Payroll Customer Support Associate

Payroll Customer Support Associate

Hybrid-2 Days in Office

Working Hours 10am-6pm PST Monday-Friday 

Anticipated deadline to submit application: February 7th 2025. Position may close early if application limit is met. Apply promptly for full consideration.

The Opportunity   

The Associate, Payroll Customer Support will be responsible and the point person for assisting CEO staff and participants with payroll related issues, such as participant timekeeping questions and troubleshooting and participant paycard challenges. The ideal candidate for this role will have experience in handling high-pressure customer service situations and a strong understanding of the importance of resolving issues calmly with clients.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

Who You Are  

• You have 2+ years experience performing accounting duties in a fiscal office.  
• You have proficiency with accounting software
• You have proficiency with Excel
• You have the ability to communicate effectively with fiscal and program staff, vendors, and clients.
• You have the ability to interact with employees and vendors in a professional manner.
• You have excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with people of diverse cultures and backgrounds.
• You have the ability to work independently and with a team in a fast-paced and high-volume environment with emphasis on accuracy and timeliness.
• You have 2+ years of experience in processing payroll is required.
• You have strong Computer skills including MS Word, Excel, and Google Suite
• You must exhibit a sense of urgency concerning client servicing
• You have flexibility to shift priorities as needed to service the team's clients
• You have an understanding of and commitment to maintaining current knowledge of industry trends, concepts, products, practices, and financial arrangement
• You must have the ability to break payroll and learn advanced concepts when ready
• You are self-motivated, must be able to work independently, goal-oriented and people-oriented
• You have excellent communication skills (interpersonal, written, verbal)
• You are extremely detail oriented and strong time management skills
• You have strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• You have excellent organizational skills
• You are willing and able to meet tight deadlines
• You are self-motivated, results-driven, prefers to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment
• You have the ability to work with different departments and assist HR/Finance with any assignments/projects needed
• You have the ability to build relationships with stakeholders of varying levels
• You have excellent customer service skills

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Troubleshooting Participant Issues

• Work with program staff to address challenges and technical issues with our participant timekeeping system (ADP) that may include login errors, updating participant statuses, navigating the apps, resolving errors and answering all questions as needed
• Respond to questions from staff in a timely manner, understanding that many of the timekeeping challenges are urgent
• Act as the point person to address participant issues with their Skylight account or accessing pay. 
• Maintain on call availability to support staff and/or participants with Skylight Paycard issues. This may involve speaking with Skylight customer service reps, talking with a participant in an office, or intervening when a participant has issues accessing their pay or Skylight account
• Engage with participants and staff in a calming and person-centered manner, de-escalating situations when a participant is frustrated over pay issues. 
• Process employment verifications
• Process daily Netspend (Skylight) paycard enrollments
• Resolve pay card enrollment errors such as incorrect date of birth, address, social security numbers, incorrect account numbers provided, and employee’s name
• Work with Participant Scheduling Department to resolve pay discrepancies
• Researches and resolves questions from managers and employees as they relate to the processing of payroll information including sick pay, banking, garnishments, retroactive pay calculations, tax questions, and other changes submitted via Cases in Salesforce system 

Reporting and Administrative Responsibilities

• Review and ensure the accuracy of all year-end statements including W2 statements
• Preparing financial reports for accounting and auditing purposes
• Preparing periodic payroll reports for review by management
• Participate as project manager or team member on various projects as needed
• Assist the finance department to prepare and record monthly payroll general entries

Compensation and Benefits  

The salary range for this position is $55,500-$67,250. In an effort to be both equitable and transparent, CEO's compensation philosophy considers a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, experience, internal equity, and home office location in making a final determination on our salary offer.

We recognize that salary is a part of the overall compensation package and also provide a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, as well as professional development opportunities and training, including regular training opportunities in Motivational Interviewing (MI). MI is one evidence-based skill that reentry and human service professionals can utilize when supporting participants to achieve their goals.

We also offer paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. We are a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more for our staff.

More About Us  

The Center for Employment Opportunities believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our commitment to being an anti-racist organization that is inclusive across all identities and experiences drives us forward every day. We exist to create greater opportunities for people who face multiple barriers to personal and professional success, and we’re passionate about being agents of change who promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to opportunities for all.

People who are justice involved, people of color, people who identify as LGBTQ+ , and people with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. CEO’s commitment to DEI aligns with the CROWN Act, creating an open space where our employees can present as their true authentic selves. We are an equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, color, citizenship, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran or reservist status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

Please note that due to the volume of resumes received, we are unable to contact each applicant regarding the status of each position or reply to candidates' inquiries via phone or email.

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