Director Payroll Services

Sunrise Senior Living•Mclean, VA

1d•$160,356 - $200,445•Onsite

About The Position

The Director Payroll Services provides enterprise-level leadership for payroll strategy, operations and compliance across Sunrise’s U.S. and Canadian locations while mentoring and developing a high-performing payroll team and serving as the most senior escalation point for complex payroll and compliance matters. This role oversees the execution of all payroll services, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant payroll delivery while driving innovation, automation and scalability within payroll systems and processes. The role also partners with senior leaders in Human Resources (HR), Finance, Legal, Information Technology (IT) and Operations to align payroll initiatives with organizational strategy, manage compliance risk and deliver a best-in-class experience for Sunrise team members. In addition, this role leads cross-functional initiatives related to system enhancements, process transformation, audits and organizational growth, including M&A activity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or a related field required; advanced degree preferred
Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) strongly preferred
Workday Payroll and Time Tracking experience required; Workday implementation experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated advanced proficiency in Excel (e.g., pivot tables, XLOOKUPs, macros, etc.) with at least intermediate level proficiency in other Microsoft Office suite applications
Minimum of 10 years of progressive payroll experience leading payroll operations for a large, multi-entity organization, with hands-on expertise in U.S. and Canadian payroll for exempt and non-exempt employees, payroll taxes, and relevant payroll accounting
Minimum of 5 years of people leadership experience, including oversight of small- to mid-sized teams and leadership of managers or supervisors
Experience leading or supporting M&A activities, payroll process transformation and internal/external audits
Demonstrated project management experience, including the ability to manage project plans, dependencies, critical path activities and milestones
Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic, growth-oriented environment while ensuring accuracy and compliance

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred
Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) strongly preferred
Workday implementation experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise-wide payroll strategy, including transformation initiatives that improve scalability, automation and cost-efficiency
Provide strategic direction and oversight of payroll operations across the U.S. and Canada, ensuring timely and accurate processing for a large, multi-state/provincial workforce
Oversee payroll compliance and risk management, ensuring adherence to all applicable tax laws, wage and hour regulations and internal controls
Lead all payroll-related audit activities, including internal audits, SOX compliance and financial reporting audits, ensuring controls are documented, tested and refined as needed
Drive the optimization and continuous improvement of payroll systems, particularly Workday Payroll and Time Tracking, collaborating closely with IT and HRIS to enhance functionality and system integration
Lead cross-functional collaboration with HR, Legal, Finance and Operations to support complex organizational priorities, such as M&A integrations, workforce changes and policy updates
Oversee payroll-related month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close activities, including journal entries, reconciliations, and financial analytics
Develop and maintain payroll-related KPIs and service level agreements (SLAs), ensuring a consistent, high-quality team member experience across all communities
Guide the development and implementation of standardized payroll policies, procedures and internal documentation to support audit readiness and regulatory compliance
Serve as the senior escalation point for complex payroll matters and inquiries, ensuring rapid, accurate resolution and continuous process improvement
Mentor and coach the payroll leadership team and staff, supporting career development, team engagement and professional growth
Maintain compliance in assigned required training and all training required by state/province or other regulating authorities as applicable to this role to ensure that Sunrise standards are always met
Perform other duties as assigned