Director, Payroll

DescriptionPosition Summary The Director of Payroll is a senior leadership role responsible for scaling payroll operations through strong people development, deep technical expertise, and advanced use of the UKG Ready platform. This role leads high-volume, enterprise payroll operations while developing payroll leaders and specialists into subject-matter experts. The Director of Payroll partners closely with Tax, Accounting, Implementation, and Client Success to anticipate regulatory changes, strengthen system controls, and deliver consistent, compliant, client-first payroll execution. This role requires prior experience in a payroll bureau or UKG partner environment and demonstrated success leading teams through complexity, change, and growth. This role is both strategic and hands-on, requiring direct, ongoing involvement in the UKG Ready system and payroll processing to guide decisions, support the team, and resolve complex issues. Essential Duties and Responsibilities The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following: • Payroll Operations Leadership & Compliance • Provide executive-level oversight of multi-state, high-volume payroll processing for enterprise clients, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timeliness across all payroll cycles. • Serve as a subject matter expert in payroll taxation, including tax setup, corrections, reconciliations, earning and deduction taxability, and regulatory interpretation. • Oversee year-end payroll bureau processes including W-2s, ACA reporting, and related reconciliations. • Lead ACH processing strategy, including best practices for funding, reversals, refunds, and client collections, in partnership with Accounting and Risk. • Proactively assess regulatory and industry changes, evaluating downstream client and system impact, and lead implementation of required payroll updates. • UKG Ready Platform Ownership • Own payroll operations within the UKG Ready platform, ensuring system configuration, controls, workflows, and integrations align with compliance and scalability needs. • Partner with Implementation and Tax teams to ensure seamless alignment between UKG Ready and MasterTax, including ongoing system optimization. • Lead training and enablement efforts to transition non-UKG users into proficient UKG Ready payroll professionals. • Payroll Team Development & Leadership • Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing payroll leadership team with a strong bench of future leaders. • Create structured development paths for payroll specialists, focusing on technical depth, judgment, escalation handling, and leadership readiness. • Establish training programs, documentation standards, and quality controls that support consistency and knowledge transfer across the payroll organization. • Foster accountability, continuous improvement, and ownership through coaching, feedback, and performance metrics. • Client & Escalation Management • Provide senior-level oversight of enterprise and high-volume client relationships, including direct involvement in complex payroll escalations. • Partner with Management to support onboarding, retention, and long-term client satisfaction. • Represent payroll leadership in client conversations requiring advanced technical or operational expertise. • Strategic & Cross-Functional Leadership • Collaborate with Tax, Accounting, Implementation, and Sales leadership to align payroll operations with company growth initiatives. • Leverage data and reporting to evaluate team performance, identify risk, and drive operational improvements. • Support budgeting, resource planning, and investment decisions related to payroll operations and technology. • Other duties as assigned Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities) • 8+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience, including experience in a payroll bureau or UKG partner environment. • Demonstrated experience leading high-volume, enterprise payroll operations. • Advanced, hands-on experience with the UKG Ready platform required. • Deep knowledge of payroll compliance, tax setup, corrections, reconciliations, and earning/deduction taxability. • Proven track record of developing payroll teams and leaders, including training non-UKG users into successful UKG Ready professionals. • Experience managing year-end payroll processes including W-2s, ACA, and related compliance requirements. • Strong experience overseeing ACH processing, client funding, and refund/collection best practices. • Demonstrated ability to anticipate industry changes and assess client and operational impact. • Exceptional leadership, communication, escalation management, and problem-solving skills. Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate. Note This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship. The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable. The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.

Created: 2026-03-10