Director of Payroll

Role Type: Operational & Strategic Leadership (100% Hands-On "Player-Coach")

* MUST HAVE EXTENSIVE WORKDAY EXPERIENCE*

The Director of Payroll provides strategic leadership and complete operational ownership of the organization’s end-to-end payroll function. Managing a weekly payroll for 2,000 active checks (across an active workforce of ~3,000 employees—predominantly hourly with ~150 salaried/admin), this role requires a deeply technical, hands‑on leader who can execute any task on the team while driving system integrations, project management, and M&A stand‑ups.

The ideal candidate possesses deep expertise in Workday and ADP Smart Compliance
, holds full accountability for tax compliance (NYS-45, 941, SUI) without a dedicated tax manager, and thrives in rolling up their sleeves to configure systems, write deduction rules, and build payroll operations from scratch.

• Direct and execute weekly high-volume payroll processing for ~2,000+ hourly and ~150 salaried employees.
• Act as primary administrator for Workday and ADP Smart Compliance
  ; configure foundation rules, build payroll groups, and create earnings/deduction codes from scratch.
• Perform advanced data reconciliation and reporting using Microsoft Excel (
  Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs/XLOOKUPs
  ).
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical system errors, data flow issues, and operational bottlenecks.

• Serve as technical lead for system integrations and data mappings between Workday and third-party vendor applications.
• Stand up full payroll operations from scratch for newly acquired entities, business units, or geographic regions.
• Plan, lead, and execute payroll technology projects, system upgrades, and process automation.

• Hold full, end-to-end operational responsibility for payroll tax administration (no dedicated internal Tax Manager).
• Personally oversee and execute federal, state, and local tax filings, including Form 941, NYS-45, and State Unemployment Insurance (SUI) filings.
• Direct year-end operations, including manual W-2 reconciliations, tax audits, and compliance reporting.
• Ensure strict adherence to FLSA regulations, meal/rest break laws, overtime rules, garnishments, and court-ordered deductions across a complex hourly workforce.

• Preparation/review for Form 5500 filings
  .
• Supervise, mentor, and develop two direct reports (
  Payroll Manager and Payroll Admin
  ), establishing operational accountability and performance standards.
• Maintain cross-functional alignment with HR, Benefits, and Finance/Accounting for journal entries, labor allocations, and accruals.

• Experience: 7+ years of progressive payroll management experience handling complex, high-volume weekly payrolls (1,000+ checks) with a high concentration of hourly workers.
• Systems Expertise (MUST-HAVE): Direct hands-on experience using Workday (building payroll groups, creating deduction/earning codes, implementations, and data mapping) and ADP Smart Compliance
  .
• Technical & Data
  
  Skills:
  
  Advanced Excel proficiency required (
  Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs/XLOOKUPs
  , data manipulation, and audits).
• Tax Expertise: Hands-on mastery of federal/state tax mechanics, specifically Form 941, NYS-45, and SUI filings without third-party tax management.
• M&A / Integration Capability: Proven ability to build payroll systems from scratch, establish integrations, and onboard acquired entities.
• Education / Credentials: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field preferred;
  Certified Payroll Professional (
  CPP
  ) designation is a plus.