Term-Limited Payroll Functional Specialist / Accountant III - Hybrid

Term-Limited Payroll Functional Specialist / Accountant III - Hybrid

Salary : $6,903.00 - $9,300.00 Monthly

Location : Statewide, CO

Job Type : Full Time

Job Number : AAA-81615-101025

Department : Department of Personnel & Administration

Division : Executive Director's Office

Opening Date : 10 / 10 / 2025

Closing Date : 10 / 27 / 2025 11 : 59 PM Mountain

FLSA : Determined by Position

Type of Announcement : This position is open only to Colorado state residents.

FLSA Status : Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.

Contact Information : Heather Siegal heather.siegal@state.co.us

Primary Physical Work Address : Eligible for a hybrid flexible work assignment within Colorado and may be required to work on site at 1525 Sherman St Denver CO 80203 as necessary to meet business needs.

Hiring Pay Rate : While a salary range is posted for this position, any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state service as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

How To Apply : Please submit an online application for this position at the State of Colorado careers website.

Description of Job : This is a term-limited position with an anticipated end date of June 30, 2027 contingent upon funding. This position is eligible for full benefits. Exciting Opportunity : Be the Expert Behind Colorado's Critical Financial and HR Systems!

We're seeking a dynamic Subject Matter Expert (SME). About CORE & COMPAS : CORE (Colorado Operations Resource Engine) : The statewide financial powerhouse that streamlines Budget, Accounting, Grants, Inventory, and Procurement functions across Colorado. COMPAS : Colorado's modernized payroll system, ensuring efficient and accurate employee compensation management.

Your Impact : Serves as a Payroll Functional Subject Matter Expert (SME). The Functional Specialist will participate in : end user community development, policy & procedure creation / maintenance, system testing development and execution, end user training, business process analysis / re-engineering, functionality expertise development regarding responsible areas. It is planned that this position will work on payroll functional areas including payroll, HR, accounting, and labor allocation. Responsibilities will include assisting with the implementation of COMPAS (payroll modernization) and special projects as needed.

A summary of the duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, the following :

Business Process & System Analysis : Assist with business process analysis that will drive continuous improvement which requires engagement from CORE / COMPAS, CPU / DHR business owners, to ensure that the system's functionality is maximized and accurately reflects statute, policy, and procedure as they evolve over time.

Engagement will take many forms : leading scale key stakeholder meetings, developing and leading targeted task forces / committees, authoring additional guidance e.g. quick reference guides, hints, tips etc.

Critical aspect of this position will be to : Evaluate / analyze CORE / COMPAS functionality and determine statewide deployment approach that leverages a mixture of best practices, no customization, departmental input, and standardized approach (to the greatest extent possible).

Ensure key aspects of system functions are properly aligned, maintained and enhanced in responsible areas, e.g., oversee the CORE / COMPAS HR, Payroll and / or payroll accounting life cycle : from when a Payroll and / or HR document is created (which could include creation from Time and Leave documents / processes), going through the Payroll cycle processing.

Review all @types of documents (i.e. payroll, payment vouchers, journal vouchers, internal transactions, purchase orders, purchase requisitions and services contracts) to ensure transactions are accurate and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and all applicable State fiscal rules and regulations, from a functional perspective.

Analyze / reconcile financial data to ensure accuracy, identify errors and help ensure compliance with applicable rules and regulations. This includes account balances for assets, liabilities, fund balance, revenues, and expenditures.

CORE / COMPAS User Support : Answer Level 2 requests / questions from ~ 45,000 CORE / COMPAS users regarding CORE / COMPAS functionalities. Level 2 issues include more complex functions performed by users in HR, payroll, budget, and accounting. Such issues do not include password resets and access to CORE / COMPAS (Level 1 issues).

Provide guidance to CORE / COMPAS users that ensures proper and adequate processing of payroll, accounting, and budget transactions and subsequent financial reporting.

Training CORE / COMPAS End Users : Contribute SME information to training design, developing standardized training materials, and delivering training to CORE / COMPAS users.

Provide advanced customized trainings to users as requested.

Continue updating the documentation, e.g., Job Aids and FAQs, on the CORE / COMPAS website in responsible functional areas. The training materials will be wide-ranging, from general CORE / COMPAS navigation to more specific functional areas such as payroll accounts payable, general accounting and purchase requisition processing, etc

CORE / COMPAS System Testing : The CORE / COMPAS system will be implementing new functionality and then updating with new versions, software patches, and system enhancements on a regular basis. This position will design and execute system test scripts to determine if the change produces the expected outcome(s).

Results are to be recorded and problems are to be researched or reported to CORE / COMPAS system developers for resolution.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights : A Human Resources Analyst will only review the work experience / job duties sections of the online job application to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications for the position for which you are applying. Cover letters and resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of the official State of Colorado online application, but may be attached. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications to continue in the selection process for this position. Work experience and qualifications must be specifically documented on your online application. Do not use see resume or see attached statements on your application. Resumes will not be reviewed for minimum qualification screening. If it is determined that you meet the minimum qualifications, your application will also be used as part of the comparative analysis process to identify a top group for further consideration.

Skills-Based Hiring This position is advertised in line with the Governors executive order focused on skills-based hiring practices that focuses on the knowledge, skills, and abilities specific to the job and aligns the hiring process accordingly. Skills-based hiring reduces potential barriers for applicants and allows for reduced bias in the hiring process by providing a direct description of skills that are unique to the duties assigned to the position with a recognition that the applicant may have developed these skills through education, training or past experiences.

Residency Requirement : This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Class Code & Classification Description : H8A3XXACCOUNTANT III

Minimum Qualifications :

Experience Only : At least eight (8) years of professional experience in payroll administration, accounting, or other similar work.

OR

Education and Experience : A combination of related education (coursework requires 27 semester hours completed in accounting or auditing) and / or professional experience in payroll administration, accounting, or other similar work equal to at least eight (8) years

Current, valid licensure as a CPA by the Colorado Board of Accountancy will count for six (6) years of the requirement.

The exceptional candidate will possess the proven ability or accomplishment in the following preferred qualifications :

Previous State Service related to the work assigned to the position

Experience with HR, payroll process, payroll systems, accounting and / or payroll labor distribution within a government organization

Experience CGI Advantage ERP

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)

ERP testing

Conditions of Employment : A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process.

Comparative Analysis Process : The comparative analysis process for this position may consist of a structured application review, an online assessment or other structured assessment step.

Appeal Rights : An applicant who has been removed from an employment list or removed from consideration during the selection process may request a review by the State Personnel Director.

As an applicant directly affected by the