Director, Global Payroll & HRIS

About NAES

NAES offers engaging and challenging career opportunities across conventional power generation, renewable energy, energy storage, grid operations, and complex industrial facilities. The company is the largest independent operator of power facilities in the industry, managing more than 400 facilities and over 60 GW of generation under contract across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Powered by roughly 4,000 employees, NAES supports the full life cycle of energy and industrial plants—from development and construction through operations, optimization, digital transformation, and decommissioning.

Position Summary

The Director of Global Payroll & HRIS provides strategic and operational leadership for all global payroll operations and HR technology. This senior leader develops the long‑term vision for payroll and HRIS, ensures exceptional operational execution, strengthens governance and compliance, and builds scalable systems that support the organization’s continued growth. Success requires strong emotional intelligence, sound business judgment, and a passion for developing people.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
  • Develop and execute a forward‑looking global payroll and HRIS strategy that supports organizational growth and scalability.
  • Provide strategic direction and executive‑level leadership for the global payroll and HRIS function.
  • Build a culture focused on operational excellence, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on payroll strategy, workforce technology, compliance, and organizational risk.
  • Lead transformational initiatives that simplify processes, improve efficiency, and enhance the employee experience.
  • Establish priorities, governance, and performance expectations for the payroll and HRIS organization.
• Build High‑Performing Teams
  • Recruit, develop, coach, and retain exceptional payroll and HRIS professionals.
  • Foster an environment built on trust, collaboration, accountability, and ownership.
  • Develop future leaders while encouraging innovation, curiosity, and professional growth.
  • Lead with humility, empathy, and emotional intelligence.
  • Build organizational capability and succession plans to ensure long‑term strength of the function.
• Global Payroll Excellence
  • Oversee accurate and timely payroll processing across multiple countries and jurisdictions.
  • Ensure compliance with international, federal, state, provincial, and local payroll, tax, wage, and employment regulations.
  • Own payroll governance, internal controls, audit readiness, JSOX compliance, and data‑privacy standards.
  • Continuously evaluate and improve payroll policies, controls, and operating procedures.
  • Establish and maintain a scalable global payroll operating model that supports organizational growth.
• HR Technology & Process Transformation
  • Lead the strategic direction of payroll and HRIS platforms, including UKG Workforce and future technologies.
  • Identify opportunities to automate workflows, improve integrations, and eliminate manual processes.
  • Champion data integrity and reporting capabilities that support better business decisions.
  • Partner with IT to ensure scalable, secure, and resilient HR technology solutions.
  • Develop and execute a long‑term HR technology roadmap aligned with business and HR strategy.
• Financial Partnership
  • Partner closely with Finance and Accounting to ensure accurate payroll accounting, reconciliations, accruals, executive compensation, and financial reporting.
  • Ensure payroll data supports audit requirements and organizational financial controls.
  • Identify opportunities to improve forecasting, reporting, and operational efficiency.
  • Provide executive leadership with insights into payroll costs, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Cross‑Functional Leadership
  • Build trusted relationships across HR, Finance, Accounting, Legal, Tax, Operations, and executive leadership.
  • Influence decisions through collaboration rather than authority.
  • Communicate complex issues clearly and confidently to executives and stakeholders.
  • Lead organizational change with transparency and confidence.
  • Represent Payroll & HRIS as a strategic business function and trusted advisor to senior leadership.
• Vendor & Service Delivery
  • Establish strategic partnerships with global payroll providers and technology vendors.
  • Hold partners accountable through clearly defined service levels and performance expectations.
  • Continuously evaluate vendor performance, technology, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Lead vendor strategy, negotiations, and long‑term partnerships to maximize value, service, and scalability.

What Success Looks Like

• Build an engaged, high‑performing team that enjoys working together.
• Create a culture where people are empowered to solve problems and improve processes.
• Deliver an exceptional employee payroll experience built on accuracy, responsiveness, and trust.
• Modernize payroll operations through technology and automation.
• Strengthen governance while simplifying how work gets done.
• Become a trusted business partner to executive leadership.
• Establish Payroll & HRIS as a strategic, scalable, and highly respected function within NAES.
• Develop a strong leadership pipeline and organizational capability.
• Leave the organization stronger than it was found.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related discipline.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) required.
• 12+ years of progressive payroll leadership, including significant global payroll responsibility.
• Proven experience leading large‑scale payroll transformation and HRIS modernization initiatives.
• Experience managing complex international payroll operations across multiple jurisdictions.
• Demonstrated success building and leading high‑performing teams.
• Progressive leadership experience with increasing organizational scope and responsibility.
• Experience partnering with executive leadership and cross‑functional senior stakeholders.

Leadership Competencies

• High emotional intelligence and self‑awareness.
• Executive presence with humility and authenticity.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Exceptional communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Strategic thinking balanced with operational discipline.
• Courage to make difficult decisions while leading with empathy.
• Ability to inspire, coach, and develop others.
• Intellectual curiosity and continuous learning.
• Growth mindset with a passion for innovation.
• Calm, thoughtful leadership during periods of change.
• Ability to operate effectively at both the strategic and operational levels.
• Ability to influence and align senior leaders across multiple functions.

Compensation

The initial compensation will range from $167,900 to $193,100 depending on experience.