Director, MSO Payroll

Cencora•Conshohocken, PA

5d•$110,500 - $220,990•Remote

About The Position

The Director, MSO Payroll is a strategic leader responsible for overseeing payroll operations delivered through ADP COS (Lyric) Payroll, supported by a Workday-to-ADP data bridge. This role is heavily focused on vendor governance, service delivery optimization, and risk mitigation, ensuring seamless payroll execution through strong partnership with ADP, vendors, and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

College degree in Finance, Accounting, HR, or related field
10+ years payroll leadership experience, with significant exposure to outsourced payroll models
Expertise managing payroll in a large, nationwide organization and vendor-managed payroll environments
Experience with Workday HCM and payroll integrations
Strong background in vendor governance, SLA/KPI management, and contract oversight
Knowledge of multi-state payroll compliance and regulatory requirements
Exceptional communication, negotiation, and leadership skills
FPC (Fundamental Payroll Certification) or CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) certification
Experience managing multi-entity payroll environments
Background in transformation or payroll outsourcing transitions
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across departments and global teams.
Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain strong internal and external stakeholder relationships at all levels.
Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills, with the ability to multitask and adapt in a changing environment.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with proven process improvement capability to identify and execute continuous improvement opportunities across functions.
Advanced project management skills, with a proven track record leading large-scale deployments and driving delivery against scope, timeline and quality expectations.
Deep understanding of payroll systems (ADP, Workday), HRIS, and related technologies, including experience with system integration and data migration.
High attention to detail to ensure accuracy, compliance, and control adherence in payroll processes.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong proficiency in Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint, with experience using Smartsheet.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary relationship owner for ADP COS Lyric Payroll, ensuring service delivery aligns with contractual SLAs, KPIs, and business expectations
Lead recurring vendor governance meetings, including operational reviews, service issue escalation, and continuous improvement planning
Manage contract adherence and drive accountability for payroll accuracy, timeliness, and compliance
Partner with procurement and legal teams on vendor performance evaluations, renewals, and enhancements
Oversee incident management processes, ensuring root cause analysis and remediation plans are executed
Define and execute the payroll strategy aligned to organizational goals, focusing on outsourcing optimization
Provide oversight of payroll operations without direct processing responsibilities
Ensure robust controls across payroll lifecycle: data intake, validation, processing, and post-payroll reconciliation
Drive standardization, automation, and process improvement initiatives in partnership with ADP and HRIS teams
Own governance of the Workday HR data bridge to ADP COS Service team, ensuring data integrity across systems
Collaborate with HRIS, IT, and ADP to manage integration changes, enhancements, and issue resolution
Monitor upstream data quality from Workday (hires, terminations, comp, benefits) impacting payroll
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations through vendor oversight
Establish and maintain internal controls, audit readiness, and SOX compliance (if applicable)
Oversee year-end activities (W-2, tax filings) through ADP relationship management
Act as the executive escalation point for payroll-related issues
Partner with HR, Finance, Benefits, and IT to ensure alignment of payroll processes
Communicate payroll performance metrics and risks to senior leadership
Build and mentor a team focused on audit, validation, and vendor collaboration