-
Job Description
Position Description
Are you a payroll professional with deep experience managing complex public sector payroll functions?
Are you a self-starter who enjoys working directly with client agencies to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll services?
Are you excited to work remotely in a dynamic, flexible public service organization?
Regional Government Services (RGS) is looking for a skilled Payroll Advisor to provide expert payroll administration, compliance guidance, and operational support to local government partners throughout California. This role will support payroll processing, reporting, reconciliation, and system improvements while ensuring alignment with federal and state laws, labor agreements, and agency policies.
Apply today!
Note: Work hours are expected to be approximately 20 hours per week.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL:- Thrive in an environment with competing priorities and deadlines.
- Work well both independently and collaboratively with RGS team members and client staff.
- Have extensive knowledge of payroll principles, practices, and compliance requirements in a California public sector setting.
- Bring strong experience with payroll reporting, tax reconciliation, and benefit-related deductions.
- Be highly skilled in managing special payroll adjustments such as deposits, returns, reductions, and retroactive pay.
- Communicate in an approachable, responsive, and service-oriented manner.
- Learn new processes quickly and implement improvements to payroll procedures and controls.
- Understand the importance of transparency, confidentiality, and trust in payroll operations.
- Have excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to explain payroll laws and procedures clearly.
- Be highly proficient in utilizing payroll and HR information systems, spreadsheets, and cloud-based technology.
- Have experience working with automated payroll platforms, ideally Tyler Munis.
COMPETENCIES
RGS Advisors Competencies- Adaptability and Flexibility: Effectively responds to multiple demands, ambiguity, shifting priorities, emerging situations, and rapid change.
- Attention to Detail: Performs work thoroughly and is conscientious about attending to detail.
- Customer Service: Implements activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction.
- Decision Making: Takes action consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences.
- Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy, and concern; develops and maintains relationships; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and situations and is sensitive to individual differences.
- Oral Communication: Expresses information to individuals or groups effectively; considers the audience and nature of the information; makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Writing: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
Payroll Team Competencies- Analyzing and Interpreting Data: Draws meaning and conclusions from quantitative or qualitative data.
- Handling Stress: Maintains emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity.
- Legal and Regulatory Navigation: Understands, interprets, and ensures compliance with laws and regulations.
- Professional and Technical Expertise: Applies technical subject matter to the job.
- Using Technology: Works with electronic hardware and software applications
About RGS
Regional Government Services (RGS) is a unique California public agency serving local governments' consulting, administrative, and project management needs. Our greatest asset is our expert Advisors, who pride themselves on delivering outstanding services to support the mission of our partner agencies.
RGS has developed a highly flexible and adaptive team environment and work culture to provide this expertise. We utilize technology to support a remote workforce of over 100 Advisors. Our Advisors are trained and experienced public-sector professionals from a variety of relevant disciplines. We combine the strength of each Advisor's unique experiences, perspectives, and skills through teaming, leveraging their combined talents to benefit our partner agencies.
As an employer, RGS offers Advisors competitive compensation and benefits, client projects that offer rewarding and challenging work, and extraordinary flexibility. While client interactive work must be done during core business hours, there is flexibility to do other work elements on a personalized schedule to maximize flexibility.
Examples of Duties- To review the job description, please click here.
Typical Qualifications
Typical Qualification
Any combination of training, education, and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and competencies is qualifying. Such qualifications may include:
Education:- College-level coursework or certification in accounting, business administration, finance, human resources or other fields closely related field.
Experience:- Five (5) years of responsible experience in payroll reporting and operations involving automated business accounting systems.
Desirable Qualifications:- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in accounting, business administration, finance, human resources or other fields closely related field.
- Public sector experience especially in California
- Tyler Munis software experience
- Police, Fire, or related public safety payroll experience
- Tax reconciliation or preparation experience
- Knowledge of current California tax and labor laws
Supplemental Information
SALARY AND BENEFITS:- $43 - $56 per hour DOQ/DOE
- Paid Time Off benefits are available for employees who regularly work more than an average of 20 hours per week.
