Payroll Assistant - Essential Utilities

Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities.

We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Our company is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S.

Ready to take your career to the next level? The Payroll Assistant III leads the preparation and distribution of payroll for an assigned division.  Using the Lawson Financial Reporting system to administer the multi-state union and non-union payrolls, this position involves every aspect of payroll from data entry and time processing to verification and reconciliation of general ledger account balances.

*Remote Fridays after 90 days*

What You’ll Love!

A chance to develop skills in problem solving, technology and customer service while working with payroll subject matter experts! You will be in the most highly visible function in the organization and building a sustainable career!

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Prepares and distributes the weekly and bi-weekly payrolls for the assigned divisions of the company.  Enters union, hourly and salaried payroll timesheets, work orders, payroll adjustments and corrections into the payroll system.

• Processes final payments to terminated employees ensuring payments are timely and in accordance with federal or state legislative requirements to minimize risk.

• Maintains accurate records on all employee payroll transactions.  Verifies pay rates and deductions to ensure compliance with company policy, union contracts, SOX controls and employee designations.

• Analyzes, Audits, validates, and prepares time sheet data for the payroll system in accordance with the payroll schedule. Runs standard reports to identify exception time situations.  Verifies that all employees in the assigned group have submitted their time sheets and that all hours are coded and accounted for correctly. 

• Responds to payroll inquiries and requests within established service level agreements.  Provides guidance and educates employees as needed to resolve pay or time discrepancies and ensure payroll is accurately processed.

QUALIFICATIONS (Required Experience, Education, Licenses, and Certifications)

• An Associate’s degree in finance, accounting or a related field strongly preferred
• A Bachelor’s degree preferred
• A minimum of 5 years payroll experience

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Perform deskbound work- exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Desk work involves sitting/standing most of the time.                             
• See, hear, talk, and perform tasks requiring manual dexterity.                                    
• Operate standard office equipment.      

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This is not an all-inclusive document.  Additional duties, expectations, demands, etc. may be added or changed to this document on an as-needed basis in order to meet organizational needs.

Essential Utilities, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. Equal employment opportunity is provided to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, including medical conditions related to lactation), physical or mental disability, covered-veteran status, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.
Essential Utilities is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.  If you have a condition that may prevent you from applying for a job online or need to request an accommodation during the interview process, please call (1-877-271-9012).  
To maintain the integrity of the recruitment process and to avoid real or perceived conflicts of interest due to employment and/or assignment of family members and personal referrals, specific guidelines apply to the hiring and assignment of these individuals including, but not limited to:

• Family members cannot result in a supervisor/subordinate reporting relationship
• Family members cannot work in the same department.