Payroll Specialist

Overview

Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables.

As a globally inclusive company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2024 revenue of approximately $9.4 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. For more information, visit

• Prepare, process, and deliver accurate, timely bi‑weekly payroll for North American employees in regular payroll runs, including off‑cycles, corrections, bonuses, and special payments.
• Calculate and reconcile wages, overtime, bonuses, deductions, and general ledger entries.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll and tax regulations, benefit deduction accuracy, and organizational policies by maintaining up‑to‑date regulatory knowledge.
• Reconcile payroll totals to the general ledger, bank transfers, and tax liabilities; investigate variances and implement corrective actions to maintain data integrity.
• Maintain and ensure confidentiality of employee payroll records and data; enforce data security and access controls.
• Coordinate with HR on new hires, terminations, salary changes, leaves of absence, COBRA, and retirement to ensure accurate payroll and benefits processing.
• Oversee benefit deduction integrations and interface with third‑party administrators and vendors to resolve issues, perform root‑cause analysis, and develop long‑term solutions.
• Respond promptly to employee payroll and benefits inquiries; escalate complex or non‑routine matters to leadership as needed.
• Generate, analyze, and distribute standard payroll reports to support HR, Finance, Operations, and Leadership.
• Partner with Finance to support month‑end close activities such as labor accrual and assist with audit requests.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation, and enhanced controls to increase efficiency and accuracy across payroll operations.
• Participate in cross‑functional projects such as payroll/HRIS system upgrades, benefit plan implementations, and change management initiatives.
• Create, maintain, and update standard operating procedures, process documentation, and training materials; provide guidance and mentoring to other staff.
• Communicate professionally and effectively with internal stakeholders (HR, Finance, Leaders) and external partners (vendors, government agencies, auditors) on payroll issues, audits, and compliance matters.

• A BS degree in Human Resources or Business or Accounting, or related field preferred.
• Prior experience in payroll processing, tax filings or in human resources is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency with payroll systems and HRIS (e.g., SAP Employee Central, EC Payroll, Workday, UKG, or equivalent) and advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, SUMIFS); demonstrated experience preparing, reconciling, researching, and reporting complex payroll data.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively interact with team members, management, and vendors.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion and maintain data privacy.
• Exceptional attention to detail with the ability to produce accurate, error-free work.
• Ability to handle and prioritize multiple tasks in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining accuracy and compliance, especially during peak processing periods.
• Takes initiative and drives issues to resolution in a professional manner.
• Strong collaboration and networking skills.
• Superb judgment, maturity, and professionalism.

Note Eastman will not accept applicants for this…