What are the responsibilities and job description for the Retirement Payroll Analyst position at County of Santa Barbara, CA?
Salary : $91,694.72 - $110,319.04 Annually
Location : Santa Barbara, CA
Job Type : Full-time
Job Number : 25-2178-01 (O / SBCERS)
Department : SBC Retirement System
Opening Date : 02 / 18 / 2025
Closing Date : 2 / 25 / 2025 5 : 00 PM Pacific
Description
The Santa Barbara County Employees' Retirement System (SBCERS) is accepting applications to fill one current vacancy for a Retirement Payroll Analyst (classified as Department Business Specialist II) in the Member Services division located in Goleta, CA. Please select Santa Barbara or All Locations on your application to be considered. New hires typically start at the minimum of the posted salary range.
THE POSITION : Under general direction of the Member Services Team Lead, this role manages a wide range of responsibilities. This position offers opportunities to engage with external entities, including health insurance providers, consultants, and retirement systems with mutual reciprocal members. Your tasks will involve requesting, obtaining, and analyzing a range of employer records to facilitate retirement account transactions for SBCERS members and communicate with partner agencies to implement benefit changes. The ideal incumbent will excel at process improvement and the development of new policies and procedures.
This role will play a crucial role in educating and advising members through meetings and one-on-one consultations on computation and reconciliation processes, analyzing program requirements and performance, reporting on findings, and executing related duties. This role will oversee, and direct tasks associated with the calculations of service purchases, redeposits, and plan changes, ensuring effective workload prioritization and strict adherence to established procedures and workflows.
THE DEPARTMENT :
The Santa Barbara County Employees' Retirement System (SBCERS) is a 401(a) Defined Benefit Plan with over $4 billion in assets. SBCERS provides pension benefits for the County of Santa Barbara and 11 additional employers, also called participating employers, and serves over 11,000 retirees, active employees, deferred members, and beneficiaries. The System is led by the Chief Executive Officer and has 20 full-time positions across five divisions, including Member Services, Information Technology, Accounting, Disability, Investments, and Administration. For information about SBCERS, please visit .
Distinguishing Characteristics : Department Business Specialist I / II is a professional-level, flexibly staffed classification series. Department Business Specialist I is the entry level and may lead but would not typically supervise staff. Department Business Specialist II is the journey level and may be assigned supervisory responsibilities over other professional staff. Incumbents are expected to be knowledgeable in department business processes and at least one of the following : critical program regulations; governmental fiscal record keeping - including human resources, benefits, budget; or automated systems.
IDEAL CANDIDATE will possess :
- Knowledge of and ability to analyze, recommend and implement system(s), policy and procedure changes to meet the business needs of the department.
- High degree of proficiency and subject matter expertise in benefits, human resources, payroll, financial accounting, FLSA and Worker's Compensation eligibility, as well as Plan Sponsor domain knowledge of earnings code utilization.
- Strong technical ability with financial analysis tools like MS Excel and SQL and a willingness to learn new approaches to data management.
- Knowledge of standard accounting internal controls, procedures, and best practices.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with a public service focus.
- Ability to exercise discretion and professionalism, including ability to maintain confidentiality.
- Ability to organize and plan work assignments to meet deadlines, at times with limited direction.
- Sound judgement, independent decision-making, and logical reasoning ability.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, other County personnel, and members of the public.
- Excellent teamwork and influence - including collaborating with various stakeholders, serving as a principal lead in innovative strategies and activities, influencing cross functional teams to facilitate process improvements.
- Ability to develop and conduct professional presentations appropriate for a wide variety of audiences.
Examples of Duties
Employment Standards
For full list of competencies for this job classification, click
Supplemental Information
APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS :
Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Application Ranking to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS : The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.
Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.
The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.
Disaster Service Workers : Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.
Statement of Commitment
The County of Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating and sustaining an environment that exhibits equity and inclusion everywhere, and at all levels of our organization. The County believes equity is a fundamental principle that must be imbedded in policies, institutional practices and systems. The County recognizes the negative impacts of systemic racism and is committed to eliminating the barriers affecting our Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian community members, as well as people of other diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We envision a world where society and its systems (e.g. education, criminal justice, and health care, housing the economy) are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.
We celebrate community and employee diversity, strive for inclusion and belonging, and promote empowered participation. We aspire to build a workforce that is reflective of these values and the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will resolutely uphold federal, California state law and / or Santa Barbara County ordinances.
We believe equity and inclusion are vital to fulfill the County's mission and to embody a culture of "One County, One Future." Expanding the full range of employee talent allows the County to deliver our best to all our community members.
We believe in the dignity and humanity of all people. We strive for a healthy and prosperous society that promotes all people having equitable access and opportunity.
APPLICATION AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE DEADLINE : Tuesday, February 25, 2025, by 4 : 59 PM (PST). Applications and job bulletins can be obtained 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com
For questions regarding this recruitment, contact Leza Patatanian, Talent Acquisition Analyst, at lpatatanian@countyofsb.org
Retirement Plans
Health Benefits
Paid Time Off
Miscellaneous Benefits
Compensation Summary
I acknowledge that it is my responsibility as an applicant to provide sufficient information on my application to demonstrate that my education and experience meets the employment standards (minimum qualifications) for this position as detailed in the job bulletin. I further acknowledge that if the County determines that I do not meet the employment standards there will be no opportunity for me to provide additional information regarding my application after the closing date listed on the job bulletin. Therefore, I understand that before submitting a job application, it is important that I review the job bulletin thoroughly and ensure that my application clearly reflects how my education and experience meets the employment standards at the time I submit my application.
As part of the application process, a Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted along with the standard application form. Resumes are accepted, but NOT in lieu of a completed application and supplemental questionnaire.
The Human Resources Department communicates with ALL APPLICANTS through e-mail. Please make sure your email address is entered correctly and it is current. If you feel you are not receiving your emails, please check your spam or junk inbox for our emails.
To be considered for this position, your application must specify how you meet the employment standards or minimum qualifications (MQ). It is essential that your application clearly demonstrates how you fulfill the requirements; otherwise, you will not be considered for the position. If you are uncertain, please review your application before proceeding. Which of the minimum qualifications did you clearly state in your application?
Please describe in detail your HRIS and financial business systems experience. If you do not have this experience, type N / A.
If you selected "I possess a combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards..." for the preceding supplemental question, please describe in detail your combined training, education, and experience that qualifies you for this position. If you did not select this option, type N / A.
The following questions are a Civil Service Examination. I understand my responses to the following supplemental questions will be used as a weighed, scored selection device that will determine my ranking on the employment list for this job. For information on protest procedures for the supplemental questionnaire, please see Civil Service Rules 612 and 613 : https : / / www.countyofsb.org / 1444 / Civil-Service-Rules
Examination Question : Describe in detail your experience using data to improve a process in your current or previous role. Please include the tools and / or methods you used, and the outcome of your actions.
Examination Question : Describe your experience working with stakeholders and clients to implement a change. How did you assess the impact of the change and ensure its long-term success?
Required Question
Salary : $91,695 - $110,319