HRIS & Payroll Specialist

Role overview

This position carries out advanced technical and professional responsibilities tied to the City’s HRIS, payroll, and broader human resources operations. The role focuses on accurate payroll administration, employee record management, and system support while ensuring confidentiality and compliance with city policies and legal requirements.

What the role covers

The specialist serves as the main point of contact for HRIS-related support across the organization. The work includes processing personnel and payroll transactions, maintaining data accuracy, supporting employees and department representatives, and helping improve workflows, reporting, and system performance. Strong judgment, discretion, and attention to detail are essential.

Core duties

• Check, correct, and process employee pay and leave information so timesheets, overtime, premium pay, and payroll entries remain accurate and compliant with FLSA, payroll laws, and City rules.
• Prepare, run, and reconcile biweekly, 28-day, and monthly payroll cycles, including retro pay, final pay, supplements, deductions, and related adjustments.
• Handle personnel changes affecting pay, position, leave, tax withholding, direct deposit, garnishments, and benefit deductions while keeping employee records current.
• Administer the HRIS by troubleshooting issues, testing upgrades, supporting users, safeguarding data quality, and improving system efficiency.
• Act as a subject matter resource for HRIS and payroll users by offering training, technical support, and guidance on system functions and updates.
• Perform audits, reconciliations, validations, and data analysis to protect the accuracy of payroll and HR records.
• Support leave administration for FMLA, workers’ compensation, military leave, and other leave programs, and flag balance or compliance issues as needed.
• Manage payroll-related benefit deductions and reconciliations, including retiree insurance premiums and provider coordination.
• Compile payroll, personnel, and compliance data and complete weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting, including W-2 and ACA-related filings.
• Respond to questions from employees and departments about payroll, compensation, benefits, and HRIS matters, and resolve discrepancies with professional customer service.
• Partner with Finance, IT, managers, auditors, retirement representatives, and outside agencies to support payroll accuracy, audits, and compliance.
• Assist with classification and compensation projects, salary administration, performance evaluation processes, personnel reporting, and special HR assignments.
• Maintain payroll and personnel files according to retention rules and perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge and capability expectations

The job requires practical knowledge of HR administration, payroll methods, compensation, leave management, employee benefits, and personnel actions. Familiarity with public-sector employment rules, payroll tax obligations, retirement system regulations, HRIS platforms, spreadsheets, databases, and office software is important. The role also demands strong problem-solving, customer service, and process-improvement skills, along with the ability to manage confidential information and multiple deadlines.

Education and experience

An associate degree from an accredited college or university in human resources, business administration, accounting, finance, or a related discipline is required. Candidates should have 3 to 5 years of increasingly responsible experience in payroll, HR, HRIS, or accounting. Experience in local government is preferred. A suitable combination of education, training, and experience may also be considered.

Working conditions and physical demands

Work is usually completed in an office with controlled environmental conditions, although occasional outdoor exposure to hot or cold weather may occur. The role involves sedentary work and requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, reach, stoop, kneel, climb, grasp, finger, speak, hear, and repeat motions. The position may require lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling up to 25 pounds occasionally and up to 10 pounds frequently. Strong visual acuity is needed for reading, data analysis, accounting tasks, and computer use.

Special requirements

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
• A valid North Carolina Class C driver’s license is required.

Compensation

The hiring range for this position is $46,721 to $58,401.