Payroll Manager

Position Overview:

The Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is seeking a highly skilled and motivated person to serve as the agency’s Payroll Manager. This pivotal role ensures that all payroll processes are administered accurately, timely, and in full compliance with federal and state regulations, collective bargaining agreements, and agency policy. The Payroll Manager will collaborate with leadership, facilities, supervisors, human resources, and State Employee Retirement Systems, to implement procedural changes, resolve complex payroll issues, and maintain consistency in cross‑agency processes. Success in this role requires strong analytical capabilities, sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to guide and mentor staff while navigating multifaceted regulatory and operational requirements. If you are an experienced payroll professional motivated by improving systems, supporting statewide operations, and contributing to an agency focused on promoting positive youth outcomes, we encourage you to apply and become a vital part of the IDJJ Finance team.

Essential Functions:

• Under administrative direction of the Chief Financial Officer, directs the administration of payroll operations to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant processing in accordance with state and federal regulations and collective bargaining agreements.
• Serves as full line supervisor.
• Serves as a subject matter expert providing administrative and technical consultation to departmental leadership and administrative staff regarding payroll operations, planning initiatives, and procedural changes.
• Serves as Agency Administrator for the State Employees’ Retirement System and the Deferred Compensation Program, ensuring proper payroll integration and reporting.
• Serves as liaison between the agency and central payroll entities, facilitating coordination and implementation of payroll policies and system changes.
• Develops, coordinates, and conducts statewide payroll and timekeeping training to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonable within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college, with courses in fiscal management, payroll, accounting, or related.
• Requires prior experience equivalent to three (3) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in fiscal management, payroll, accounting, or a closely related field.

Preferred Qualifications (In Order of Significance):

• Prefers three (3) years of professional work experience of State of Illinois payroll, timekeeping, and personnel systems, including e-Time, Central Timekeeping and Payroll System (CTAS), Central Payroll System (CPS) or similar systems.
• Prefers three (3) years of professional work experience interpreting and applying State and federal employment law, rules, and Collective Bargaining Agreements, including but not limited to SERS retirement requirements, FMLA, and military leave provisions.
• Prefers three (3) years of professional work experience coordinating complex personnel transactions in collaboration with HR, Transactions, Fiscal, and external oversight entities to ensure accuracy, compliance, and timely processing.
• Prefers three (3) years of experience utilizing strong analytics and problem-solving skills, with experience conducting investigations into payroll and timekeeping discrepancies, preparing findings, and making recommendations to senior leadership.
• Prefers two (2) year of experience preparing detailed written, statistical, and compliance reports, including the use of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Work, PowerPoint) to create spreadsheets, charts, graphs, dashboards, and confidential status reports.
• Prefers three (3) years of experience communication and training skills, including experience providing technical assistance, guidance, and training to employees, supervisors, and managers on payroll, timekeeping, retirement, onboarding/offboarding, and employee benefit processes.

Conditions of Employment:

• Requires the ability to pass an IDOC/IDJJ background check.
• Requires ability to pass a drug screen. The use of unauthorized drugs by an employee, regardless of position held, is prohibited.
• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate. Requires appropriate, valid driver’s license.
• Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.

The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency:

The mission of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice (IDJJ) is to build youth skills and strengthen families by promoting community safety and positive youth outcomes. Over 900 staff members from across various departments—security, programming, education, mental health, and more—collaborate with the understanding that youth are physically, emotionally, and cognitively different from adults. The department provides extensive services to young people through a developmental, treatment-focused model of care that builds youth resiliency, engages families, and promotes community safety at the five youth facilities it operates across the state. IDJJ serves and houses approximately 150 youth and is responsible for approximately 500 youth on Aftercare in various Illinois’ communities.

Benefits: