Director, Payroll

$134,204 - $194,569/Yr

West Coast University - Irvine, CA

Full-time - Senior

Hybrid - Irvine, CA

1,001-5,000 employees

Educational Services

About the position

As the Director of Payroll, you will be responsible for overseeing the payroll operations, ensuring that all employees are paid accurately and timely, as well as ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations related to payroll. Our ideal candidate has advanced knowledge of payroll systems and practices, has experience in previously leading payroll department for a large or publicly traded organization, is highly organized, and possesses a proven strong leadership skill. In this role, you will lead all aspects of payroll to ensure accuracy and compliance with relevant federal, state, and local tax laws and regulations. You will manage a payroll administration team and provide mentorship and coaching to ensure that the team operates effectively. Building relationships with core cross-functional teams, including HR, Accounting, Finance, Legal, and all other departments as required, will be essential to ensure seamless payroll operations and compliance. You will collaborate with Accounting to ensure payroll accounts are accurately reconciled on a monthly basis and manage the payroll process to ensure accurate and timely payment of employees. You will also be responsible for developing and maintaining payroll policies and procedures, implementing best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy, and staying up-to-date with changes in payroll laws and regulations to ensure compliance in all the states where the company operates. Leading relationships with third-party vendors and payroll service providers, reviewing and approving payroll reports, reconciliations, and tax filings, and analyzing payroll data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement will be key functions of your role. Additionally, you will lead payroll system implementations, enhancements, and upgrades, focusing on ADP and potentially Workday systems, while providing strategic guidance to senior leadership on payroll-related matters. Ensuring data security and confidentiality of payroll information will also be a critical aspect of your responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of payroll to ensure accuracy and compliance with relevant federal, state, and local tax laws and regulations.
• Manage a payroll administration team and provide mentorship and coaching.
• Build relationships with core cross-functional teams, including HR, Accounting, Finance, Legal, and all other departments as required, to ensure seamless payroll operations and compliance.
• Collaborate with Accounting to ensure payroll accounts are accurately reconciled on a monthly basis.
• Manage the payroll process and ensure accurate and timely payment of employees.
• Develop and maintain payroll policies and procedures.
• Implement and maintain payroll policies, procedures, and best practices to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Stay up-to-date with changes in payroll laws and regulations to ensure compliance in all the states where the company operates.
• Lead relationships with third-party vendors and payroll service providers.
• Review and approve payroll reports, reconciliations, and tax filings.
• Analyze payroll data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead payroll system implementations, enhancements, and upgrades, with a focus on ADP and potentially Workday systems.
• Provide strategic guidance to senior leadership on payroll-related matters.
• Ensure data security and confidentiality of payroll information.
• Closely manage ADP Security settings, Hourly Time and Attendance Settings as well as review and approve bi-weekly and monthly payroll processing.
• Monitor and manage the direct feed from Oracle (potentially Workday) to ADP daily.
• Create wage and management reports, including workers compensation information.
• Assure payroll deductions for employee contributions including insurance and garnishments, 401(k) Loans, deferred compensation, and all other applicable deductions.
• Ensure accurate processing, reconciliation, and recordkeeping of multi-state payroll.
• Resolve escalated payroll discrepancies and issues quickly and efficiently.
• Assist in processing year-end information including W2s.
• Overall responsibility for system management, user training, and operational procedures.
• Collaborate with the cross-functional leadership team as well as with outside vendors to develop and launch new processes.
• Project lead for payroll-related projects, including continuous development of processes that are scalable and support the company's growth.
• Ensure the Team is consistently maintaining excellent customer service with team members and external parties.
• Ensure internal controls are properly followed, support providing documentation for annual reviews/audit.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or Business Administration required.
• Experience in payroll management roles required.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential is recommended and preferred.
• Public company background with SOX compliance experience is preferred.
• Experience in payroll system implementation is preferred.
• 8 years experience leading payroll teams and operations at a public or large (over 3,000+ employees) company.
• 10+ years of related experience in multi-state payroll operations and administration.
• Proven experience as a Payroll Director or Payroll Manager.
• Superior knowledge of ADP, Oracle and Workday.
• In-depth knowledge of labor legislation and tax regulations.
• Excellent understanding of US payroll laws and regulations.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Proven ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in payroll system implementation is preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential is recommended and preferred.
• Public company background with SOX compliance experience is preferred.

Benefits

• Compensation: $134,203.85 - $194,569.06
• Hybrid work schedule: 3 days in the office and 2 days remote.