Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide payroll and benefits expertise and effective client focused service delivery to ensure quality outcomes and issue resolution to meet the payroll and benefits requirements of assigned clients across the OPS.

Duties / Responsibilities :

Duties/Responsibilities
1. Provides payroll and benefits expertise and client focused services to assigned clients covering all employee groups (e.g., OPSEU, AMAPCEO, PEGO, MCP, lawyers), Collective Agreements and pay and benefits plans. Initiates/responds to a range of payroll and benefits inquiries directly from employees, managers, and other client representatives requiring explanation of payroll and benefits entitlements, options, benefits processes and guidelines.
2. Provides payroll and benefits administration throughout the payroll lifecycle from employee induction to termination/retirement requiring ongoing analyses, solutions and decision making through various integrated modules of the OPS payroll operations systems and preparation of manual calculations and spreadsheet analyses for the completion of individual payroll and benefits requirements.
3. Conducts the review and analysis of a range of documents (e.g. WEAR forms, employee history, Collective Agreements, payroll policies and procedures) to ensure accuracy of all client payroll and benefits information required for ongoing pay and benefits administration. Ensures accountability for the research and resolution of all related issues, discrepancies and errors during the provision of payroll and benefits services and administration.
4. Provides Tier 2 review, investigation and response to payroll and benefits employee inquiries/issues escalated by the Contact Centre, ensuring adherence to established customer service standards.
5. Maintains relationships with business contacts (e.g., Benefits Advisors, HR Advisors, Finance, Pension Administrators, Service Canada) to initiate/respond to a range of oral and written inquiries/issues on behalf of clients, coordinate efforts, and/or to explain OPS payroll and benefits entitlements, policies, procedures.
6. Conducts the review, verification, analysis and resolution of all own work related anomalies/errors identified through the data quality and action reports generated by WIN on a daily basis. Corrects errors on WIN, if required.
7. Provides input to various project initiatives led or undertaken by the branch/division (e.g., changes to system, testing of new applications, validation of data) as assigned. Provides back-up as assigned to other Payroll and Benefits Specialists.
Managers have the right to assign additional responsibilities.

Knowledge :

Job requires knowledge of:
- payroll and benefits administration methods and best practices, applicable sections of all OPS Collective Agreements, MGS payroll, salary and benefits administration policies, directives and guidelines including the policies and rules unique to such client groups as lawyers, OPP, engineers to provide payroll and benefits services to assigned client groups, provide expertise and explanation regarding entitlements, applicable policies, directions and guidelines.
- applicable provincial and federal legislation to ensure compliance in the conduct of payroll and benefits administration.
- OPS and Division customer service standards to provide optimum quality customer services to clients within Division and government standards.
- the use, capabilities and impacts of each module of the OPS/branch customized and integrated payroll operating system to ensure optimum solutions and quality outcomes for pay and benefits of individual clients through the system.
- the use of word processing, spreadsheet, email, intra/internet to utilize technology in the provision of payroll and benefits administration, create spreadsheets for manual transactions and production of payroll related estimates, maintain records and to conduct research of client history.

This position requires a Criminal Record Check (CRC) in accordance with the Ontario Public Service (OPS), Employment Screening Checks Policy (ESCP).

Skills :

- analytical skills to review all payroll and benefits related documents submitted by clients to analyze, assess and independently determine the appropriate action and systems solution based on an assessment of the capabilities and limitations of each module of the payroll operation system and potential impacts and outcomes.
- analytical skills to review applicable Collective Agreements and payroll and benefits policies in order to determine applicability to each client's unique requirements and to conduct payroll and benefits customer service at all stages of the payroll lifecycle.
- reviewing and analytical skills to assess nature of client inquiries and apply relevant payroll and benefits policies in order to determine options and responses based on client eligibility and individual circumstances (e.g., OPSEU, AMAPCEO, MCP, etc).
- problem solving skills to analyse, research and investigate a range of payroll and benefits related issues/problems either identified on own, referred to by clients or escalated by the Contact Centre where there are various scenarios for their resolution.
- problem solving skills to review, analyze, evaluate and resolve errors generated by WIN through daily data quality and action reports (e.g. ranging from missing union dues, contract extensions, negative pay, STSP low credits, etc, incorrect coding).
- organizational and time management skills to prioritize and plan own work to meet established payroll and benefits deadlines.
- arithmetic skills to perform manual calculations including but not limited to attendance credit reconciliation, overpayment calculations, severance entitlements, preparation and issuance of ROEs, payout of grievance settlements, benefits estimates, retro-active payments, surplus, garnishments.
- oral and written communication skills to provide detailed payroll and benefits entitlement information during employee inductions, throughout client employment, through to retirement/resignation.
- oral communication and interpersonal skills to tactfully deal with often irate callers in the resolution of payroll issues and to deal regularly with all levels of clients and contacts.
- negotiation skills to arrange with employees, mutually agreeable terms and repayment schedules for the recovery of overpayments, within established limits.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires working within payroll and benefits administration methods and best practices, applicable sections of all OPS Collective Agreements, MGS payroll, salary and benefits administration policies, directives and guidelines, applicable provincial and federal legislation, FIPPA as well as Division/OPS customer service standards. As the key pay and benefits contact throughout an employee's payroll life cycle, job requires latitude in decision making and accountability to ensure the timely response, effectiveness and efficiency in the provision of payroll and benefits customer services, expertise and administration to assigned clients involving the resolution of all related problems, ensuring precision at all stages of the cycle, through the verification and accuracy of documents, calculations and navigation through the payroll system, an integrated system of modules, where the position can trigger a critical change of events based on any incorrect independent decisions and solutions made on the system, and which require independent decision making to ensure quality outcomes to reduce any potential costly errors in a client's payroll and benefits. Job requires the application of various payroll and benefits policies and changing Collective Agreements and policies to individual circumstances in order to avoid serious financial errors and hardship to employees. Job requires monitoring, tracking and following up on all matters including LTIP files throughout the pay lifecycle; working with clients directly in the provision of information regarding their pay and benefits rights and entitlements through induction, changes in status and through to retirement/resignation. Job works directly with employees in the collection of overpayments including direct negotiation of repayment terms and payback schedules. Job requires referring to the Manager only those matters that deviate from established policies, guidelines and procedures where significant precedents may occur and problems are mutually resolved.