Assistant Director of HR: Payroll

Primary Location: Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY)

About the role

The Assistant Director of HR for Payroll is a key leadership role reporting to the Associate Director of Human Resources with a dotted line to the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). The Assistant Director provides strategic and operational oversight of all aspects of payroll operations for field employees, ensuring the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of the Research Foundation (RF) payroll. Working in close partnership with the Payroll Manager, the Assistant Director supervises a team of Campus Payroll Coordinators in administering all aspects of payroll management and serves as a subject matter expert. The Assistant Director ensures adherence to federal, state, and local payroll regulations, maintains payroll integrity within Workday (aka OneRF) and related systems with a strong emphasis on post-implementation stabilization, optimization, and continuous improvement. The Assistant Director collaborates with internal departments and external partners to support organizational operations and enhance payroll processes, controls, and system functionality.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the supervision of the Payroll Manager and the Campus Payroll Coordinators in the administration of all aspects of payroll operations.
• Serve as a primary advisor to the CHRO and Associate Director of HR on all payroll-related matters.
• Oversee the implementation and administration of RFCUNY’s field payroll.
• Ensure that payroll is processed accurately and in accordance with established schedules and deadlines, including the management of off-cycle payroll processing.
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls by regularly auditing payroll processes to ensure procedures are compliant with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Organize and review forms associated with federal, state, and local tax matters, such as W-4’s and Visa-status.
• Manage multi-state payroll processing and ensure compliance for out-of-state employees.
• Collaborate with the RF Central Office (RFCO) Finance Department to resolve payroll discrepancies and bank reconciliations.
• Act as the primary contact for payroll-related audit inquiries from RFCO Internal Audit, ensuring all requested documents are provided accurately and in a timely manner.
• Responsible for Glacier application to manage payroll and tax withholding for foreign national employees, students, and scholars.
• Interact directly with principal investigators, project directors, grants officers, university staff, and external organizations regarding payroll and related matters.
• Serve as the Workday Payroll lead, maintaining advanced knowledge of the Workday (aka OneRF) Payroll module and staying current on system updates, enhancements, and best practices.
• Carry out month-end and year-end responsibilities and reconciliations.
• Reconcile payroll-related liabilities including taxes, benefits, and deductions.
• Responsible for all year-end activity related to W2s, including systems access and communication to field employees.
• Collaborate with HR, SIS, Finance, and Grants and Contracts in the design and preparation of reports, procedural, and system enhancements.
• Identify problem areas, lead root cause analysis, make recommendations, develop, and implement solutions.
• Together with Payroll Manager, determine Payroll area workflow priorities and workload balance, including the preparation and distribution of campus and work assignments.
• Provide training, guidance, and support to Payroll staff and the field.
• Participate in recruitment activities for Payroll team and other HR areas, including recommending staffing needs and participating in candidate interviews.
• Respond to payroll inquiries and complaints and conduct investigations when necessary.
• Perform additional responsibilities as assigned to support departmental and organizational needs.

Qualifications

• B.A. or B.S. required in a related field such as business, accounting, finance, or human resources. M.A. or M.S. from an accredited institution preferred.
• Five (5) to seven (7) years of payroll experience in the non-profit sector, preferably for a research-focused employer.
• At least five (5) years of supervisory experience, including responsibility over a dedicated functional team.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with the Workday Payroll Module, including post-implementation support, issue resolution, and process optimization.
• Experience with Workday HCM, Compensation, and reporting capabilities (strongly preferred).
• Strong working knowledge of Excel.
• Superior communication skills, both oral and written.
• Experience with training staff.
• Proven customer relations skills.
• Detail-oriented with good problem-solving skills.
• Strong multi-tasking abilities.

Pay

$117,442 - $137,015

Benefits

RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals