Head of Payroll, North America

Location: City of White Plains

Head of Payroll, North America – ZEISS Group

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About Us

How many companies can say they’ve been in business for over 177 years? Here at ZEISS, we certainly can! As pioneers of science, ZEISS handles ever‑changing environments in a fast‑paced world, meeting them with cutting‑edge technology and continuous advancements. ZEISS believes that innovation and technology are the key to a sustainable future and solutions for global change. We have a diverse range of portfolios throughout the ZEISS family in segments like Industrial Quality & Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology.

We are a global company with over 42,000 employees and more than 4,000 in the US and Canada alone. Make a difference, come join the team!

Here’s What You’ll Do

Strategic Leadership and Governance

• Further develop and execute a long‑term payroll strategy for North America, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and alignment with organizational objectives.

• Drive transformation initiatives to streamline processes, improve internal controls, and ensure best‑in‑class service delivery.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on payroll‑related risks, performance, and compliance posture.

• Drive harmonization and automation of payroll processes across key areas, including 401(k) reconciliation, Workday earning code definition incl. mapping to GL, and other critical workflows.

• Lead and manage payroll‑related projects, including system upgrades, integrations/migrations, vendor transitions, and process improvement initiatives.

• Partner with HR, Finance and HR Digital Solutions teams to align payroll operations with broader organizational strategies and to optimize end‑to‑end processes.

Payroll Operational Excellence

• Oversee the accurate processing of multi‑state U.S. and Canadian payroll, special payments, garnishments, tax with holdings, and benefit deductions.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, provincial, and local payroll tax laws and regulations, including multi‑state payroll tax registrations and updates.

• Ensure absolute accuracy, timeliness, and compliance in payroll operations.

• Maintain a hands‑on approach and operational depth to ensure continuity and quality across all touchpoints.

• Oversee payroll‑related implications for expats and mobile employees.

• Monitor regulatory changes and ensure proactive compliance.

• Manage relationships with external payroll vendors, ensuring performance against SLAs, cost efficiency, and compliance standards.

• Establish and monitor payroll KPIs, providing regular reporting and insight to Finance and HR leadership.

• Ensure payroll processes follow robust internal controls and support all internal and external audits, including payroll reconciliations, workers compensation and documentation of key procedures.

• Understand complex and integrated system/technology landscape (e.g., Workday) downstream systems, integrations and reporting.

• Manage year‑end payroll activities, including tax reporting (e.g., W‑2, T4) and reconciliation processes.

Team Leadership and Development

• Develop, coach, and inspire a team of payroll professionals to deliver with excellence, integrity, and purpose.

• Cultivate a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Identify and build future leadership within the team; foster cross‑functional learning and upskilling.

• Establish clear performance metrics, SLAs, and KPIs for the payroll team to ensure high‑quality service delivery.

Partnership and Collaboration

• Build strong, trusting relationships with Finance, HR (including HR Digital Solutions), Legal and onsite leadership.

• Represent payroll in M&A due diligence, onboarding, and integration efforts.

• Collaborate with HR Digital Solutions teams to maintain and optimize Workday Time & Payroll systems.

• Act as the internal and external face of payroll, ensuring transparency and proactive communication.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Implement and maintain robust governance framework and controls to ensure compliance with organizational policies, payroll tax laws, and…