Administrative Specialist

Salary : $52,903.00 - $82,086.00 Annually
Location : 516 Rigsbee Avenue, Durham, NC
Job Type: Full time with benefits
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 26-05951
Department: Community Safety
Opening Date: 05/26/2026
Closing Date: 6/9/2026 11:59 PM Eastern


Position Description
Work, Serve, Thrive. With the City of Durham

Advance in your career while making a real difference in the community you serve.
Hiring Range: $52,903 - $64,319

Work Day/Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Full-Time, 40 hours per week.
In 2022, the Durham Community Safety Department (DCSD) launched four 911 crisis response programs-collectively known as HEART (Holistic Empathetic Assistance Response Teams). Please visit and , watch , listen to , or read from The Assembly. In 2025, DCSD has added a new division focused on Stabilization Services. This expansion represents an exciting new phase in DCSD's development-and a thrilling opportunity to pair alternative response programs with stabilization services that can better support Neighbors.

ABOUT THE ROLE
The Durham Community Safety Department (DCSD) is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented, and proactive Administrative Specialist to serve as a central administrative and operational support professional for the department. This position will function as a key office coordinator supporting daily administrative operations, timekeeping and payroll processes, office management functions, and general departmental administration.

The ideal candidate will help ensure the department's administrative operations run efficiently by maintaining organized office systems, supporting staff and leadership, coordinating workflow, managing supplies and shared spaces, assisting with personnel and payroll processes, preparing professional correspondence and memoranda, and providing high-quality customer service and administrative support in a fast-paced environment.

This role requires strong communication skills, discretion, adaptability, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities while supporting a growing and evolving department.
Duties/Responsibilities

• Serves as the department's primary timekeeping support, including reviewing timesheets, coordinating with supervisors and employees regarding leave and payroll matters, assisting with payroll processing activities, and ensuring timely and accurate submissions.
• Coordinates and oversees office management functions such as maintaining office and program supplies, monitoring shared/common spaces, coordinating facility-related administrative needs, and supporting overall office organization and functionality.
• Prepares, edits, proofreads, and routes memoranda, correspondence, reports, presentations, forms, and other administrative documents.
• Provides administrative support related to procurement, onboarding, scheduling, records management, training coordination, and other operational functions.
• Coordinates meetings, calendars, conference rooms, trainings, and departmental events, including logistical support and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Assists with administrative tracking, reporting, data entry, file maintenance, and maintenance of departmental records and documentation.
• Responds to inquiries from staff and the public and provides professional customer service and follow-up.
• Supports special projects, operational initiatives, and other administrative functions as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications & Experience

• Associate's degree in business or related field
• Two years of advanced administrative support experience.
• Experience supporting payroll, timekeeping, office management, or operational administrative functions.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including professional correspondence and memo writing.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and business systems/software applications.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive information.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Additional Preferred Skills

• Experience with UKG, Oracle, or other payroll/timekeeping systems.
• Experience supporting public sector, public safety, healthcare, or human services operations.
• Experience with procurement, purchasing, or administrative financial processes.
• Experience coordinating office operations or serving in an office manager capacity.

Benefits - General Full-Time Employees

• 12-13 paid holidays per year
• 13 standard work days of vacation per year
• 13 standard work days of sick leave per year, which accumulates indefinitely; sick leave may be used toward early retirement
• 2 weeks paid military leave per year
• Medical, dental, vision, and supplemental life insurance plans
• State and City retirement plans
• Short and long term disability plans
• Paid temporary disability leave for specified conditions
• City contribution of 13.6% into the N.C. State Retirement System
• Paid funeral leave
• Employee Assistance Program - personal and family counseling
• Paid life insurance equal to annual salary
• 48 hours for volunteer work each year*
• 4 hours parental leave each year
• Workman's Compensation Insurance
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plans

Benefits - Part-Time (1,000 hours or more per year)

• 401(k) retirement plan (5.0% of salary)
• State retirement plan

Benefits Part-Time (Average 30 hours per week over 12 month period)

• 401(k) retirement plan (5.0% of salary)
• State retirement plan effective first day of the month following date of hire
• Health insurance effective first day of the month following date of hire
• Dental and life insurance, after one year of service
• Pro-rated vacation, pro-rated sick, pro-rated floating holiday, parttime holiday pay (based on scheduled hours for that day) after one year of service

01


Where did you first hear about this opportunity?

• City of Durham Website
• Walk in
• Job fair
• Employee referral
• Professional organization ***Please list the organization in "other" box below***
• Internet posting ***Please list the specific web site in the "other" box below***
• Craig's List
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• GlassDoor
• governmentjobs.com
• Monster.com
• Indeed.com
• Employment Security Commission
• Magazine/Newspaper
• Other

02


If you listed "other" above please give specific web site, organization, or publication.
03


Please select your highest level of COMPLETED education.

• Less than a High School Diploma or Equivalent (GED, HiSET, TASC)
• High School Diploma or Equivalent (GED, HiSET, TASC)
• Associates Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctoral Degree (PhD, Juris Doctorate)

04


How many years of related administrative support or office coordination experience do you have?

• No related experience
• Less than 1 year of related experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of related experience
• 2 years but less than 6 years of related experience
• 6 or more years of related experience

05


How would you rate your experience level with procurement, purchasing, or administrative financial processes?

• No experience
• Beginner level
• Intermediate level
• Advanced level
• Expert level

06


How would you rate your experience level with UKG, Oracle, or other payroll/timekeeping systems?

• No experience
• Beginner level
• Intermediate level
• Advanced level
• Expert level

07


How would you rate your experience level with MS Office applications such as Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint?

• No experience
• Beginner level
• Intermediate level
• Advanced level
• Expert level

08


Are you willing and able to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in handling sensitive information?

• Yes
• No

09


Do you have prior experience supporting public sector, public safety, healthcare, or human services operations?

• Yes
• No

10


Please provide detailed information about transferable skills from your work experience that would make you a competitive candidate for this position.
11


Which of the following best describes your proficiency and professional experience using Microsoft Excel?

• Beginner: Limited experience using Excel beyond basic data entry or simple formatting
• Intermediate: Comfortable using formulas, sorting/filtering data, creating tables, and maintaining spreadsheets
• Advanced: Regularly use formulas, pivot tables, lookups (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP), reporting tools, and data analysis functions in a professional setting
• Expert: Extensive experience creating complex spreadsheets, tracking/reporting tools, formulas, dashboards, reconciliations, or operational/budget reports used for decision-making or departmental operations

12


Which of the following best describes your direct professional experience with timekeeping, payroll support, or attendance management systems?

• No direct experience
• Limited experience entering or reviewing time for a small team
• Experience supporting timekeeping/payroll processes for a department or multiple employees
• Extensive experience serving as a primary timekeeper or payroll support administrator responsible for accuracy, troubleshooting, approvals, and deadlines

Required Question