Director of Payroll

The Director, Enterprise Payroll provides enterprise leadership, design, and coordination for payroll across the organization and its affiliated entities. While payroll is executed within individual operating businesses, this role establishes the enterprise framework for payroll governance, compliance practices, and reporting standards across a shared HR and payroll systems environment. The role supports payroll operations at the family office and leads enterprise governance and coordination of payroll systems and compliance in partnership with Enterprise HR and Legal teams.ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Payroll Strategy & Leadership Define and maintain enterprise payroll design principles, including operating model, governance structure, and decision rightsLead the design and ongoing refinement of the enterprise payroll operating model, including assessment of current state, definition of future-state architecture, and execution roadmapDevelop and deliver a multi-year enterprise payroll roadmap that aligns payroll calendars, pay-date governance, vendor management, and accountable ownership across the payroll operating modelEstablish and lead the enterprise payroll operating model that balances centralized governance with local execution, including performance oversight to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent payroll delivery across entitiesLead cross-functional collaboration with entity payroll teams, HR, Finance, Legal, and Tax to drive alignment of payroll processes with organizational and compliance goalsInform executive stakeholders regarding payroll compliance exposure, system optimization, and operational riskLead enterprise payroll analytics and reporting, delivering insights on cost, compliance risk, and operational performance to key stakeholdersEnsure alignment between payroll operating model design and enterprise systems architecture, including Workday Payroll and related platformsFoster a culture of accountability, standardization, collaboration, and continuous improvement across enterprise and entity payroll teamsGovernance, Risk & Compliance Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for payroll governance, including policy interpretation, escalation decisions, and exception managementDevelop, establish, and maintain enterprise payroll policies, configuration guardrails, and internal control standards across all affiliated entitiesEstablish enterprise standards and strategies for payroll compliance monitoring across federal, state, and local wage and hour regulationsEstablish enterprise standards for interpreting and applying payroll and employment regulations, in partnership with Legal, HR, and Tax, ensuring consistent application across entitiesOwn enterprise oversight of payroll-related internal and external audits, including coordination, issue resolution, and remediation effortsEstablish and enforce enterprise payroll system access and data security standards to protect sensitive payroll informationEnterprise Payroll Implementation & Change Leadership Lead enterprise implementation and adoption of payroll system changes and operational processes, ensuring consistent execution, communication, and deployment across entitiesOwn the coordination of enterprise payroll initiatives impacting multiple entities, including benefit plan changes, compensation programs, and legal-driven updates (e.g., new pay codes or processes)Ensure enterprise-wide alignment and adoption of payroll changes through structured communication, stakeholder engagement, and change management practicesTechnology Design, Ownership & System Governance Serve as enterprise functional owner and governance subject matter expert for Workday Payroll, Workday Time and Attendance, ADP, ABI, TopBloc, and associated payroll and timekeeping systemsLead the execution and ongoing management of the enterprise payroll systems roadmap, ensuring alignment with business, compliance, and scalability needsDefine enterprise configuration and design standards, as well as enhancement intake, prioritization, and testing protocols for payroll system changesEstablish and uphold enterprise configuration standards and system controls to ensure consistency, security, and complianceLead cross-functional alignment with IT, HRIS, Finance, and entity payroll teams to design and optimize integrations between payroll, time tracking, and financial systemsLead enterprise payroll workstreams for system implementations, integrations, and new entity onboarding, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and design principlesPayroll Operations (Family Office) Direct payroll processing activities for the family office, ensuring accurate and timely payroll delivery across multiple entities and jurisdictionsServe as backup payroll processor for end-to-end family office payroll, as needed, ensuring continuity of operations and adherence to enterprise standardsEnsure payroll operations align with enterprise control standards and compliance requirementsSupport payroll-related audits for the family office, ensuring alignment with enterprise audit standards and timely response to inquiriesQualifications Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field required; advanced degree preferred10+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience, including exposure to payroll accounting and at least 5 years in a leadership role overseeing multi-entity or complex payroll environmentsExperience designing enterprise payroll operating models, including governance frameworks, system architecture, and multi-entity structuresDemonstrated experience operating within a matrixed organization and enterprise governance model, with accountability for setting standards across decentralized teamsExperience owning or influencing enterprise payroll systems strategy, including integrations across HRIS, timekeeping, and financial systemsExtensive experience with enterprise payroll systems (e.g., Workday Payroll), including configuration, governance, testing, and optimizationExperience managing enterprise payroll vendors and system integrationsExperience operating across multiple jurisdictions and complex regulatory environmentsDeep knowledge of federal and state wage and hour laws (with an emphasis on California), payroll tax regulations, and related compliance requirementsKnowledge of ADP Smart Compliance, ABI timekeeping, or similar platforms preferredProven success leading large-scale payroll transformation initiatives, including process standardization, system implementations, and organizational changeStrong executive presence with the ability to influence senior leadership and drive alignment across functions and entitiesHigh degree of integrity, discretion, and sound judgment in handling confidential employee and financial information

Created: 2026-05-09