Accounting Manager, Fringe Benefits & Payroll Banking

About this role

Capitalizing on over 140 years of history and tradition in downtown Los Angeles, the University of Southern California (USC) is looking for skilled, motivated professionals to help forge the future of higher education.

The USC Finance Division, USC Payroll Services, is seeking an Accounting Manager, Fringe Benefits & Payroll Banking to join its team.

This position offers a primarily hybrid work arrangement, with four days remote and one day on-site each week. The hybrid work arrangement may change at any time to accommodate university needs.

Candidates considering this opportunity will join USC Payroll Services , a central university department that supports payroll operations across campuses, including its medical enterprise. Payroll Services oversees a broad range of critical functions, including payroll tax reporting, fringe benefit accounting, payroll system configuration, paycheck issuance, and other related audit and compliance reporting.

Position Overview

The Accounting Manager, Fringe Benefits & Payroll Banking provides management oversight and technical expertise for fringe benefit accounting, payroll deductions, ledger reconciliations, and related accounting activities across the university. This role helps ensure the accuracy, integrity, and compliance of payroll-related financial activity in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), while providing oversight of payroll banking activities.

This is a hands-on people management role, with responsibilities divided approximately 50% between team management and 50% hands-on accounting, reconciliation, analysis, and  operational responsibilities. The Accounting Manager oversees five Accounting and Payroll staff and provides coaching, professional development, and technical guidance to an established and capable team. The successful candidate will be an adaptable and collaborative manager who builds relationships, promotes accountability and open communication, develops employees, and effectively guides the team through changing processes, systems, and priorities.

Fringe benefits accounting is a significant focus of this position. With more than 20,000 benefits-eligible employees, USC operates in a high-volume, complex environment involving benefit deductions, liabilities, general ledger activity, adjustments, refunds, and reconciliations. On a day-to-day basis, the Accounting Manager oversees benefit deduction and general ledger reconciliations, reviews and resolves discrepancies, manages employee refunds and adjustments, provides guidance on labor union deductions, and serves as an internal resource on benefit and payroll deduction matters. The manager will primarily oversee benefit plans through staff while remaining hands-on with the direct administration of select plans as needed.

The Accounting Manager will also play a key role in a significant upcoming project focused on redesigning and automating current processes. Working with Payroll Services leadership and university partners, the manager will help design future-state processes, conduct detailed testing, strengthen controls, and support change management by helping employees understand and adopt new processes.

The role also provides oversight of payroll banking activities, including reconciliations of payments, prenote processes and other fraud prevention controls. The Accounting Manager collaborates with internal and external partners to research and resolve exceptions and help ensure accurate and timely employee payments. Experience with payroll banking is preferred; the role's primary technical emphasis is fringe benefits accounting.

Key Accountabilities • Oversees fringe benefit accounting for a high-volume employee population, including benefit deductions, liabilities, adjustments, refunds, reconciliations, and related general ledger activity to ensure accurate and timely reporting.

• Develops, reviews, and continuously improves reconciliation processes for fringe benefit and labor union deductions, ensuring appropriate accounting treatment, timely resolution of discrepancies, and compliance with GAAP and university policies.

• Leads internal and external audit engagements, including ERISA audits, by coordinating deliverables and ensuring data integrity, while monitoring and addressing audit findings to drive process improvements and strengthen internal controls.

• Supports open enrollment activities, including system testing and updating internal documentation to reflect current processes and requirements.

• Leads, coaches, and develops five Accounting and Payroll staff, providing technical guidance, feedback, mentorship, and professional development while fostering accountability, adaptability, collaboration, and open communication.

• Oversees labor union deductions and related accounting and reporting activities, including implementation and support of new union deduction and benefit requirements.

• Applies GAAP principles and CPA-level accounting judgment to fringe benefits accounting, reconciliations, financial controls, and complex accounting matters.

• Partners with Benefits, Retirement, Payroll Services, Treasury, the Comptroller's Office, external auditors, and other stakeholders to research and resolve fringe benefits accounting, payroll deduction, audit, and compliance matters.

• Plays a key role in process redesign, automation, and technology initiatives, including evaluating current processes, designing future-state workflows, performing user acceptance testing, validating results, strengthening controls, and supporting implementation and change management.

• Oversees payroll banking activities and related controls, including bank reconciliations, prenote and check exceptions, and daily banking activity, coordinating with appropriate partners to support accurate and timely employee payments.

• Maintains awareness of applicable regulations affecting benefit deductions and plans, including retirement plans and flex

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