Head of North America Payroll

State Street • Quincy, MA

2d • $110,000 - $188,750

About The Position

The Head of North America Payroll, Vice President (VP), will be part of the Global Payroll and Time & Attendance leadership team and contribute to the strategic and tactical direction of the organization. The role leads end-to-end payroll delivery for the United States and Canada in collaboration with global HR process owners, HR Centers of Excellence, Finance, Tax, Legal, Technology, Risk, and third-party providers.
The position is accountable for accurate, timely, and compliant payroll; a strong and sustainable control environment; and transformation of the North America payroll function through process redesign, standardization, automation, technology, and operating-model improvement. The role will lead a service-oriented team, strengthen governance and audit readiness, and build trusted relationships across the region and globally.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 10-15 years of relevant payroll experience, including significant leadership responsibility for complex United States and Canadian payroll operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and build high-performing teams and cultures within the region and across a global organization.
• Proven experience designing, implementing, and managing a highly effective payroll risk and control environment, including audit support and sustainable remediation.
• Demonstrated success transforming payroll operations through process redesign, standardization, automation, technology implementation, vendor change, or operating-model improvement.
• Strong knowledge of US and Canadian payroll operations, payroll tax, statutory reporting, year-end requirements, employee payments, reconciliations, and vendor governance.
• Experience leading complex projects and change initiatives while maintaining payroll continuity, compliance, and stakeholder alignment.
• Accountable for the quality, accuracy, timeliness, and control of results, with the judgment and urgency required to manage complex issues.
• Strong leadership, analytical, organizational, communication, change-management, time-management, and prioritization skills.
• Track record of building effective relationships with senior leaders, internal stakeholders, control partners, and third-party providers.

Nice To Haves

• Workday experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of people management with a focus on fostering an environment where employees are engaged to do their best work.
• Oversee end-to-end payroll delivery for the United States and Canada, including payroll results, reconciliations, funding, employee payments, tax and statutory obligations, year-end activities, and complex exceptions.
• Design, implement, document, and sustain a strong payroll risk and control framework, including preventive and detective controls, segregation of duties, approvals, access governance, reconciliations, exception reporting, evidence retention, and periodic control-effectiveness reviews.
• Lead remediation of control deficiencies, audit findings, compliance gaps, payroll errors, and recurring process failures; identify root causes, establish corrective actions, and escalate material risks promptly.
• Define and execute the North America payroll transformation roadmap, including operating-model redesign, process simplification, standardization, automation, technology enablement, data-quality improvement, and reduction of manual work and key-person dependencies.
• Establish measurable service, accuracy, compliance, control, productivity, and transformation outcomes; regularly report performance, risks, dependencies, and remediation progress to leadership and stakeholders.
• Represent North America on global transformation, governance, merger and acquisition, vendor-transition, system-implementation, and policy initiatives.
• Monitor US and Canadian payroll, tax, employment, and regulatory developments and ensure required operational, system, control, and communication changes are implemented timely.
• Manage third-party payroll and tax providers against contractual obligations, service levels, control expectations, issue-resolution commitments, and transformation objectives.
• Drive technology requirements and lead payroll testing, implementation, integration, and stabilization activities in partnership with HR Technology and other stakeholders.
• Maintain clear process ownership, standard operating procedures, control narratives, payroll calendars, business-continuity plans, cross-training, and governance forums.
• Provide leadership to resolve complex payroll issues and build strong partnerships with HR, Finance, Tax, Legal, Technology, Risk, Internal Audit, employees, and third-party providers.

Benefits

• retirement savings plan (401K) with company match
• insurance coverage including basic life, medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and other optional additional coverages
• paid-time off including vacation, sick leave, short term disability, and family care responsibilities
• access to our Employee Assistance Program
• incentive compensation including eligibility for annual performance-based awards
• eligibility for certain tax advantaged savings plans
• inclusive development opportunities
• flexible work-life support
• paid volunteer days

What This Job Offers

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