Senior Director, Payroll

McKesson•Richmond, VA

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Payroll will serve as the strategic and operational leader for all payroll-related activities for McKesson Medical-Surgical. This role is responsible for designing, building, and leading the payroll function as the organization completes its separation from McKesson. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in payroll governance, system implementations, controls, and service delivery in a complex, multi-state enterprise environment. This leader will oversee the implementation of Dayforce as the company’s HCM and manage relationships with outsourced payroll processing partners. They will establish a best-in-class payroll operating model built on compliance, operational excellence, and employee experience. The role requires a hands-on executive who excels in ambiguity and is energized by building functions from the ground up.

Requirements

Degree or equivalent experience.
Typically requires 13+ years of professional experience and 6+ years of diversified leadership, planning, communication, organization, and people motivation skills (or equivalent experience).
13+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience in a large, complex, multi-state organization.
Prior experience leading payroll for a public company or an organization with strong SOX requirements.
Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations.
Experience leading or significantly contributing to an HCM or payroll system implementation, ideally Dayforce.
Proven success managing outsourced payroll service models.
Strong technical acumen, including payroll accounting, systems integration, and internal controls.
Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, HR, Business, or related field.

Nice To Haves

Experience in corporate separations, carve-outs, or standing up new functions.
Prior responsibility for both strategic leadership and hands-on operational execution.
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or related certification.

Responsibilities

Design and execute the overall payroll strategy for the newly independent company, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and scalability.
Build and lead the payroll team, including hiring, structure, responsibilities, and performance management.
Serve as a key leader in the organization’s separation activities, leading payroll carve-out planning, execution, and stabilization.
Oversee end-to-end payroll operations for all U.S. employees in a multi-state environment, ensuring timely and accurate processing.
Direct management of an outsourced payroll processing model; establish strong SLAs, KPIs, and governance routines with external partners.
Partner closely with Accounting on critical areas including payroll-related accruals, GL reconciliations, journal entries, and compliance with SOX controls.
Lead the payroll workstream in the implementation of Dayforce, including system configuration, testing, integration, and go-live.
Partner with HR, IT, Finance, and external consultants to ensure successful HCM deployment and stable post-implementation operations.
Drive automation and process optimization through system capabilities and thoughtful design.
Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, tax requirements, and reporting obligations.
Develop and maintain internal controls required for a public company environment; partner closely with Internal Audit and external auditors.
Manage relationships with regulatory agencies, tax authorities, and jurisdictional entities as needed.
Partner with HR/Total Rewards, Accounting, Benefits, Legal, and external advisors to support business needs and corporate initiatives.
Provide payroll insights for financial planning, forecasting, and analysis.
Act as an escalation point for complex payroll matters, employee issues, or executive inquiries.
Build an engaged, high-performing team and foster a culture of accountability, service, and continuous improvement.
Communicate effectively with senior leadership, offering clear perspectives, data-driven insights, and strategic recommendations.