Payroll Director

Job Details

We are seeking a 2+ year long-term, contract, Payroll Director to provide leadership for an established payroll operations team supporting a large, multi-state employee population. This individual will oversee day-to-day payroll administration for a $1B business and 15 direct reports, drive process improvements, support organizational initiatives, and serve as a key partner to payroll leadership during an ongoing operational transformation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a payroll operations team supporting a large multi-state employee population.
• Oversee payroll processing activities, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely execution.
• Provide coaching, direction, and workload management across the payroll team.
• Partner with payroll leadership on process improvements and operational initiatives.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex payroll issues.
• Communicate project updates, risks, and recommendations to leadership.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership responsibilities over large teams
• 5+ years managing payroll teams in a complex, multi-state environment.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing high-volume payroll operations for large employee populations. (5,000+)
• Union payroll experience is required.
• Strong understanding of payroll tax regulations, compliance, and reporting.
• Experience leading payroll process improvements, organizational initiatives, or operational change.
• Comfortable balancing strategic leadership with hands-on payroll processing when necessary.
• Experience partnering with HR, Finance, and cross-functional business leaders.
• Proven ability to lead teams through periods of change while maintaining service levels.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to provide clear updates to executive leadership.
• Highly organized, self-directed, and comfortable working with minimal oversight.
• Construction, field services, or project-based industry experience is helpful but not required.
• Experience with enterprise payroll systems such as UKG, Workday, ADP, Oracle, or similar platforms is preferred.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a hands-on payroll leader who can effectively manage a team, navigate complex payroll environments, and independently drive priorities forward with minimal oversight. This role offers a blend of people leadership, operational execution, and project ownership.