Payroll & Benefits Specialist

Job Information

State of Tennessee Job Information

• Opening Date/Time: 06/12/2026 12:00 AM Central Time
• Closing Date/Time: 06/25/2026 11:59 PM Central Time
• Salary (Monthly): $4,057.00 - $6,099.00
• Salary (Annually): $48,684.00 - $73,188.00
• Job Type: Full-Time
• City, State
  
  Location:
  
  Nashville, TN
• Department:
  Safety and Homeland Security

DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY & HOMELAND SECURITY, DAVIDSON COUNTY

This is a hybrid role based in Davidson County, requiring in‑office attendance at least two days per week. Additional on‑site days may be necessary for training, meetings, or other business needs.

This position requires a criminal background check. Candidates may be required to provide information about their criminal history to be considered.

• Education and Experience:
  
  Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to 1 year of payroll, accounting, fiscal, or similar work.
• Substitution of Experience for
  
  Education:
  
  Qualifying payroll, accounting, fiscal, or similar work may substitute for the required education on a year‑for‑year basis to a maximum of four years.
• Substitution of Education for
  
  Experience:
  
  Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a similar field may substitute for the required experience.
• NSQ's:
  Complete a background check in a manner approved by the appointing authority.

Under general supervision, this classification is responsible for payroll and benefits duties of moderate difficulty for an assigned region and/or program. An employee in this class works closely with a large number of employees to assist with their payroll and benefits needs and concerns.

• Conduct payroll registry audits for on and off cycles for assigned regions and/or programs to ensure employees are paid correctly and on‑time.
• Perform paycheck audits as needed when discrepancies are found on the payroll registry or reported by an employee, Budget, or the Department of Finance & Administration.
• Liaise with the Department of Human Resources and/or the Department of Finance & Administration on an employee’s behalf as needed to correct discrepancies on paychecks.
• Assist employees with questions regarding paychecks, tax forms such as W-4's and W-2's, direct deposit information, address changes, and final paychecks. Process payment and credit supplementals as needed.
• Process paycheck garnishment and garnishment releases as served by the courts and employment verifications for private loans and student loan forgiveness.
• Act as an Agency Benefits Coordinator (ABC) for assigned regions, assisting employees with adding dependents, enrolling in insurance, navigating annual open enrollment, uploading required documentation to the state system, and liaising with Benefits Administration on an employee's behalf as needed.
• Conduct retirement meetings with employees who have made their intent to retire known to assist in determining what paperwork and other actions are needed for the employee to retire.
• Process Service and Longevity Adjustments and Leave Reinstatement requests for eligible employees. Calculate and enter Terminal Leave for retiring employees as needed.

• Customer Focus
• Manages Complexity
• Interpersonal Savvy
• Instills Trust
• Plans and Aligns

• Customer and Personal Service
• Economics and Accounting
• Personnel and Human Resources
• Telecommunications

• Management of Financial Resources
• Management of Material Resources
• Management of Personnel Resources
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Critical Thinking

• Mathematical Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Deductive Reasoning
• Written Comprehension

• Cell phones
• Laptops/Tablets
• Other Technology

State of Tennessee positions that may involve driving responsibilities require candidates to meet the following minimum driver qualifications:

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, no record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application. Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.