Director of Payroll

*** SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide.
***** Job Description

Summary:

** The Director of Payroll is responsible for the strategic leadership, execution, and continuous improvement of payroll operations across a multi-state, high-growth EPC and related services organization. This role ensures accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing for both salaried and hourly field employees, while building scalable systems, strong controls, and a high-performing payroll team. The Director of Payroll serves as a key partner to People & Culture, Finance, Legal, and Field Operations, supporting complex labor structures, prevailing wage requirements, union and non-union environments, and project-based work forces.
This role is located full-time in either the San Diego, CA or Edison, NJ office. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.
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* Job Description:

*** This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned
*** Position

Responsibilities and Duties:

*** Lead and evolve payroll strategy to support rapid growth, geographic expansion, and project-based labor models.
* Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing payroll team with a focus on accuracy, accountability, and service.
* Establish payroll policies, procedures, controls, and documentation aligned with best practices.
* Oversee end-to-end payroll processing for salaried and hourly employees across multiple states.
* Ensure accurate processing of wages, overtime, per diem, bonuses, commissions, retro pay, and off-cycle payments.
* Manage payroll calendars, cutoffs, approvals, and audit readiness. Partner with HRIS, IT (Time & Attendance), Labor Compliance, and Finance to ensure clean upstream and downstream data.
* Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local wage and hour laws.
* Oversee payroll compliance related to:  Prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting. Union and non-union labor requirements. Multi-state taxation and local jurisdiction rules.
* Manage payroll audits, internal controls, and SOX-aligned processes.
* Stay current on regulatory changes impacting payroll and labor compliance.
* Own payroll systems and vendor relationships (e.g., ADP, Workday, CMiC, or similar).
* Lead payroll system implementations, upgrades, and M&A integrations.
* Drive automation, standardization, and process efficiencies across payroll operations, including acquisitions.
* Partner with IT and HRIS teams on data governance and system optimization.
* Collaborate closely with:
Field Operations and Project Controls on labor forecasting and reporting. Finance on reconciliations, accruals, and payroll costing. People & Culture on employee experience, onboarding, and offboarding.
* Act as a trusted advisor on payroll implications for new projects, acquisitions, or workforce changes.
** Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements:
*** Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
* 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership of payroll teams.
* Deep experience with multi-state payroll in a high-volume, hourly workforce environment.
* Strong knowledge of wage and hour laws, payroll tax compliance, and labor regulations including California pay rules.
* Experience supporting construction, EPC, energy, or similarly complex project-based industries.
* Ability to travel as required to support teams across SOLV’s corporate offices and other locations.
* CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation.
* Experience with prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting.
* Experience in both union and non-union environments.
* Payroll system implementation or transformation experience.
* Public company or SOX-controlled environment experience.
* Strategic mindset with strong operational execution.
* High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
* Ability to operate in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
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