| Location | Norfolk, VA |
| Salary | $51,610.42–$55,286.37 Per Year |
Payroll Specialist
Salary
$51,610.42 - $55,286.37 Annually
Location
810 Union Street, Norfolk, VA
Job Type
Permanent Full-time
Job Number
14457
Department
Finance
Division
City Controller
Opening Date
10/12/2026
Closing Date
10/22/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Description
Norfolk, Virginia is Americas most authentic and urban waterfront city. Home to the worlds largest naval station and the business, arts, and cultural center of Coastal Virginia, Norfolk has been rated a top place to live, work, play, and raise a family by numerous publications. Working for the City of Norfolk is an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others. With our commitment to competitive pay and a strong retirement package, you can do good for your community and do well for yourself. Join a caring workplace that proudly celebrates uniqueness, authenticity, and a shared commitment to improving the lives of our residents.
The Department of Finance provides centralized structure and support for the City of Norfolk's financial operations, to include financial reporting; debt and cash management; payroll; procurement; risk management; financial system administration and support; accounts payable; collections; and retirement. Finance's Payroll Division is responsible for the timely and accurate processing of salaries, wages, and retirement system benefit payments for over 5,000 City employees and 4,000 retirement beneficiaries. The Payroll Division is also responsible for the processing, maintenance and integrity of data related to the management of timekeeping and absences. Through the provision of assistance and guidance, the Department of Finance is positioned to interact with just about every City department and is a great place to build a career. We work hard, but we also have fun and take care of our greatest resource, our people.
The Payroll Specialist assists in the management and coordination of payroll functions for city employees. In addition, complies with Federal and state payroll regulations and related accounting, reporting, and remittance requirements. The Payroll Specialist processes all garnishments, bankruptcies, child support payments, and IRS, state, and property taxes. Lastly, the position processes pay line adjustments and assists in basic administrative duties.
Essential Functions
Assists processing bi-weekly and monthly payrolls for +5,000 employees.
Administers and processes garnishments and other income withholding orders in accordance with federal, state and city regulations.
Assists with time and labor timesheet corrections, leave corrections and other payroll related corrections.
Communicates effectively, provides guidance, and resolves pay-related issues and questions from departmental personnel and employees.
Assists with testing and validating new payroll system enhancements and functions as required.
Audits and analyzes payroll data; assists with manual payroll calculations; demonstrates strong numeracy skills.
Assists with entering special pays such as bonuses, employee reimbursements and underpayments
Demonstrates ability to multi-task and meet deadlines.
Education/Experience
Work requires broad knowledge in a general professional or technical field. Knowledge is normally acquired through four years of college resulting in a Bachelors degree or equivalent.
Required:
Preferred:
Additional Information & Requirements
Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Regular full-time and permanent part-time employees may receive paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, employer paid pension plan, basic life insurance, voluntary participation in medical and dental, Section 457 deferred compensation, long-term disability, optional life insurance for self, spouse and children, medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, access to membership in credit union and employer provided parking.
Special project/grant employees are generally eligible for the same benefits of regular full-time employees; however, retirement, life insurance and participation in health plans vary depending upon funding and authorization.
Temporary/seasonal and part-time employees are generally only eligible for employer provided parking and access to membership in credit union.
Retirement
If you are hired October 5, 2010, or after to a position with City of Norfolk Retirement System benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.
If you are hired January 1, 2022, or after to a position with Virginia Retirement System (VRS) benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.
NOTE:
The benefits described above are broad generalizations. The specific benefits that an employee may be eligible for are governed by City regulations, as applicable to job type.
Non-City
Positions listed with a job type designation of "Non-City" are not subject to the benefits descriptions above. Refer to the content of the job posting for information regarding these positions.
01
The following Supplemental Questions are specific to the position for which you have applied to assist the hiring manager in screening applications for specific experience being sought. Please be specific in answering these questions as they will be used to evaluate which applications will be given further consideration in the process. Do not answer "see resume" or "see application" as these are not valid answers. Please note that if you are invited to be interviewed by the department, your responses to the following questions may be subject to verification.
02
If you were referred for this position by a current City of Norfolk employee, please provide the employees full name, department, and job title, and your relationship to the employee. If not, please indicate by typing "N/A."
03
Please select the highest level of education you have completed.
04
Do you have at least three years of experience payroll work in a large organization?
05
Please indicate the number of years you have worked with an integrated payroll system? Please do not include payroll processing that is outsourced to a third party:
06
What range of employee population do you have experience processing payroll for?
07
Do you have experience with the PeopleSoft system to process payroll?
08
How many years of experience do you have working with online financial systems or software?
09
Do you have experience testing and/or auditing payroll systems and data?
10
Do you have experience administering/validating benefit deductions for deferred compensation plans?
11
How would you rate your Microsoft Excel skills? (A skills assessment may be conducted during the interview process)
12
What HRIS system(s) do you have experience with?
13
Are you able and willing to work additional hours if, and when, required?
14
Do you have the legal right to work in the United States and, upon employment, can you provide documentation to verify this?
15
Please provide an explanation of any periods of unemployment that are 30 days or longer. Indicate N/A if you have not experienced any periods of unemployment.
16
Are you a current or previous City of Norfolk employee?
17
Please indicate your veteran status. (A copy of your long form DD-214 may be required)
Required Question
Employer City of Norfolk