Senior Accountant - Payroll and Credit Cards

Job Title: Senior Accountant, Payroll and Credit Cards

Department: Finance and Accounting

Direct Supervisor: Accounting Manager

Supervisory Position:

Yes 

FLSA Classification:

  Exempt (Salaried)

Position Classification:

  Staff

Time Base:

  Full-time

Summary:

The Senior Accountant, Payroll and Credit Cards oversees end-to-end payroll operations and corporate credit card administration, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely processing across both functions. The payroll program requires the individual to be a key liaison between Payroll and Human Resources and external benefit carriers. The Senior Accountant manages Dayforce payroll system requirements, validates payroll inputs, reconciles financial activity and provides responsive support to employees. This role will also be responsible for Corporate Credit card administration, reconciliation and ensuring compliance with ASI, campus, system, state, and federal laws, regulations, and policies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Payroll Processing & Validation

• Ensure all employee timecards are reviewed and approved prior to payroll processing.
• Coordinate with HR to confirm all payroll related changes (new hires, terminations, rate changes, benefit updates, deductions, etc.) before each payroll cycle.
• Review, reconcile, and audit all payroll changes prior to finalizing payroll to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Manage and maintain Dayforce system requirements, including workflows, configuration updates, and data integrity.
• Execute payroll processing with a high degree of accuracy, ensuring completeness of all earnings, deductions, taxes, and adjustments.
• Ensure all federal and California state requirements and regulations are met.
• Providing all payroll analysis, data management, and reporting for any internal and external purposes such as budget, audits, financial reports, etc.

Payroll Accounting & Reconciliation

• Prepare and record journal entries for payroll, benefits, taxes, and related accruals.
• Reconcile payroll related payments including taxes, garnishments, benefits, and other deductions.
• Reconcile and validate carrier invoices against payroll deductions to ensure accuracy.
• Initiate payments to carriers for pension plans, retirement contributions, and selected employee benefits.
• Provide data and analysis for month-end and year-end close activities related to payroll and benefits.

Corporate Credit Card Administration

• Manage all aspects of employee corporate credit card usage, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and procedures.
• Upload, review, and reconcile monthly credit card transactions for completeness and accuracy.
• Validate supporting documentation, receipts, and business purpose for all charges.
• Identify and resolve discrepancies, missing documentation, or policy violations.
• Communicate with employees regarding required corrections, missing information, or compliance issues.
• Maintain organized records of credit card activity for audit readiness.
• Partner with Accounting Department leadership to strengthen controls and improve credit card processes.

Compliance & Controls

• Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and credit card regulations.
• Ensure internal controls over payroll processing, credit card transactions, and financial reporting are followed and continuously improved.
• Support audits, reporting requirements, and regulatory filings. Provides support for all audit requests related to payroll and credit cards.

Employee Support & Communication

• Serve as the primary contact for employee payroll questions, providing timely and accurate responses.
• Assist employees with understanding paychecks, deductions, benefit contributions, and payroll policies.
• Collaborate with HR to communicate payroll changes, deadlines, and updates.
• Serve as the primary contact for employees with questions or need for assistance related to credit card transactions.
• Communicate credit card transaction needs with employees to ensure completion of all credit card transactions are processed appropriately.

Additional Accounting Support

• Assist with general accounting tasks such as reconciliations, accruals, and account analysis.
• Support month end and year end close processes beyond payroll related accounts.
• Participate in process improvement initiatives across the Accounting department.
• Provide backup support for other accounting functions as needed. Remain flexible to managing and performing accounting work as organization grows and develops other program operations.

Directly Supervises:

• One Staff Accountant in the day-to-day payroll operations of ASI.

This role has the authority to perform or effectively recommend the following functions for the employees listed

above:

• Make decisions on hiring, terminating, or effectively recommend such actions. 
• Assigning work, designating tasks, or giving significant duties to employees using independent judgment and discretion. 
• Reward or discipline employees, including issuing written warnings, or making recommendations for promotions or disciplinary action.
• Direct employees by deciding which employees will perform a task and the order in which tasks are completed using independent judgment and discretion and often considering the individual employee’s skills and aptitudes.
• Adjust employee grievances. 
• Authority to transfer, suspend, lay off, or recall employees, which includes managing time off requests and leaves of absence. 
• This role is held accountable for the performance of the employees they supervise and if employees under the manager’s supervision have performance failures, that may lead to a negative impact on the manager’s employment with ASI.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance, or a related field. 
• 7-10 years of progressively responsible accounting and payroll experience.

Preferred Education and Experience Requirements:

• Certified Payroll Professional and Certified Public Accountant preferred.
• Experience with Dayforce strongly preferred.
• Experience administering corporate credit card or expense management programs is a plus.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

• Thorough knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and practices; office methods and procedures;
• Ability to problem solve issues that arise from daily transaction management, seeking assistance or confirmation from Chief Financial Officer when needed.
• Financial and analytical systems and tools have ability to present data; and effectively use accounting applications.  
• Working knowledge of accounting methods and related laws, rules and regulations.  
• Proficiency with financial system software.  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software, especially Excel.  
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers or regulatory agencies.  
• Ability to effectively present information to management.
• Work effectively with co-workers, customers, and others by sharing ideas in a constructive and positive manner; 
• Listen to and objectively consider ideas and suggestions from others; keep commitments; keep others informed of work progress, timetables, and issues; 
• Address problems and issues constructively to find mutually acceptable and practical business solutions.  
• Ability to listen effectively and identify issues/concerns, prioritize work to assure completion on a timely basis;
• Anticipate the needs of the office and initiate action to accommodate those needs.  

• Must be able to maintain the highest level of confidentiality.