Director of Payroll

Its fun to work in a company where people truly BELIEVE in what theyre doing!

Were committed to bringing passion and customer focus to the business.

Director of Payroll

Reports To: Vice President of Finance

Direct Reports: Payroll Manager Payroll Admin

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

Salary: $150000 - 170000

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Director of Payroll provides strategic leadership and complete operational ownership of the organizations end-to-end payroll function. Managing a weekly payroll for 2000 to 2500 active checks (across an active workforce of 3000 employeespredominantly 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 401(k) administration and 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.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Operational Payroll Execution & System Configuration

• Direct and execute weekly high-volume payroll processing for 2000 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.

2. Systems Integrations & M&A Expansion

• 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.

3. Tax FLSA Compliance & Year-End Close

• 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.

4. 401(k) & Benefits Administration (Soup-to-Nuts)

• Manage all aspects of retirement plan payroll processes: census file creation/transmission contribution calculations match processing and loan garnishments.
• Lead annual 401(k) compliance activities including audit support data collection and preparation/review for Form 5500 filings.

5. Leadership & Team Management

• 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.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

• Experience: 7 years of progressive payroll management experience handling complex high-volume weekly payrolls (2000 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) 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.
• 401(k) Ownership: Demonstrated track record managing 401(k) census data contributions and Form 5500 compliance from end to end.
• M&A / Integration Capability: Proven ability to build payroll systems from scratch establish integrations and onboard acquired entities.
• Education / Credentials: Bachelors degree in Finance Accounting Business or related field preferred; Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation is a plus.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Player-Coach Mentality: Unafraid to roll up sleeves to run processing calculate manual adjustments or trace technical system errors alongside the team.
• Technical Problem Solving: Ability to diagnose root-cause technical issues between Workday and integrated systems.
• Project Management: Structured approach to scoping planning and executing system builds and operational changes.
• Scrupulous Accuracy: Flawless execution in W-2 reconciliations wage calculations and compliance filings.

CORPWKD

If you like wild growth and working with happy enthusiastic over-achievers youll enjoy your career with us!