Temporary Payroll & Benefits Specialist (anticipated for up to 10 months)

Our team is highly skilled, passionate about our community, and we care. Let’s grow together.

Who We Are

In Whitby, we are dedicated to our work, our community, and each other. We work hard, we have fun, and we celebrate our successes.

The Town of Whitby is a community in transformation that is located in the heart of Durham Region in the eastern Greater Toronto Area. Whitby is the second-largest municipality in the region and one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada. Located on Lake Ontario and only an hour east of Toronto, the population of Whitby is expected to grow from 140,000 to more than 200,000 by 2031. Whitby’s Official Plan has been updated to establish new directions for Whitby’s planned growth and development; the protection of our natural and built environments; urban design intensification; sustainability; community improvement; and, new employment within this time frame.

The Town of Whitby combines a small town atmosphere with the sophistication and amenities of a larger urban centre. Whitby boasts two beautiful heritage downtowns, one of the finest recreational harbours with an award-winning marina, year round sports and recreation activities, parks, trails, and a robust arts and culture scene, all of which are part of the extraordinary amenities that Whitby residents enjoy every day.

Whitby has an exciting and aspiring future, with a community that is welcoming, growing and transforming. On our team, you can expect to make a difference through your work and have a direct impact on shaping our growing community. Creating an inclusive environment where employees experience job satisfaction and have rewarding careers is important to us. We live our values and foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, respect and engagement where people enjoy coming to work.

The Town of Whitby is a hybrid organization. This means staff are empowered to do their best work from various locations, as appropriate for the position.

We want to be the preferred employer for the most talented people who care about the Town of Whitby, and are excited and proud to serve our vibrant community.

Let’s grow together.

What You Will Get To Do

The successful candidate will have a positive impact on our corporate culture by demonstrating the Town’s CARE core values (Collaborative, Accountable, Respectful, Engaged) through daily interactions with individuals at all levels of the organization, external contacts and elected officials.

By effectively building positive rapport and relationships both internally and externally, the successful candidate will help us achieve our mission that together we deliver services that make a difference in our community.

Reporting to the Supervisor of Payroll Services, the Payroll & Benefits Specialist is responsible for the accurate and timely administration of the Town’s payroll, pension and benefits programs. This position plays a critical role in ensuring payroll processing and reporting complies with applicable legislation, collective agreements, policies and procedures while delivering exceptional customer service and support to employees, managers and external agencies.

Duties for this position may include, but are not limited to:

• Administering bi-weekly payroll processing for salaried and hourly employees using Workday, including payroll calculations, adjustments, reconciliations, reporting and record maintenance;
• Reviewing and verifying employee payroll information to ensure compliance with applicable legislation, collective agreements, policies and procedures;
• Preparing and processing monthly and quarterly payroll, pension and benefit remittances, reconciliations and related reporting;
• Acting as the Corporation’s pension administrator by coordinating OMERS enrolments, service updates, leaves, terminations and related documentation;
• Administering employee benefit enrolments and changes, investigating benefit-related issues and responding to employee inquiries;
• Assisting with year-end payroll activities including OMERS E-119 processing, T4 preparation and annual reconciliations;
• Providing guidance and support to employees, managers and external agencies regarding payroll, pension and benefits matters;
• Researching and resolving payroll discrepancies, identifying process improvements and implementing corrective actions where required;
• Interpreting and applying legislation, collective agreements and policies related to payroll, pension and benefits administration; and;
• Preparing reports, maintaining accurate records and supporting audits and compliance activities;

Who You Are

Our Human Resources team is looking for an enthusiastic, solutions-oriented team player who takes initiative and thrives on a high performing team. You are self-motivated, self-starting and utilize a proactive approach to work. You value partnerships. Your excellent communication and interpersonal skills coupled with your experience enables you to skillfully build, establish and maintain positive working relationships. You demonstrate tact, diplomacy and sound discretion when working with a broad range of partners.

A high volume of work does not intimidate you. You are excellent at prioritization and time management, and can work under pressure to meet deadlines. Pass the headbands, because you sweat the details. You have an uncanny ability to see the forest for the trees - you love to research and analyze complex issues, come up with innovative solutions and formulate data-driven recommendations.

You like to have fun – this Human Resources team works hard, but also enjoys each other’s company and we make time to connect. Hearing laughter is not uncommon and the open concept office space allows for frequent, real time team huddles on current challenges and opportunities.

What You Bring To Our Team

As the successful applicant, you must possess:

• a post-secondary Diploma in Business Administration, Accounting, Payroll Administration, Human Resource Management or related discipline;
• a PCP (Payroll Compliance Practitioner) designation maintained in good standing by continuing education from special projects, attending seminars, workshops, conferences etc.;
• a minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience in a multi-union, fast paced environment and experience working with at least one HRIS;
• demonstrated knowledge of Payroll Administration to ensure timely and accurate administration of salaried and hourly bi-weekly payroll for 950+ employees in accordance with all legislation, collective agreements, policies and procedures;
• advanced computer skills and on-going computer software training to keep current with technological changes and improvements; includes Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, payroll and HRIS applications such as Workday etc.;
• experience with OMERS and benefits administration;
• HR expertise including knowledge of the science behind what we do in HR, knowledge of HR best practices and understanding of key HR processes;
• financial analysis/mathematical skills to undertake a variety of audit and analysis functions and develop and produce credible HR analytics, metrics and costing for the purpose of key performance indicators (Part Time seniority hours, retro calculations, and reporting etc.);
• knowledge of accounting principles and practices as they apply to performing payroll functions;
• formal Lean Training (Yellow, Green or Black Belt) and experience documenting, analyzing and re-engineering business processes would be an asset.

What We Offer You

• A comprehensive benefits and pension program to ensure that your total compensation package addresses both your work and life needs.
• A hybrid work environment and flexible work arrangements where employees are empowered to do their best work in the way that works for them. This is designated as a Frontline Hybrid role. Frontline Hybrid recognizes that up to 40% of job functions associated with the role can be done virtually, from a remote office. Further details on these programs will be discussed through the selection process.

Salary Range/Hourly rate:

$90,001.00 - $102,274.00

Hybrid information:

Frontline Hybrid

Hours:

Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., plus additional hours as required.

Closing Date:

November 23, 2026

Vacancy Statement: Unless specifically stated, all job postings at the Town of Whitby are to fill existing vacancies within our organization.

AI Disclosure: The Town of Whitby confirms that artificial intelligence (AI) will not be used in the screening, assessment, or selection process for this position.

Our commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism
At the Town of Whitby, we view holistic inclusion as the pathway to achieving healthy relationships, inclusive excellence and fostering a culture where everyone can thrive. We acknowledge our history—the good and the bad, promote social justice and address discrimination and inequities. We strive to create a workplace that encourages you to always bring your authentic self to work.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Town of Whitby is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Applications from women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Accommodation
The Town of Whitby is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We are committed to providing barrier-free and accessible employment practices in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Should you require Code-protected accommodation through any stage of the recruitment process, please make them known when contacted and we will work with you to meet your needs. Disability-related accommodation during the application process is available upon request.

We thank all applicants and advise that only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Personal information provided is collected under the authority of The Municipal Act, 2001 and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.