Director Business Application Services HR/Payroll

Summary

Drive the technology strategy that powers HR, payroll, and workforce management across the organization. Lead a critical portfolio of platforms supporting payroll, benefits, HR systems, and workforce management, ensuring reliable, accurate, and scalable operations.

Principal Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Maintain full production accountability for SAP HCM, SAP SuccessFactors / Employee Central (recruiting/onboarding, learning management, performance and goals, compensation, and succession and development), UKG Pro WFM (Kronos timekeeping, attendance/accrual, and labor scheduling).
• Ensure payroll accuracy, benefits continuity, and regulatory compliance across a complex, multi-state workforce.
• Oversee the implementation of semi-annual HCM patching and regular payroll tax updates, payroll schema and wage type configurations, regulatory changes, and other calendar and fiscal year-end processes including merit increases, incentive payouts, and piece-rate updates.
• Provide leadership for Employee Central, UKG Pro WFM, and OHM enterprise applications, including overlapping timelines and shared dependencies.
• Partner with the IT Transformation Management Office (TMO) to support capital submissions, scope refinement, and budget alignment.
• Actively manage third-party systems integrators, ensuring alignment on scope, cost models, resource plans, and delivery milestones.
• Participate in future-state design decisions to protect payroll and timekeeping continuity during platform transitions.
• Serve as the primary IT partner to HR, Payroll, Benefits, Safety, Medical, and Workforce Administration leadership.
• Chair and participate in cross-functional governance forums addressing new project initiatives, policy changes, regulatory requirements, and system impacts.
• Translate business requirements into executable IT delivery while balancing operational risk and compliance obligations.
• Partner with Information Security and Application Security teams on SSO, identity, access controls, and audit readiness.
• Ensure data accuracy, security, retention, archiving, and legal compliance across HR and timekeeping platforms.
• Lead remediation and lifecycle activities related to legacy platforms approaching end-of-life.
• Lead and develop a mixed onshore/offshore delivery organization supporting HR and Payroll systems.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and performance across implementation and steady state services.
• Own budget planning, capital forecasting, resource planning, and run-rate cost management for HR/Payroll application services.
• Balance transformation investments with uninterrupted production support.

Minimum Education And Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems, Business, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience in HR, Payroll, or Workforce Management platforms.
• Hands-on experience with SAP HCM / SuccessFactors, UKG Pro WFM or Kronos, and payroll integrations.
• Proven delivery leadership on enterprise, multi-year transformation programs.
• Strong understanding and demonstrated expertise in HR and Payroll business processes and operations, benefits administration, and regulatory compliance, and health and safety administration.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through high-risk, concurrent initiatives while maintaining operational stability.

Preferred Education And Experience

• Master’s Degree.
• Experience operating in manufacturing, food processing, or large hourly workforce environments.
• Prior accountability for capital-funded programs reviewed by executive leadership or capital committees.
• Experience working with global systems integrators.
• Familiarity with identity management, SSO, and workforce security architectures.
• Agile/Scrum or PMP certification.

Physical Requirements And Environmental Factors

• Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings.
• May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another.
• May need to access files, supplies and equipment.
• Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment.

Benefits

• Salary range: $146,000 - $220,000 per year, based on experience and qualifications with annual bonus available (variable depending on performance).
• Competitive benefits package, including medical/Rx, 401(k) with employer match after 1 year, critical illness, accident insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, optional group life insurance, short-term and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts and paid time off.