Sr Director, Payroll

$156,200 - $260,400/Yr

Cox Enterprises, LLC - Atlanta, GA

Full-time - Senior

Atlanta, GA

Personal and Laundry Services

About the position

The Sr. Director, Payroll is responsible for providing global oversight and strategic direction for the Payroll and Payroll Tax and Compliance function at Cox Enterprises. This role involves leading the payroll teams, ensuring compliance with regulations, and driving payroll transformation initiatives to standardize and automate processes. The position requires collaboration with various stakeholders and offers a high level of visibility within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and direct all aspects of payroll operations, payroll tax compliance, and payroll system management.
• Develop payroll strategy aligned with the company's goals and objectives, ensuring process efficiency and scalability.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a payroll team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (HR, Finance, Legal, IBT) to align payroll processes with organizational needs.
• Partner with external vendors to ensure best-in-class payroll operations and compliance.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on payroll processes, payroll taxes, and regulatory changes affecting payroll.
• Ensure timely and accurate payroll processing for all employees across multiple states or countries.
• Monitor payroll trends and industry standards to recommend and implement improvements to payroll processes.
• Oversee the integration and coordination of payroll with HR Technology and financial systems, ensuring data integrity and accurate reporting.
• Manage complex payroll scenarios such as expatriate payrolls and mergers and acquisitions payroll transitions.
• Ensure compliance with all payroll tax requirements, including withholding, filing, and remittance of payroll taxes.
• Monitor changes in tax legislation and ensure the organization remains compliant.
• Manage all tax-related audits, working closely with external auditors and internal teams.
• Oversee the preparation and filing of all quarterly and annual payroll tax reports.
• Ensure payroll compliance with wage and hour laws and maintain accurate records for audits.
• Lead payroll technology initiatives, including the implementation and upgrades of payroll systems and software.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, identifying inefficiencies and optimizing the payroll process.
• Prepare payroll-related reports for senior leadership, including variance analysis and cost forecasts.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for escalated payroll inquiries from employees and management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Accounting, Finance, or other business-related degree.
• 12+ years of payroll and payroll tax experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with leading a payroll and payroll tax team in an integrated Workday environment.
• Advanced knowledge of Tax and Labor rules and regulations.
• Executive relationship management expertise.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
• MBA or Master's Degree is a plus.
• Global payroll management experience in a service and/or matrixed environment.
• Demonstrated capacity to manage an operational function with customer service orientation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.

Benefits

• Flexible vacation policy allowing employees to take as much vacation as they deem consistent with their duties.
• Seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for personal or family wellness.
• Additional paid time off for bereavement, voting, jury duty, volunteering, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.