Payroll Tax Accounting Manager (SPSA)

Position Overview

COME JOIN A TRANSFORMATIVE TEAM, with a record of proven, positive impact to the State of Illinois. The Illinois Office of the Comptroller is seeking applicants for the position of Payroll Tax Accounting Manager/Senior Public Service Administrator (SPSA).

The Comptroller is the chief fiscal control officer for the Illinois government, charged by the Constitution with maintaining the state’s central fiscal accounts and ordering payments into and out of the appropriate funds. The office processes more than 16 million transactions annually and serves as a “fiscal watchdog” to ensure that all state payments meet the requirements of the law. The Comptroller’s office provides meaningful and timely fiscal information to help state policymakers adopt effective policies. The office continually seeks new ways to improve how it serves the public. The Comptroller has updated and streamlined the Comptroller’s website and has led the process of updating the state’s payroll and accounting systems. Comptroller Mendoza is committed to running the Office of Comptroller as a financial watchdog for the interest of Illinois citizens and to installing the most modern and transparent systems to make the state’s financial information available to all. 

Subject to administrative approval of the Deputy Director of State Accounting, the Payroll Tax Accounting Manager (SPSA) manages staff and operations of the State Accounting Payroll Unit. The incumbent develops policies and procedures for the State Accounting Payroll Tax Accounting section.

Job Responsibilities

• Plans, organizes, controls, and directs the tax accounting and reporting requirements of the State Accounting Payroll Unit ensuring Payroll, Retirement, Household and Contractual Payroll are processed according to Federal and State laws.
• Manages professional and technical staff in the payroll unit responsible for maintaining, balancing, and reporting Federal and State tax withholding for all systems.
  • Responsible for new developments, procedures, correspondence, and drafts payroll bulletins for the payroll unit in relation to Federal and State tax reporting laws.
  • Directs training needs of new and existing staff on tax withholding requirements and procedures in the tax accounting and withholding systems.
• Oversees the reconciliation, preparation and filing of daily, monthly, quarterly, and end year reports with the IRS, SSA, IDOR, and reciprocal/withholding states.
  • Oversees the preparation, production, distribution, and filing of W-2, 1099R, and 1042 tax statements with the IRS and SSA, the review, approval or denial of reversal/refund transactions ensuring all transactions are in compliance with IOC regulations.
  • Oversees assistance provided to agencies with the reversal process; preparation of corrected W-2 and 1099R statements as needed and filing the corrections with IRS and SSA.
• Provides support to staff balancing tax accounting reports for all withholding payment systems, researching discrepancies, contacting agencies, explaining, or assisting agencies with a solution.
• Acts as the liaison in communications with Federal and State tax reporting agencies.
• Provides support to the Payroll Unit’s Operations Manager, other state agencies, retirement systems, and the public regarding questions on tax withholding and tax statements.

Minimum Requirements

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college with courses in accounting, business or public administration.
• Requires four (4) years of professional experience in accounting in a public or private business organization including experience in governmental accounting, auditing, or management or any equivalent combination of training and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefers one (1) year of supervisory experience.
• Prefers one (1) year of experience working with spreadsheets and databases for reporting budgetary and fiscal information.
• Prefers previous experience in tax accounting.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Requires ability to exercise judgment and discretion in developing, implementing, and interpreting departmental policies and procedures.
• Requires ability to estimate and budget for future needs and cost of personnel, space, equipment, supplies, and services.
• Requires ability to develop and maintain satisfactory working relationships with office officials and outside organization representatives and to deal effectively with controversial problems.
• Requires thorough knowledge of project management techniques, and the principles of effective leadership, and supervision of staff engaged in accounting activities.
• Requires thorough knowledge of project management techniques, and the principles of effective leadership or supervision.
• Requires ability to devise solutions to difficult and technical problems, many of which may be of a precedent-establishing and research nature.
• Requires ability to judge project alternatives in terms of cost effectiveness.
• Requires thorough knowledge of laws, regulations and policies, and legislative process.
• Requires thorough knowledge of staff utilization and employee motivation.
• Requires thorough knowledge of labor and employment development.
• Requires ability to train professional staff.
• Requires ability to plan, coordinate and review the activities of personnel to meet defined goals and schedules.
• Requires thorough knowledge of laws, regulations and policies governing the State Accounting procedures.
• Requires thorough knowledge of accounting and auditing procedures, methods, and techniques.
• Requires working knowledge of standard accounting machines and equipment.
• Requires ability to prepare, review, analyze, and interpret complex accounting documents and reports.
• Requires ability to design and implement new or revised accounting systems.
• Requires ability to utilize spreadsheets and database functions in reporting budgetary and fiscal information, and familiarity with converting manual and or paper-driven operations to personal and/or mainframe computer-based applications.

Benefits

This position is eligible to be a member of the State of Illinois Group Insurance program which includes health, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage options. Additionally, this position will annually accrue 12 paid sick days, a minimum of 12 paid vacation days, 4 paid personal days, and be afforded 14 paid state holidays, prorated based on start date. 

Equal Employment and Commitment to Diversity

The Illinois Office of Comptroller provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, genetic information, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training. The Illinois Office of Comptroller is committed to the fair and equal employment of individuals with disabilities under the ADA. It is the Illinois Office of Comptroller's policy to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the company. The Illinois Office of Comptroller prohibits any harassment of, or discriminatory treatment of, employees or applicants based on a disability or because an employee has requested reasonable accommodation. 

The Illinois Office of Comptroller is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the agency and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives. This commitment is embodied in agency policy and organizational culture.