Associate Director of Payroll Operations and Shared Services

Harvard University • Cambridge, MA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Payroll Operations and Shared Services reports to the Director of Tax, Payroll, and Policy and leads central payroll processing, payroll operations compliance, and consistent payroll service delivery across central and shared services environments. The role serves as the University’s senior payroll operations and compliance subject matter expert, supporting accurate, timely, controlled, and policy-compliant payroll across schools and units. This position manages the central payroll processing and customer service teams and establishes the standards, controls, escalation paths, training, and performance measures needed to support consistent payroll service delivery across central and emerging shared services environments. As the shared services model evolves, the role is expected to assume expanded direct management and/or functional oversight responsibilities for payroll shared services. The role partners with Human Resources, school and unit finance leadership, HUIT, Labor Relations, the Office of the General Counsel, Tax Compliance, Internal Audit, and other central finance functions to resolve complex payroll matters, strengthen controls, support compliance, and improve the payroll service experience. As part of the initial phase of the role, the Associate Director will play a key leadership role in the design and deployment of the Workforce Services Hub technology platform and payroll shared services operating model. This role will provide operational and compliance expertise, help shape service delivery and control frameworks, support stakeholder engagement and change management efforts, and contribute to a successful transition to and stabilization of the new model.

Requirements

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible payroll operations, payroll compliance, finance operations, or shared services experience, including at least five years managing payroll, finance, HR operations, or shared services teams in a complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading payroll operations or payroll-adjacent operational compliance in a multi-unit, multi-stakeholder, or highly decentralized environment.
• Supervisory experience including managing teams, service delivery expectations, operational controls, escalations, process improvement, and compliance-sensitive workflows.

Nice To Haves

• Deep knowledge of payroll operations, payroll tax concepts, wage and hour requirements, controls, reconciliations, year-end processes, and operational compliance.
• Strong judgment in balancing compliance, customer service, operational practicality, and institutional risk.
• Ability to design procedures, service standards, metrics, escalation models, quality assurance processes, and internal controls.
• Experience with PeopleSoft, Oracle, Workday, SAP, or similar payroll, HR, finance, or ERP systems.
• Experience leading shared services, regional service teams, service desk operations, or distributed operational teams.
• Experience leading change management, stakeholder engagement, training, and adoption across decentralized units.
• Experience in higher education, research, healthcare, nonprofit, public sector, or another complex multi-entity environment.
• Experience supporting payroll operations in unionized or collectively bargained environments.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to explain complex payroll and compliance matters to senior leaders and non-specialist audiences.

Responsibilities

• Provides leadership, coaching, and payroll subject matter expertise to payroll and shared services stakeholders.
• Establishes payroll procedures, controls, documentation standards, and compliance monitoring practices.
• Partners with HR, HUIT, Labor Relations, school and unit finance teams, Tax Compliance, Financial Policy, OGC, Risk Management, and Internal Audit to resolve payroll issues and implement changes.
• Improves payroll service delivery through workflow design, service metrics, root-cause analysis, automation, workload balancing, and standardization.
• Supports shared services design, implementation, change management, stakeholder communication, training, transition planning, and stabilization.
• Manages payroll-related risk by identifying control gaps, monitoring recurring issues, coordinating remediation, and supporting escalation protocols.
• Partners with HUIT and functional stakeholders on payroll systems, reporting, data integrity, access controls, integrations, and testing.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off including parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance coverage starting on day one
• Retirement plans with university contributions
• Wellbeing and mental health resources
• Support for families and caregivers
• Professional development opportunities including tuition assistance and reimbursement
• Commuter benefits, discounts and campus perks

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed