DIRECTOR, PAYROLL

Air Transport Services Group, Inc.•Wilmington, OH

10d

About The Position

ATSG is a leading provider of air cargo transportation and related services, including aircraft leasing, air cargo lift, passenger ACMI and charter services, aircraft maintenance, and airport ground services. The Director of Payroll leads accurate, timely, compliant, and efficient payroll administration for ATSG and its operating companies across a diverse, geographically dispersed workforce. The role establishes consistent payroll standards, strengthens internal controls, optimizes payroll systems and processes, and partners with Accounting/Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, and operating company leadership. The Director provides enterprise payroll leadership, overseeing processing and related activities while balancing consistent practices with legitimate business-unit and jurisdictional needs. The role safeguards regulatory compliance and financial integrity, supports payroll accounting and reporting, and leads payroll technology and continuous improvement efforts. It also develops payroll team members, serves as the enterprise subject matter expert and escalation point, and promotes service excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible payroll experience, including at least 3 years in a payroll management or leadership capacity.
Demonstrated experience overseeing complex, multi-state payroll operations for a large, multi-entity or geographically dispersed organization.
Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations, wage and hour requirements, payroll reporting, and related compliance obligations.
Experience managing payroll operations, controls, reconciliations, audits, and year-end activities.
Proficiency with enterprise payroll systems and related HRIS and financial system integrations.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage competing priorities, and collaborate effectively across functions.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and organizational skills.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive employee and financial information.

Nice To Haves

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) credential.
Experience leading payroll operations for an organization with 3,000 or more employees.
Experience in aviation, transportation, logistics, manufacturing, or another operationally complex, highly regulated industry.
Experience supporting multiple legal entities, pay groups, and payroll schedules.
Experience with UKG payroll and HRIS platforms.
Experience supporting unionized workforces, collective bargaining agreements, or complex shift-based compensation arrangements.
Experience leading payroll system implementations, automation initiatives, process standardization, or shared services transformations.
Familiarity with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) internal control requirements, where applicable.

Responsibilities

Direct and oversee payroll operations across ATSG and its operating companies, ensuring accurate and timely processing for all employees.
Establish enterprise-wide payroll policies, procedures, service standards, and operating practices while accommodating business-unit and jurisdictional requirements.
Oversee payroll processing, adjustments, deductions, garnishments, special payments, and off-cycle payroll activities.
Ensure proper administration of salaried, hourly, shift-differential, overtime, incentive, and other applicable pay arrangements.
Partner with operating company leaders to address business-specific payroll requirements while promoting consistency and efficiency.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll, wage and hour, tax withholding, reporting, and recordkeeping requirements.
Oversee payroll tax deposits, filings, reconciliations, and year-end reporting.
Maintain controls for payroll authorization, processing, data integrity, and financial reporting, and safeguard confidential employee and financial information.
Partner with Legal, Human Resources, and Finance to evaluate payroll implications of regulatory changes, compensation programs, employment policies, and organizational initiatives.
Support internal and external audits and develop and implement corrective actions as needed.
Ensure compliance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and specialized pay requirements.
Provide functional leadership for payroll technology, systems, integrations, and process improvements.
Collaborate with HRIS, IT, Finance, and operating company stakeholders to maintain accurate employee data and effective information flows across systems.
Identify opportunities to standardize, automate, and streamline payroll processes to improve accuracy, efficiency, and the employee experience.
Lead or support system enhancements, implementations, upgrades, testing, and optimization initiatives.
Evaluate payroll workflows, reporting capabilities, and controls to identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
Establish documentation, cross-training, and business continuity procedures for uninterrupted payroll operations.
Partner with Accounting and Finance on payroll accounting, general ledger reconciliation, and financial reporting.
Oversee reconciliations for wage payments, taxes, benefits deductions, accruals, and other payroll liabilities.
Support financial close activities, annual audits, budgeting, forecasting, and payroll-related financial analysis.
Lead, develop, and support payroll team members, establishing roles, responsibilities, training standards, and performance expectations.
Build effective working relationships with Human Resources, Benefits, Compensation, Finance, IT, and operating company leadership.
Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert and escalation point for complex payroll matters.
Partner with HR and operational leaders to resolve payroll concerns promptly and professionally.
Develop succession planning, knowledge-sharing, and cross-training practices to reduce operational dependency on individual employees.