Team Lead, Payroll Services and Analytics

Job Category

Job Profile

Job Title

Department

Compensation Range

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.

Posting End Date

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

Job End Date

We kindly request that all candidates wishing to be considered include a cover letter, which includes the rationale of:

• Why you are interested in this position

• Why you would be a good fit for this role

• How you meet the required qualifications

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 University of British Columbia is one of the largest universities in Canada, and one of the largest employers in the province of British Columbia, employing more than 18,000 faculty members and staff (including student employees) spread across more than 10 bargaining units or employee groups. UBC payroll and benefits expenses is near $2B per year and accounts for 75% of operating expenses.

The Payroll Team Lead is a key operational role, leading the Leave of Absence (LOA), Tuition Waiver (TW), Payroll Accounting Adjustment (PAA), and Payroll Reconciliation areas and related projects. Through driving exceptional customer service, business process improvements, and optimal utilization of Workday in these areas, this position has the ability to have a significant impact on departments and the UBC community. The position ensures processes and procedures are in compliance with federal and provincial legislation and regulations and numerous collective agreements which cover multiple unions, associations, excluded terms and conditions and University policy.

The incumbent utilizes the combination of payroll benefits and accounting knowledge, ERP system and data analysis expertise, and project management abilities to work with their areas and the payroll business analyst to facilitate improvements to existing methods or new methods of data analysis and data manipulation for tasks such as the LOA Audit, LOA pre-authorized debit integration and mass data load into Workday, and PAA Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bot logic.

Organizational Status

The Payroll Team Lead reports to the Manager, Payroll Services and Analytics and is responsible for leading LOA, TW, PAA and Payroll Reconciliation in the Payroll Department. The role works closely with the Payroll Business Analyst, the management within the Integrated Service Centre (ISC), Central HR, IT, Finance and other internal units to ensure stakeholder and employee needs are met and communication is aligned.

Work Performed

- Ensures LOA, TW, and PAA team resolves employee submitted inquiries (ServiceNow tickets) within service level agreement timelines. This includes making processes more efficient, coordinating with technical teams to resolve technical issues and make improvements, and addressing tickets directly when necessary.

- Responsible for the hiring, training, coaching/mentoring and performance management of the team by scheduling staff, coordinating work assignments, and evaluating employee performance. Actively manages absenteeism, discipline, and grievances.

- Coaches and trains LOA, TW, PAA, and Payroll Reconciliation areas staff on optimal utilization of Workday.

- Responsible for accurate payment and reporting of all employee payroll/benefits, ensuring compliance with Federal and Provincial legislation and regulations, union agreements, University policies and responding to legal requests, special agreements and other related issues.

- Processes monthly integration to withdraw benefit payments from employee's bank accounts that are on leave with benefits, as well as monthly Workday mass entry to clear paid amounts from arrears balances. Assesses and recommends controls and improvements to this complex financial process.

- Ensures Payroll Reconciliation area is reconciling between payroll and general ledger data sources in Workday with accuracy and frequency to maintain low risk, and paying/remitting correct amounts to Unions and the Government.

- Assists in developing and maintaining Payroll Ledger Account and worktag reconciliation processes.

- Assists in designing and maintaining (ongoing due to changing payroll legislation etc.) a complex programmed solution designed for more efficient Leave of Absence (LOA) Audits, and LOA pre-authorized debit integration and mass data load (EIB) of arrears reduction into Workday, using data analytics software and Workday.

- Provides ongoing analysis of payroll accounting functions. Manages PAA process and RPA (Robotic Process Automation) bot, including any enhancements needed to bot logic (technical instructions).

- Ensures salary and benefits are posting correctly from an accounting perspective to the correct costing allocations/worktags and ledger accounts and spend categories, and recommends changes when relevant.

- Provides benefits and arrears guidance to other areas of Payroll Operations in addition to the LOA, TW, and PAA team.

- Develops methods and metrics to assess employee satisfaction for services provided and manages Payroll-related communication for UBC community.

- Initiates and implements continuous improvements in LOA, TW, PAA, and Payroll Reconciliation workflow and processes for better internal efficiency, as well as improved employee satisfaction.

- Oversees business process reviews, documents process flows and facilitates workshops to elicit improvement, and in training in new systems and structures.

- Collaborates closely with the ISC team on opportunities for knowledge optimization, training and communication, and on improvement opportunities for both system and business processes.

- Facilitates and/or oversees the implementation of various business project deliverables using project management skills; business requirements gathering, specifications / design, build, testing, change management & training deployment, stabilization, and project closure.

- Reviews statistical reports, key performance indicators, and service level achievements to ensure they are valid and accurate. Identifies and resolves root cause issues preventing superior customer service.

- Responsible for managing error corrections during the semi-monthly payroll runs.

- Develops and monitors internal controls, ensuing accuracy, consistency integrity and overall security of all highly confidential information in accordance with legal, and regulatory requirements, such as Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and B.C. privacy law

- Performs other related duties as required.

Consequences of Error/Judgement:

The Payroll Team Lead plays a critical role in the successful operation and improvement of Payroll services for a wide range of client groups. 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, an employee not being paid or covered for benefits they are entitled to, and/or law suits from employees and fines and penalties.

Errors could result in incorrect amounts being directly debited from employees' bank accounts from a semi-automated process for pre-authorized debits for approximately 150 employees. 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 non-professional, at all such levels of involvement and responsibility, both within and outside the University.

Supervision Received

The Payroll Team Lead works autonomously under broad directives received from the Manager, Payroll Services and Analytics and the Director, Payroll. Performance subject to periodic review for soundness of judgement, leadership, overall effectiveness and attainment of objectives in relation to objectives such as team performance in comparison to key performance indicators and service level agreements. As well as assessment of improvements to processes and efficiencies gained through utilization of systems and programs for data analysis and mass data loads (EIBs) to Workday.

Supervision Given

This position provides leadership, supervision and expertise to M&P and CUPE 2950 staff. The Payroll Team Lead directs and leads cross functional teams when projects are being executed. Has the authority to hire, train, evaluate, discipline and discharge staff.

Minimum Qualifications

- Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. Completion of the CPA accounting program (CA, CGA or CMA). Minimum of seven 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

- Broad knowledge and experience in payroll and benefits practices and related business processes.

- Proven ability to ensure uniform and consistent payroll policies, practices and procedures.

- Extensive experience (preferably as a central user) of large ERP systems is required, experience working with Workday is an asset.

- Experience in training and coaching staff on following business processes, use of systems, and documentation.

- Proven leadership skills and critical thinking abilities.

- Demonstrated ability to build reporting tools, performance indicators and other analytical tools.

- Demonstrated ability as a project manager: implementing and managing projects; supervising teams to create an atmosphere of trust; seeking diverse views to encourage improvement and innovation.

- Positive and solution focused attitude coupled with a focus on delivering a high level of customer service to all stakeholders.

- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. Advanced troubleshooting and multi-tasking skills.

- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing. Able to liaise between technical staff and end users effectively.

- Experience working in a complex, academic environment is preferred.