Salary: $82,551.00 - $99,617.00 Annually
Location : Walnut Creek, CA
Job Type: Regular
Job Number: 26-38
Department: Administrative Services
Division: Finance Division
Opening Date: 08/06/2026
Closing Date: 8/16/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit: 500

Position Description

The City of Walnut Creek is seeking one (1) full-time Payroll Technician to join the Finance team of the Administrative Services Department. This position performs a wide variety of payroll duties with minimum supervision and requires the exercise of considerable initiative, independent judgment, confidentiality, and customer service.

Salary
The current annual salary range for the position of Payroll Technician is $82,551 to $99,617.

Closing Date
The closing date for this recruitment is Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 11:59pm PST.Please note that this job announcement may close without notice when a sufficient number of applications have been received.

The Ideal Candidate
Ideal candidates for this position:

• Have processed payroll for two (2) years in a municipal agency or in the public sector, such as for a City, County, special district, or public school;
• Have processed payroll for sworn personnel (police) or in an agency contracted with California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS);
• Provide excellent customer service and communicate clearly and patiently with employees at all levels; and
• Demonstrate strong attention to detail and a commitment to handling sensitive information responsibly and confidentially.

What's Great About This Opportunity

• Joining a small, collaborative payroll team where the Technician has ownership of processes, working closely with one (1) other Technician and a supportive Payroll Supervisor.
• Working for a forward-thinking City that plans for both the short- and long-term, and that makes an ongoing investment in process improvements.
• Contributing to meaningful public service by supporting staff; your work directly impacts their livelihoods and the community they serve.

About the Department and Division
The Administrative Services Department is made up of three (3) divisions: Budget and Procurement, Finance, and Information Technology. The Payroll Technician is a member of the 10-person Finance team, led by the Finance Manager. The team is kind, dedicated, and driven by a shared mission of accuracy, accountability, and helping employees feel supported and valued.
Representative Duties
Reporting directly to the Payroll Supervisor, and working alongside one (1) peer Payroll Technician, the staff member in this role performs a wide range of duties as assigned. The most frequent responsibilities include:

• Reviewing time entry records submitted by all departments to ensure appropriate contracts and administrative policies, laws and regulations, and sound business control procedures are followed;
• Preparing, entering, processing, and maintaining all payroll processing documents and payroll reports, utilizing a computer-based payroll system (currently Tyler-Munis);
• Communicating with departmental staff in resolving discrepancies;
• Verifying and entering pay increases, special pays, and required updates for each payroll period;
• Researching discrepancies and correcting errors, and balancing payroll for each pay period;
• Transmitting direct deposit files and wires through City's banking institution, printing and distributing payroll checks;
• Preparing and submitting regular support to State and Federal agencies, as requested and required by law;
• Compiling data and preparing monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports relating to assigned functions;
• Preparing and processing insurance, and other miscellaneous billings, such as payments for disability, terminations, retirement, and deferred compensation;
• Maintaining accumulated leave records for all employees, including tracking annual leave used as well as updating leave accrual rates;
• Providing information to other City staff and the public on matters related to payroll procedures and applicable laws, policies, rules, and regulations; and
• Building and maintaining positive working relationships with co-workers and internal customers.

Qualifications Guidelines

Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed in the job classification is qualifying.
Minimum qualifications for Payroll Technician include:

• Graduation from high school,
• Coursework in accounting, and
• A minimum of two (2) years of experience in a clerical accounting position, including use of automated payroll processing systems.

Please review the complete job classification of for a full list of knowledge, skills, abilities, working conditions, and physical requirements for this position.

Supplemental Information

Application Process
The deadline to apply for this position is August 16, 2026 by 11:59pm. To be considered for this opportunity, please apply online at
Applicants possessing the most desirable qualifications will be invited to continue in the selection process, which tentatively includes (all dates are subject to change):

• Thorough application review;
• A written test scheduled for Monday, August 31, 2026;
• Oral board interviews scheduled for Thursday, August 10, 2026; and
• Final Department interviews scheduled for Thursday, August 17, 2026

All applicants will be notified by email as to whether they are invited to participate further in the selection process.

Health Benefits - Choice of Kaiser or Blue Shield HMO or HDHP health insurance plans with generous City contribution.

Dental and Vision Plans - Family coverage fully paid by the City.

Life Insurance and Long Term Disability - Individual coverage fully paid by the City.

Retirement Program - CalPERS
2% at 60 retirement plan OR for new employees hired after 1/1/2013 the benefit formula applicable under AB340 California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA). Employee contribution of 7%*.

* or contributions required under AB340 California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA).

401(a) Money Purchase Plan with City contribution of $1,400. Voluntary 457 Deferred Compensation and Retirement Health Savings plans are available. The City participates in the Medicare Program but does not participate in Social Security or the State Disability program.

Paid Leave and Holidays - General Leave accrues at the rate of 20 days the first year and progresses to 30 days at twenty-five years of service. There are twelve paid holidays per year and one floating DEIB holiday per year.

Dependent Care and Medical Spending Accounts - Available to eligible employees on a voluntary basis.

Additional Benefits - Career Development Allowance, Tuition Reimbursement Program, Employee Assistance Plan, Wellness Program, Commute Alternative Program and others.
01

Please check your highest level of academic achievement.

• Some High School
• High School Graduate or Equivalent
• Some College
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or Higher

02

If you checked High School or Equivalent in Question #1, have you completed any accounting coursework or training? If so, please list the coursework or training(s) here. If not, please write "no".
03

Qualification guidelines for this position include two (2) years of experience in a payroll accounting position, or any equivalent combination of education and experience. Please check the number of year(s) of full-time payroll accounting experience you possess. If you do not also show evidence of this experience in the work experience section of this application, you will be disqualified.

• None
• Less than 1 year
• More than 1 year but less than 2 years
• More than 2 years but less than 3 years
• More than 3 years but less than 4 years
• More than 4 years but less than 5 years
• More than 5 years

04

In reference to Question # 3, please indicate below the average number of employees you processed payroll for in any given pay period and whether the payroll was processed in-house or outsourced.
05

Do you have experience processing payroll for sworn employees (police or fire)?

• Yes
• No

06

Please check the payroll processing duties that you perform proficiently. If you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to speak to these experiences.(check all that apply)

• Timecard Review
• Termination Processing
• Wage Changes
• Retro Calculations
• Benefit Bill Reconciliation
• Analyzing FLSA Cycles for Sworn Employees
• PERS Reporting
• None of the above

07

Please list the payroll software(s) you have used and indicate the company/organization for which each software was used. As a reminder, you are required to show evidence of this experience in the work history section of this application, or you will be disqualified.
08

Please describe a complex payroll processing issue or project that you worked on. Include information in your response about your role and the outcome of the issue or project. (Please limit your answer to no more than 2 paragraphs. The use of AI in your response to this question is strictly prohibited. Evidence of the use of AI may result in disqualification.)
09

Please read carefully: The information you provide will be reviewed and used to determine your eligibility to move forward in the selection process. Incomplete responses, false statements, omissions, or partial information may result in disqualification from the selection process. If selected, the information you provided will be verified. If the information is not consistent, you may be disqualified from this recruitment process. I understand above-mentioned statements.

• Yes
• No

Required Question