Payroll Services Manager

Position Summary

Transform lives by being accountable for all aspects of managing payroll including the day-to-day coordination of extensive payroll processes and accurate bi-weekly processing of all payroll transactions in Anthology for the 500+ full-time, part-time, and work-study student employees. Work closely with Human Resources, Finance, Academics, Financial Aid, and other departments to provide seamless payroll services and resolve any payroll-related issues.

Duties & Responsibilities

Process payroll accurately, timely, and in compliance with state and Federal laws and regulations as well as compliance with College policies and procedures to include maintaining payroll data; importing data into Anthology; sending files to the bank; completing and validating manual and automated activities and processes designed for control and compliance of payroll processing.

Assure the College is compliant with all federal and state income tax withholdings, voluntary and involuntary deductions, and tax reporting requirements.

Maintain accurate employee and College payroll records.

Provide exceptional customer service ensuring payroll issues are researched and settled and employee questions are answered accurately and timely.

Manage the distribution of paychecks and direct deposit programs.

Responsible for administering the flexible spending account including completion of annual non-discrimination testing and annual and ongoing enrolment activities.

Responsible for managing the HSA program including processing employer contributions and ongoing enrollment activities.

Responsible for administering the employer Tax Sheltered Annuity program including calculating and processing annual contributions, forfeitures, vesting, and ongoing enrollment activities.

Oversee ongoing enrollment activities related to the 403(b) and 457 plans for voluntary employee contributions and providing participant data to the third-party administrator.

Responsible for providing final pay and benefit summaries, including determining leave to be paid out or repaid to separating employees.

Responsible for managing post-retirement benefits for retirees. Provide estimates for post-retirement benefits for eligible employees. Track balances. Provide retiree billing information to Business Services. Notify retirees of status changes. Process status changes with providers. Calculate and fund employer HRA contributions.

Accountable for fiscal year end activities including calculating liability for conversation of sick leave for post-employment benefits, accrual of banked and unused vacation and PTO liabilities, accrual of prepaid wages/benefits and wages/benefits payable to proper fiscal year, and compiling data for annual worker’s compensation audit.

Prepare, submit, and reconcile periodic and quarterly/annual multi-state, federal, and state tax reporting to include issuing W-2s, Federal and State tax deposits, 941, unemployment, multiple work site, employment statistics, Form 720, WT7, and W3.

Manage Wisconsin Retirement System participation to include determining eligibility for enrolment and category; terminating employees; processing periodic account updates and monthly remittances; and annual reporting.

Responsible for determining monthly self-administered life and short-term disability insurance premium payments.

Ensure appropriate documentation for operational process and procedures are in place and adhered to as part of operations.

Maintain and reconcile payroll/benefits related to general ledger accounts.

Correspond with the IRS, state taxing authorities, and external agencies.

Lead and manage projects related to the improvement of the payroll process and efficiencies.

Recommend changes in processes and controls to improve accuracy and efficiency of the payroll function.

Provide PeopleSoft and Anthology data support to include writing and generating various HR reports and queries; completing employment verifications and survey requests; etc.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or a related field. Combination of education and related experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree will be considered.

Minimum of 5 years of previous payroll and general ledger accounting experience with increasing levels of responsibility required.

Ability to demonstrate professional image and demeanor in all interactions.

Ability to maintain confidential information.

Working knowledge of Anthology Payroll/FHP suite and modules or similar HRIS required.

Knowledge of the Wisconsin Retirement System and Wisconsin Technical College System Financial Accounting Manual preferred.

Working knowledge of Windows and Microsoft Office applications required. Proficiency in Excel beneficial.

Must possess excellent problem resolution, independent judgement, be goal-oriented, organizational, interpersonal, communication, and project management skills.

Must possess ability to:

• Effectively manage time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently.
• Achieve a satisfactory level of technical, functional, and/or professional skill or knowledge in position-related areas; keep up with current developments and trends in areas of expertise; leverage expert knowledge to accomplish results.
• Accomplish tasks by considering all areas involved, no matter how detailed; show concern for all aspects of the job; accurately check processes and tasks; be watchful over a period of time.
• Meet and exceed (internal or external) customer expectations while cultivating relationships that secure commitment and trust.
• Maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work responsibilities or environment (e.g., people, processes, structure, or culture); adjust effectively to change by exploring the benefits, trying new approaches, and collaborating with others to make the change successful.
• Take prompt action to accomplish work goals; take action to achieve results beyond what is required; be proactive.
• Set high standards of performance for self and others; assume responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-impose standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed.
• Demonstrate a positive attitude and approach toward work.

Must embrace Mid-State’s core values of student centeredness, commitment, accountability, respect, integrity, and exceptional service.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation is dependent upon experience and qualifications.

Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance; life insurance; short-term and long-term disability; paid time off and holidays; flexible spending account; Wisconsin Retirement System; 403(b) and 457; employee assistance program; educational assistance; and employee wellness program.

How To Apply

To be considered for this position, you must complete an online application. You should have the following information available when completing an application:

• Contact information (addresses, phone numbers)
• Employment History
• Education
• Electronic copy of resume and transcripts

Application materials submitted via mail, fax, email, or in-person will not be considered.

Incomplete applications or applications noting "See Resume" will not be considered.

Continuous recruitment with first review of completed applications starting October 19, 2026. Applications received on or after October 19th may be considered in a secondary pool.

Please note that Mid-State’s main form of communication during the recruitment process is email. In addition to receiving communications from email addresses with an @mstc.edu domain, you may receive emails from donotreply@invalidemail.com. Please be sure to watch your inbox as well as junk, spam, and clutter folders.

Equal Opportunity

Mid-State Technical College, an equal opportunity employer and educator, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or other applicable legislated categories, in its services, employment programs, and/or its educational programs and activities, including but not limited to admission, treatment, and access. Mid-State Technical College provides reasonable accommodations to assist persons with disabilities to access or participate in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: VP-Human Resources, 32nd Street N, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494, Phone: 715-422-5568 or Email:aaeo@mstc.edu.

Optimize Your Online Application Experience

Below you will find a few technical tips to help ensure a positive and successful online application experience:

• Be sure to fill in each field in the application. You will receive an error message at the time of submission and your application will not be submitted if each required field is not filled in.
• Avoid clicking the back, forward, or refresh buttons while applying. Doing so will interfere with the submission and may result in data loss.
• Clear your browser's temporary files/cache and cookies prior to beginning the application.
• Disable pop-up blockers.
• Do not bookmark or favorite the application. Navigate to the careers site each time you wish to access your saved/submitted application.
• Your application session will remain open for 24 hours assuming you do not close your browser. To ensure submission, complete the application process within that time frame.
• The following browsers are currently supported:

Internet Explorer 9, 10, 11
Firefox
Google Chrome
Safari

• The following operating systems are currently supported:

Windows 7 and 8, both 32-bit and 64-bit, as well as Mac OS 10.6 and greater.

If you experience issues in submitting your online application, please contact Human Resources at 715.422.5568.