Director of Payroll

SOLV Energy • San Diego, CA

9h • $148,190 - $185,237 • Onsite

About The Position

SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide. Job Description Summary: The Director of Payroll is responsible for the strategic leadership, execution, and continuous improvement of payroll operations across a multi-state, high-growth EPC and related services organization. This role ensures accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing for both salaried and hourly field employees, while building scalable systems, strong controls, and a high-performing payroll team. The Director of Payroll serves as a key partner to People & Culture, Finance, Legal, and Field Operations, supporting complex labor structures, prevailing wage requirements, union and non-union environments, and project-based workforces. This role is located full-time in the San Diego, CA office. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process. Job Description: This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 10+ years of progressive payroll experience, including leadership of payroll teams.
• Deep experience with multi-state payroll in a high-volume, hourly workforce environment.
• Strong knowledge of wage and hour laws, payroll tax compliance, and labor regulations including California pay rules.
• Experience supporting construction, EPC, energy, or similarly complex project-based industries.
• Ability to travel as required to support teams across SOLV’s corporate offices and other locations.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation.
• Experience with prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting.
• Experience in both union and non-union environments.
• Payroll system implementation or transformation experience.
• Public company or SOX-controlled environment experience.
• Strategic mindset with strong operational execution.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to operate in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Continuous improvement and problem-solving orientation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and evolve payroll strategy to support rapid growth, geographic expansion, and project-based labor models.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing payroll team with a focus on accuracy, accountability, and service.
• Establish payroll policies, procedures, controls, and documentation aligned with best practices.
• Oversee end-to-end payroll processing for salaried and hourly employees across multiple states.
• Ensure accurate processing of wages, overtime, per diem, bonuses, commissions, retro pay, and off-cycle payments.
• Manage payroll calendars, cutoffs, approvals, and audit readiness.
• Partner with HRIS, IT (Time & Attendance), Labor Compliance, and Finance to ensure clean upstream and downstream data.
• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local wage and hour laws.
• Oversee payroll compliance related to:  Prevailing wage and certified payroll reporting. Union and non-union labor requirements. Multi-state taxation and local jurisdiction rules.
• Manage payroll audits, internal controls, and SOX-aligned processes.
• Stay current on regulatory changes impacting payroll and labor compliance.
• Own payroll systems and vendor relationships (e.g., ADP, Workday, CMiC, or similar).
• Lead payroll system implementations, upgrades, and M&A integrations.
• Drive automation, standardization, and process efficiencies across payroll operations, including acquisitions.
• Partner with IT and HRIS teams on data governance and system optimization.
• Collaborate closely with: Field Operations and Project Controls on labor forecasting and reporting. Finance on reconciliations, accruals, and payroll costing. People & Culture on employee experience, onboarding, and offboarding.
• Act as a trusted advisor on payroll implications for new projects, acquisitions, or workforce changes.

Benefits

• Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance.
• Employees can enroll in our company’s 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director