Senior Specialist - Payroll, Benefits, Pension

CreateTO is shaping Toronto’s future through impactful real estate solutions. A City of Toronto agency, CreateTO works collaboratively with internal stakeholders, external partners and community members to create more livable, sustainable and inclusive communities. CreateTO is here to increase the social, cultural and economic value of our city’s $27-billion real estate portfolio, ensuring positive impacts for residents and a bright future for Toronto. If you’re passionate about contributing to the best use of one of North America’s largest and most valuable real estate portfolios, we’d love to have you on the team.
THE OPPORTUNITYThis position is responsible for all payroll, benefits and pension functions. It ensures accurate and timely processing of payroll transactions, including compliance with provincial and federal tax, and employment standards. This role is also responsible for the compilation and analysis of the compensation budget. In addition, this role manages CreateTO’s HR Information System (HRIS), ensuring the system has been configured to the needs of the organization and is aligned to best practices – including auditing of data, training staff in its usage. Involvement in organizational wide special projects for the People and Culture department are also part of the responsibilities.
PRINCIPAL FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIESPayroll Operations
Lead and oversee the accurate and timely processing of payroll for all employee categories (full-time, part-time, seasonal) in compliance with legislative standards, this includes verifying payroll transactions as well as pension and benefits deductions, bonus payments, leave pay calculations, top-up for parental leave payments and any other payroll calculations that may arise.
Conduct thorough year-end payroll reconciliation to ensure all payroll transactions are accurately recorded and accounted for.
Stay updated on changes in payroll-related legislation and implement necessary adjustments to payroll processes, policies, and systems to maintain compliance.
Perform regular payroll reconciliations to ensure accuracy in financial reporting and compliance with audit requirements.
Monitor and manage employee leaves of absence, ensuring accurate tracking and compliance with employment standards.
Vacation liability preparation for yearly submission to finance.
Timely Management reporting on payroll issues and changes to ensure quality service levels, including communication to all staff regarding changes in payroll related matters.
Handle sensitive payroll requests and issues efficiently and effectively by providing excellent customer service to employees.
Pension Administration
Plan, manage, control, and monitor all aspects of the defined pension plan ensuring operational oversight and leadership of the pension and payroll team.
Act as the pension contact for all Payroll enquiries with the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) pension plan.
Administer the defined pension plan, ensuring compliance with all legal and regulatory requirements and alignment with strategic financial planning.
Provide support on pension-related matters and completes adjustments.
Identify any areas of improvement within pension processes, develop relevant solutions, and lead the implementation of new processes and systems updates.
Benefits Administration
Lead the comprehensive administration of the employee benefits program as per the benefit plan.
Ensure that all benefits are administered in alignment with company policies, government regulations, and best practices.
Oversee the enrollment process, ensuring that it is efficient, accurate, and user-friendly for all employees.
Regularly audit benefits plans participation, costs, and invoices against payroll deductions and premiums to identify discrepancies and resolve issues promptly.
Collaborate with the finance department to ensure accurate financial reporting and budgeting for benefits expenses.
Lead the Payroll & Benefits Budget preparation process and manage the accrual process.
HRIS, Audit and Reporting
Maintenance of the HRIS system, and upgrades for the organization.
Provide organizational wide HRIS training and support as required.
Assist with the compilation of supporting documents for yearly audits to ensure a smooth audit.
Oversees the efficient and effective administration of the electronic and paper-based information for the People and Culture department.
Guaranteed timely preparation and distribution of year-end employee tax slips and forms.
Maintain and provide daily records, federal payroll statistics and assists in gathering data for the preparation of reports for Government reporting and for senior management.
Troubleshooting issues pertaining to payroll and pension reporting.
Other duties as assigned.
CANDIDATE ATTRIBUTES
Minimum of 3+ years in a payroll environment
Post-secondary degree in a business-related discipline or an equivalent work history
Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) Designation, or working towards it is an asset
Proactive, self-directed and detail oriented
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to exercise good judgment, tact and discretion
Ability to work with highly confidential information with both maturity and professionalism
Excellent oral and written communication
Ability to work well independently and within a team environment
Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Adobe and other business applications
Experience in ADP would be an asset
Experience administering a defined benefit pension plan would be an asset
Experience with the maintenance of an HRIS system would be an asset
TOTAL COMPENSATIONThe salary range for this position is 88,880 to $133,320 annually, with new hires typically expected to start between $88,880 and $111,100, commensurate with qualifications and experience.
In addition to base salary, CreateTO offers a comprehensive total compensation package including participation in the OMERS defined benefit pension plan, competitive vacation entitlement, extended health and dental benefits, life and disability insurance, and access to employee wellness support including an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).
With a highly engaged team, CreateTO scores well above benchmarked organizations in terms of its employees’ passion, commitment, diversity and pride. As part of the organization’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027, “Inspire internal success” was named as one of five priority objectives.
CreateTO wants its team to reflect the city we represent, and we strive to provide an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective, all of which are proven to build better companies. Our goal is to create an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work and be themselves.
We provide equitable treatment and accommodation to ensure barrier-free employment in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Candidates can request accommodation related to the protected grounds at any stage of the hiring process.
We do not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants. All applications are reviewed by our hiring team.
For more information on CreateTO, please visit our website at
Please note that this is a hybrid working environment with a minimum of 3 days in-office.
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