Payroll Specialist

Job Description

The College of Engineering is seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Payroll Specialist to join the HR Shared Services team supporting faculty, staff, and student employees. In this role, you will manage a range of Workday payroll processes and transactions, including student hiring, onboarding (I-9 verification), time and absence tracking, and costing allocations to ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.

You will also assist with the quarterly Academic Student Employee (ASE) appointment process, issuing approximately 400 offer letters per quarter and coordinate tuition, benefits, and scholarship/fellowship funding. As the first-tier point of contact for student inquiries, you will provide timely and accurate information while offering guidance and support to ensure a positive experience.

This role serves as a key resource to faculty, department leadership, and students across multiple departments, providing guidance and expertise on payroll-related matters. It offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on operational excellence and the employee experience. On-site presence is required at least three days per week to support in-person I-9 verification.

• Provide comprehensive support to faculty, staff, and students. In collaboration with the Administrator, College of Engineering (CoE) HR, and central HR offices, deliver transactional support to hiring managers and supervisors on matters related to student appointments, compensation and FTE changes, costing allocations, and regulatory compliance, including time and absence (LOA) tracking.

• Manage all relevant Workday processes while collaborating effectively with EWH contacts, department supervisors, budget managers, CoE HR, and administrators.

• Manage and serve as a subject matter expert on Workday Time and Absence entry, processes, and reporting.

• Partner with students, staff, and faculty to ensure accurate entry and approval of hours each pay period and provide guidance and training as needed.

• Generate and analyze Workday reports to support auditing and tracking procedures, ensuring accurate payroll, compensation, and personnel actions.

• Create biweekly reports (e.g., missing costing allocations, timesheet approvals, employee end dates) and collaborate with staff across multiple departments to resolve discrepancies and maintain data integrity.

• Review and process payroll and onboarding documentation for all new employees, including SSN/ITIN verification letters, I-9 review, E-Verify completion, and coordination of background checks as required.

• On-site presence is required at least three days per week to conduct I-9 and SSN/ITIN verification.

• Identify and resolve over payments and underpayments, processing corrective actions as necessary.

• Partner with the EWH to complete retro payments, request emergency checks, and calculate or collect over payments.

• Oversee costing allocation entries, provide guidance to budget managers, and troubleshoot issues by coordinating with the EWH to resolve system or process errors.

• Ensure compliance with departmental best practices, College of Engineering and University of Washington policies, and applicable union contracts.

• Maintain current knowledge of all relevant policies and agreements.

• Manage a high-volume quarterly ASE appointment process for both graduate and undergraduate students, advising faculty and department leadership on appointment types, eligibility requirements, and compliance standards.

• Coordinate and process Workday transactions for over 400 ASE appointments each quarter, ensuring timely and accurate entry to meet strict health benefit and tuition coverage deadlines.

• Prepare and issue more than 400 offer letters per quarter in accordance with UW policies and UAW ASE union agreements, maintaining exceptional attention to detail and accuracy under tight timelines.

• Serve as the first-tier point of contact for a high volume of student inquiries, responding within 24 hours via a shared email inbox to address questions related to appointments, funding, and policies.

• Partner with academic services staff…