Director - Workday Payroll

Position Summary

The Director of Workday Payroll provides strategic and operational leadership for payroll services supporting a complex healthcare workforce, including clinical, non-clinical, hourly, salaried, and per diem employee populations. This role oversees the management and administration of the Bi-weekly end-to-end payroll using Workday Payroll, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing across multiple entities, shifts, pay rules, and regulatory environments.

Primary Duties And Responsibilities

• Payroll Leadership & Strategy
  Lead the payroll function for a healthcare organization operating across hospitals, clinics, and ancillary services.
  Follow industry and regulatory changes impacting the payroll function.
  Partner with HR for system changes to comply with these changes.
  Develop and execute a payroll strategy that supports continuous operations, workforce growth, and patient care priorities.
  Establish payroll governance, policies, internal controls, and standard operating procedures.
  Build, mentor, and retain a highly skilled payroll and Workday payroll team.
  Serve as the executive escalation point for payroll issues impacting clinical operations or employee satisfaction.

• Workday Payroll Ownership
  Serve as the functional owner of Workday Payroll, including configuration, maintenance, testing, and optimization.
  Optimize Workday utilization through automation and by leveraging system functionality.
  Ensure seamless integration with Workday HCM, Time Tracking, Absence, Benefits, and Scheduling.
  Lead payroll-related Workday upgrades, releases, and healthcare-specific enhancements.
  Support implementations, acquisitions, and new facility onboarding into Workday Payroll.
  Ensure system configuration supports healthcare pay practices (shift differentials, on-call, premiums, bonuses, and retro pay).

• Healthcare Compliance & Risk Management
  Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll laws as well as healthcare-specific regulations.
  Oversee payroll audits, reconciliations, and regulatory reporting.
  Partner with Compliance, Legal, and Labor Relations on wage and hour matters.
  Monitor regulatory changes and assess impacts to payroll systems, policies, and processes.

• Operational Excellence & Accuracy
  Oversee accurate and timely payroll processing for large, diverse employee populations working varied shifts.
  Drive continuous improvement, automation, and controls within Workday Payroll with a focus on industry best practices.
  Establish KPIs and service metrics focused on accuracy, timeliness, and employee experience.
  Oversee payroll tax filings, garnishments, retroactive pay, and year-end activities (e.g., W-2s)
  Manage payroll vendors including tax service providers and third-party administrators.

• Cross-Functional Partnership
  Collaborate closely with HR, HRIS, Finance, Accounting, Scheduling, and Clinical Operations.
  Ensure payroll aligns with timekeeping, staffing models, compensation frameworks, and benefits programs.
  Support workforce initiatives including hiring surges, emergency response staffing, and seasonal fluctuations.
  Provide payroll analytics and insights to senior leadership.

Leadership Competencies

• Establishing Relationships
  Builds effective networks, working relationships, and alliances with a broad range of stakeholders (both internal and external) in order to collaborate effectively within divisions and across boundaries.

• Developing Talent
  Provides guidance and feedback to help others strengthen knowledge/skills needed to accomplish tasks, solve problems, and perform effectively.

• Inspiring and Motivating Others
  Fosters commitment and cohesiveness by motivating, guiding, and facilitating cooperation within the department toward goal accomplishments. Can persuade others, build consensus, and ensure cooperation from others to gain genuine acceptance to accomplish “win-win” solutions.

• Demonstrating Emotional Intelligence
  Exercises self-leadership, self-awareness, and self-regulation; manage emotions so that they are expressed appropriately; leads others by displaying adaptability, empathy, and social skills.

• Acting with Integrity
  Interacts with others in a way that is seen as direct and truthful; ensures confidence in individual and organizational motives and representations. Acts in a way that is consistent with personal and organizational values by keeping confidence, promises, and commitments. Clearly states goals and beliefs; informs people of their true intentions, does what they say they will do; follows through on commitments.

• Holding Self and Others Accountable
  Sets clear performance expectations and objectives for self and others; evaluates work performance and provides feedback when needed. Accepts responsibility and accountability.