- Employer Contribution at 10% of earnings to a 401a deferred compensation plan.
- Medical, dental, and vision benefits are available for employees who regularly work more than an average of 20 hours per week.
- Flexible work hours with the understanding that some portion of time will be during core work hours of 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM PST to deliver human resources services.
- More information here: https://www.rgsjpa.org/employee-resources/rgs-salary-and-benefits/
APPLICATION PROCESS AND SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Applications must be submitted online through this applicant tracking system. Materials must be complete and clearly indicate that the candidate meets the minimum qualifications. Incomplete, late, emailed, and faxed applications are not accepted. Resumes are not considered in lieu of the required employment application.
Certificates, resumes, and/or cover letters must be uploaded with your application through this applicant tracking system.
All statements made on the application, resume, and supplemental materials are subject to verification. False statements may be cause for immediate disqualification, removal from eligibility list, or discharge from employment.
The deadline to apply is March 18, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST.
Appraisal Process - (Pass/Fail) After the closing deadline, applications will be screened in relation to the criteria indicated in this announcement.
This process may also include various interviews and/or a skills assessment exam to rank applications, and to prepare a Qualified Candidate List.
Application - Minimum Qualification Assessment - (Pass/Fail) All completed applications and supplemental questionnaires will be reviewed and assessed for each applicant's ability to meet the minimum work experience, training, and education qualifications.
Remote Screen Interview Exam - (Pass/Fail) Candidates who pass the Remote Screen Interview assessment will be invited to a Remote Screen Interview Examination to evaluate training, experience, and other job-related qualifications for the position. The Remote Screen Interview will be conducted via a video conference platform and is tentatively scheduled for mid-to-late March 2026.
Successful candidates will be submitted to the hiring manager of Regional Government Services for further consideration.
All communication and notices will be sent via e-mail. Additional inquiries about the position may be directed to dprieto@rgs.ca.gov.
The Regional Government Services is not responsible for failure of internet forms or email in submitting your application. Candidates who may require special assistance in any phase of the application or selection process should advise Regional Government Services by emailing dprieto@rgs.ca.gov.
Regional Government Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
RGS Salary and Benefits
Closing Date/Time: 3/18/2026 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
-
-
Regional Government Services
Show moreOUR HISTORY
Regional Government Services Authority (RGS) is a Joint Powers Authority (JPA) serving the needs of cities, counties, special districts, joint powers authorities, and other governmental entities since 2002. RGS works exclusively for the benefit of public agencies, providing a ready source of support and consulting services to meet the needs of its partner agencies in a broad range of disciplines and to help local governments meet three challenges:
- Decreasing revenues
- Increasing demands (and costs) for services, and
- Loss of experienced staff.
Local government leaders knew that these challenges were likely to continue, so agencies would have to work together – uniting not only their voices but their resources to advocate and become more efficient. The idea behind the creation of RGS was to form an agency that would help local governments share expertise and improve efficiencies. This was an emerging need. It did not require that each agency hire full-time staff. With the creation of this JPA, agencies could, in effect, share expertise through a third-party.
WHO WE ARE
Today, RGS is governed by several member agencies, all with the common goal expressed in the JPA’s MISSION STATEMENT: To provide quality, innovative, cost-effective services exclusively to public agencies. In November 2020, the 5-year Strategic Plan was adopted. Current member agency representation can be found on the Board of Directors page of this website.
RGS developed a highly flexible platform of administrative support, benefit plans and programs that could serve the diverse needs of cities, special districts, counties and other joint powers authorities. Flexibility was vital because the needs of partner agencies varied and because RGS services were 100 percent fee-based. Thus, RGS costs have always been able to ramp up or down quickly, as demand changed.
To further understand RGS main service lines, please see the RGS Services Brochure or the Services area of the website.
To view the RGS Org Chart click here.
Regional Government Services Authority was formed under Section 6500, for the purpose of providing local governments with administrative, staffing and advisory services. RGS has now served over 300 cities, special districts, joint powers authorities and other local governments and non-profits that support local governments.
-