Description

Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) is seeking a highly talented Senior Coordinator, Payroll to play a vital role in supporting our people and our mission. This position ensures that every employee is paid accurately, on time, and in compliance with federal and state requirements because strong payroll operations are foundational to a thriving, equitable organization. The Senior Coordinator, Payroll serves as a trusted partner across departments, managing day-to-day payroll operations, benefit-related payroll activities, and supporting complex or specialized payroll processing. 

This position reports to the Payroll Manager. 

Open until filled; for best consideration, submit a complete application by Monday, February 2nd ,2026. Tentative in-person interviews are scheduled on Monday Feb 9th,2026. 

PSESD is one of nine regional educational agencies serving school districts and state approved charter and private schools in Washington. Serving over 39% of Washington’s K-12 public school students, our agency provides critical services designed to ensure that our students are ready to enter school, achieve at high levels in the K-12 system, and succeed in postsecondary endeavors. We are committed to becoming an Antiracist Multicultural Organization driven by equity in education. To learn more about PSESD, visit www.psesd.org/about-psesd.

Essential Functions

• Attends a variety of meetings related to payroll and benefit processing for the purpose of conveying and/or gathering information required to perform functions and maintaining professional development.
• Compiles and processes employee information related to payroll for the purpose of ensuring that hourly staff payroll is ordered in a timely manner.  This includes collecting timecards, working with department leads, accurately updating payroll reports for import to payroll system.
• Maintains a variety of manual and electronic documents, files and records for the purpose of providing up-to-date reference and audit trail for compliance with district, local, state and federal regulations. This includes taxes, vendor payments, PFML/Long term care, Unemployment and Workers Compensation
  May oversee the work of other staff for the purpose of ensuring program objectives are met within budget.
• Performs functions of Payroll Manager, when required, for the purpose of providing coverage for absences/vacation and ensuring continuation of payroll operations.
• Performs basic payroll functions for permanent employees and grant reimbursement for the purpose of ensuring that functions are completed and in compliance with state and federal payroll procedures.
• Prepares written materials for the purpose of documenting activities, conveying information and/or complying with state and federal regulations.
• Prepares a variety of external and internal reports and summaries related to payroll for the purpose of documenting activities and issues, meeting compliance requirements, and/or providing reference materials.  
• Processes special payrolls for the purpose of ensuring the accuracy of reported information and compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Research and resolves payroll and benefits discrepancies for the purpose of ensuring accuracy and adhering to federal and state procedures. Familiarity with several deductions – PFML, Long term care, taxes, unemployment and workers compensation.
• Responds to inquiries from a variety of sources for the purpose of providing information and/or direction.   This will include employee, vendor and agency inquiries.
• Verifies and resolves employee contract information for the purpose of ensuring accuracy of information related to payroll if needed having partnership with Human Resources, ensures that contract pay is accurately set up.  
• Assistsotherpersonnelasmayberequiredforthepurposeofensuringanefficientandeffectiveworkenvironment

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Community college and/or vocational school degree with study in job-related area / High school diploma or GED and increasingly responsible job-related experience in payroll, finance, accounting.
• Experience working in a fiscal or payroll environment with regular, competing deadlines and responsibility for end-to-end payroll processes.
• Basic working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll laws and regulations, including taxes and required deductions.
• Experience with accounting principles, recordkeeping, and audit trail requirements.
• Demonstrated high attention to detail and accuracy in data entry, calculations, and reporting.
• Proven ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Expert in Excel, MS Suit, Teams, Outlook, SharePoint and OneDrive.

Preferred Qualifications  

• Experience supporting or serving as backup for a Payroll Manager or lead payroll role.
• Experience researching and resolving complex payroll and benefits discrepancies.
• Ability to generate, analyze, and present reports clearly and effectively to diverse audiences