Sr. Director, Payroll

About the role

This senior leadership role will oversee enterprise payroll and workforce operations across a complex, highly decentralized, multi-entity organization. You will establish scalable governance, operating standards, controls, and service models supporting approximately 2,700 employees across 250 joint ventures and entities. The position combines strategic leadership with hands-on transformation across payroll administration, workforce data, timekeeping, systems, compliance, and shared services.

Key responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of enterprise payroll operations across multiple legal entities, joint ventures, jurisdictions, and business structures, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll processing.
• Establish enterprise-wide payroll governance, policies, standards, controls, documentation, approval processes, and operating procedures.
• Drive process harmonization and standardization to reduce operational complexity and create scalable service delivery models.
• Oversee workforce operations including payroll administration, workforce data management, timekeeping coordination, payroll-related employee services, and operational support.
• Establish service-level standards, performance metrics, reporting, and dashboards that improve visibility, accountability, responsiveness, and employee experience.
• Lead payroll and workforce integration activities for acquisitions, joint ventures, and newly onboarded entities, including diligence, transition planning, conversion, and post-close implementation.
• Develop standardized integration playbooks and methodologies while assessing operational risks and ensuring new entities align with enterprise payroll controls.
• Partner with HRIS, IT, Finance, and external vendors to optimize payroll technology, rationalize systems, automate workflows, improve data integrity, and reduce manual processes.
• Lead payroll system implementations, consolidations, modernization initiatives, and the development of scalable infrastructure capable of supporting continued growth.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations and reporting requirements while strengthening audit readiness and internal controls.
• Partner with Internal Audit, Accounting, Tax, and Legal teams on compliance matters, remediation efforts, risk mitigation, and governance.
• Build and lead a high-performing payroll and workforce operations organization, developing leadership capabilities, mentoring team members, and establishing succession plans.
• Foster a culture centered on accountability, continuous improvement, operational excellence, customer service, and effective change management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; an advanced degree is preferred.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in payroll, workforce operations, shared services, HR operations, or related leadership functions.
• Significant experience leading payroll operations within complex, multi-entity organizations.
• Proven experience supporting acquisitions, integrations, organizational growth, or similarly complex transformation environments.
• Demonstrated success leading operational transformation, process standardization, automation, and scalable operating-model initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, controls, governance, risk management, and federal, state, and local requirements.
• Experience partnering effectively with senior leaders across Finance, HR, Accounting, Tax, Legal, IT, and other corporate functions.
• UKG experience is required.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in decentralized, joint venture, private equity-backed, healthcare, professional services, franchise, construction, or multi-site environments is preferred.
• Experience leading payroll technology implementations or platform consolidations is preferred.
• Shared services or enterprise operations leadership experience is advantageous.
• CPP certification is preferred.
• Strong enterprise mindset, systems thinking, and scalability orientation, with the ability to connect operational decisions to broader business objectives.
• Exceptional executive communication, stakeholder management, cross-functional influence, and change leadership skills.
• Strong integration leadership, risk-management, problem-solving, and process-improvement capabilities.

Benefits

• Remote-first work environment.
• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits with options designed to support employees and their families.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Healthcare FSA, dependent care FSA, limited healthcare FSA, HSA, and transportation/parking FSA options.
• Matching 401(k) plan.
• Paid Time Off, with a minimum of 20 days and up to 25 days per calendar year depending on position and eligibility.
• 9 observed paid holidays.
• Paid family leave.
• Professional development, training, recognition, and career growth opportunities.
• Inclusive, team-oriented culture focused on integrity, excellence, collaboration, and meaningful impact.
• Opportunities to lead enterprise-scale transformation and shape scalable payroll and workforce operations.