Director of Payroll Services & Benefits Administration

San Francisco Unified School District•San Francisco, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is seeking a Director of Payroll Services & Benefits Administration. This role serves as the principal deputy and second-in-command to the Executive Director, providing strategic and operational leadership over Payroll Operations, Post-Pay Functions, Payroll Customer Service, and Benefits Administration. The Director will translate executive strategy into operational execution, strengthen internal controls and service delivery, resolve cross-functional issues, and ensure accurate, timely, compliant, and employee-centered administration of pay and benefits. This position operates at the leadership, governance, organizational-performance, and systems level.

Requirements

Demonstrated project and program management experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives, including development of project plans, timelines, milestones, risk and management, stakeholder engagement, change management, and successful implementation.
Demonstrated success leading complex administrative functions through subordinate managers and supervisors, establishing clear accountability, developing leadership capacity, and improving organizational performance.
Experience supervising or leading a large-scale payroll operation, preferably in a public school district or other complex public-sector environment, with responsibility for certificated and classified employee pay through a computerized payroll system.
Experience with employee benefits administration, including eligibility, enrollment, health and welfare programs, vendor coordination, reconciliation, employee service, and compliance.
Knowledge of California Education Code employment provisions applicable to certificated and classified staff and experience operationalizing collective bargaining agreements.
Knowledge of practices and procedures of the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) and San Francisco City and County Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS).
Experience with payroll taxes, W-2/W-2C administration, deductions, garnishments, retirement reporting, reconciliations, audit support, and internal controls.
Strong customer-service and case-management orientation, with demonstrated ability to resolve complex and sensitive employee pay or benefits issues.
Experience leading business-process improvement, organizational change, system implementation, data-quality improvement, automation, or related transformation efforts.
Ability to work effectively across multiple functions and roles within a complex, unionized organization and build strong working relationships with senior leaders and operational partners.
Strong analytical, communication, judgment, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work effectively in difficult situations involving confidential and sensitive matters.
Strong computer and systems skills, including Google Suite and Microsoft Office Suite; experience with enterprise HR, payroll, benefits, timekeeping, or case-management systems is highly desirable.
Bachelor’s degree (B.A. / B.S) from an accredited college or university; advanced degree preferred AND Four (4) years of professional-level experience in business or financial operations at a large, urban school district, or payroll department, or other relevant setting.
Up to 4 years of education requirement may be substituted for additional experience on a year-for-year basis.

Nice To Haves

Strategic leadership and management experience; experience in a K-12 public educational setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the principal deputy and senior operating leader to the Executive Director; represent the department and act on behalf of the Executive Director in operational and administrative matters as assigned.
Lead and coordinate Payroll Operations, Post-Pay Functions, Payroll Customer Service, and Benefits Administration through subordinate managers and supervisors, establishing clear priorities, accountability, service standards, and performance expectations.
Translate executive priorities into annual operating plans, measurable goals, implementation timelines, and corrective actions; monitor organizational performance and report significant risks, trends, and resource needs to the Executive Director.
Provide senior oversight of payroll functions across SFUSD, inclusive of approximately 10,000 certificated and classified employees on varying pay schedules, ensuring timely and accurate monthly, biweekly, supplemental, manual, and off-cycle payroll processing.
Provide leadership and supervision to Benefits Administration, including eligibility and enrollment, health and welfare benefits, qualifying life events, annual Open Enrollment, employee support, vendor coordination, benefit deductions, reconciliations, and compliance.
Ensure timely and accurate post-payroll activities, including payroll taxes, W-2 and W-2C processing, CalSTRS and SFERS reporting, garnishments, child support, voluntary and mandatory deductions, retirement deductions, vendor remittances, reconciliations, and required reporting.
Provide senior leadership for Payroll Customer Service, including intake and triage, employee assistance, complex case resolution, service-level standards, escalation management, employee communications, and knowledge management.
Establish and maintain strong internal controls and appropriate segregation of duties across payroll and benefits processes; identify operational, financial, compliance, system, and employee-service risks and require timely corrective action.
Oversee consistent processes for identifying, validating, communicating, correcting, and recovering payroll overpayments and for promptly resolving underpayments and missed-pay situations in accordance with applicable requirements.
Use payroll errors, benefit discrepancies, customer-service trends, audit findings, and performance data to identify root causes and sponsor sustainable corrective actions rather than relying solely on transactional fixes.
Work collaboratively with Human Resources, Leaves, Labor Relations, Legal, Position Control, Accounting, Budget, Technology, retirement systems, benefits vendors, and other internal and external partners to ensure accurate and timely employee pay and benefits administration.
Partner with Process Improvement & Special Projects to redesign workflows, improve data quality, strengthen documentation, automate manual processes, develop performance dashboards, and implement cross-functional initiatives.
Monitor compliance with applicable federal and California laws and regulations, Education Code provisions, collective bargaining agreements, Board policies, tax requirements, retirement-system requirements, benefit plan requirements, and other governing rules.
Supervise, evaluate, coach, and develop assigned managers and supervisors; build leadership capacity, promote cross-training and succession planning, address single points of failure, and hold leaders accountable for short- and long-term results.
Coordinate internal and external audits affecting Payroll or Benefits Administration, ensure timely responses to findings, and monitor completion of corrective-action plans.
Develop and maintain clear operating procedures, calendars, checklists, escalation protocols, and service standards so critical functions are institutionalized and not dependent on individual knowledge.
Communicate effectively with employees, managers, senior District leadership, bargaining-unit representatives, vendors, retirement systems, and external agencies regarding complex or sensitive payroll and benefits matters.
Perform related duties as assigned.