

Consequences of Error/Judgement:

Failure to detect and correct errors could result in serious consequences such as a breach of a collective agreement, financial penalties from Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, fines pursuant to the Employment Insurance commission Act and Employment Standards Act, law suits from employees and fines and penalties. Errors could result in poor financial decisions and misallocation of resources. As this position advises the University campus faculties and departments, errors could have a significant impact throughout the University. The accountability of this position requires the incumbent to deal effectively with the appropriate personnel, both professional and nonprofessional, at all such levels of involvement and responsibility, both within and outside the University.

Supervision Received:

The Payroll Partner - Analyst works independently under broad directives from the Manager, Payroll Operations and Control. Works in collaboration with the Financial Operations Customer Support Centre (CSC) while expected to demonstrate a fair degree of autonomy, critical thinking and judgement. Work is reviewed in terms of service provided to the Financial Operations team and other UBC client units, soundness of judgment, adherence to deadlines, achievement of objectives, and overall effectiveness of analytical and problem-solving skills demonstrated.

Supervision Given:        

Provides technical direction to Financial Operations regarding payroll and benefit functions and workflow.  Serves as a point of contact for team members. Coordinates and communicates with the Payroll Team Leads role to ensure process completion, meeting of deadlines and work coverage. Adopts a coaching and mentoring approach and develops team skills to foster a cooperative and respectful working environment.

Minimum Qualifications: 

Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Completion of at least 7 of the 14 CPA academic prerequisites. Minimum of two years of related experience, or the equivalent combination of education and experience

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own

- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion                                                                                                                    

Preferred Qualifications:

A post-secondary degree in accounting, finance business, or business analysis is preferred. Payroll Compliance Certification (PCP) preferred. Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) Certification preferred. Expertise with computers and the ability to understand Workday systems, complex material such as training manuals and business process documents.  Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task and prioritize work. Ability to solve complex problems and recommend solutions, take initiative and work under pressure of deadlines. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and within a team environment. Excellent reading, comprehension, and communication skills (oral & written) and interpersonal skills, including a solution focused attitude coupled with a focus on delivering a high level of customer service to all stakeholders. Ability to work as a team player as well as an individual contributor. Proven ability to adapt and to work effectively in a dynamic and rapidly evolving environment under pressure with high volumes and critical deadlines. References must indicate attention to detail, reliability, good attendance and positive attitude. Intermediate level Microsoft Office (Word & Excel). Familiarity with the use of ServiceNow is an asset. Previous experience with Workday Financial Management System is preferred.