Director of Payroll

Prestige School Solutions•Greenville, SC

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Director of Payroll leads Prestige School Solutions’ Payroll Value Stream, including the payroll team and payroll service delivery for a growing portfolio of charter school clients. The role is accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing while driving standardized processes, operational excellence, client satisfaction, and team development. The Director partners with Financial Consulting, Human Resources, Accounts Payable, Audit, and school leadership teams to support growth and strong client outcomes. This position provides strategic and operational oversight of payroll across client schools and internal staff, including multi-frequency, multi-entity, and multi-state payrolls. It leads and develops payroll leaders and team members, advises clients on payroll matters, resolves escalations, monitors service delivery and performance, and builds scalable processes and systems. The role also supports client onboarding, business development, acquisitions, implementations, and organizational change. The position is fully remote with occasional travel for client meetings, team events, conferences, and training. It reports to the Chief Operations Officer. Prestige offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience, performance-based bonus opportunities, a comprehensive benefits package, and professional development and leadership growth opportunities.

Requirements

10 or more years of progressive payroll leadership experience, including responsibility for multi-state payroll operations and leading teams through growth.
Strong knowledge of payroll tax regulations, wage and hour laws, and compliance requirements.
Strong proficiency with payroll systems, reporting tools, workflow management platforms, and business intelligence dashboards.
Demonstrated success leading teams through growth, organizational change, technology implementations, acquisitions, or integrations.
Experience leading leaders, such as managers, supervisors, or team leads.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
High integrity and personal accountability.
Strong customer service mindset and ability to build trust and credibility with clients and team members.
Ability to listen and understand before responding thoughtfully and strategically.
Strategic thinking and a hands-on leadership style.
Comfort navigating conflict.
Commitment to continuous improvement.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
Human Resources experience, including employee onboarding, benefits coordination, or HR compliance support.
Experience leading payroll operations in professional services, outsourced services, or business process outsourcing.
Experience integrating acquired teams, systems, or client portfolios.
Experience serving K-12 schools, charter schools, educational organizations, or professional service firms.
Experience leading operational improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, or other continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

Oversee payroll operations for client schools and internal staff across the client portfolio, managing delivery as the business grows nationally.
Ensure timely and accurate payroll processing across multiple frequencies, entities, and states.
Establish and maintain payroll quality controls, review procedures, and audit processes.
Monitor payroll performance metrics and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations.
Develop and execute a scalable payroll service delivery strategy for growth across multiple states and jurisdictions.
Provide strategic oversight of complex payroll matters, including multi-state taxation, compliance, and payroll system integrations.
Lead, coach, and develop payroll leaders and team members.
Establish performance standards, accountability measures, and coaching practices; create professional development and succession planning opportunities.
Foster teamwork, collaboration, customer service, and continuous learning, and lead organizational change affecting payroll operations and service delivery.
Serve as a strategic payroll advisor and subject matter expert for clients; develop executive-level client relationships.
Resolve escalated client concerns and complex payroll issues.
Support client onboarding, implementation, and business development efforts.
Monitor team performance and service delivery outcomes, address performance gaps, and use metrics to identify trends, forecast capacity, and improve performance.
Build management systems that enable scalable operational oversight.
Standardize payroll workflows, documentation, and best practices; implement improvements to increase accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.
Develop and maintain payroll SOPs, training materials, audit readiness, and internal knowledge resources.
Partner with other departments and leadership teams, represent payroll in strategic planning, and support growth initiatives including onboarding, acquisitions, and system implementations.