Payroll Director Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, preferably with major coursework in business administration, accounting, finance, or a closely related field.
• Six years of recent, progressively responsible experience managing and administering a large, complex automated payroll system or related payroll/human resource function.
• The qualifying experience must include supervising subordinate payroll staff.
• Applicants may substitute additional qualifying experience for the required education on a year-to-year basis; 2,000 hours of additional qualifying experience is equivalent to 30 semester units or 45 quarter units.

Nice To Haves

• Enterprise operations expertise and leadership experience focused on operational efficiency and cross-functional collaboration to drive technology transformation.
• Experience engaging stakeholders and effectively presenting to City leadership and the public, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Thorough knowledge of city or county government operations, including payroll, budgets, resource management, HR processes, and labor bargaining union rules.
• Thorough knowledge and experience managing the PeopleSoft Payroll System.
• Thorough knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll regulations.
• Proven knowledge of human resources, benefits administration, and payroll principles, processes, and practices.
• Six years of payroll management experience in a public or nonprofit organization.
• Emergency preparedness, response, and/or recovery experience involving digital payroll processing systems or payroll operations.
• Current Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership, strategic direction, and overall management of the Citywide Payroll Division.
• Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate divisional operations, staffing, resource allocation, performance objectives, and service delivery standards.
• Develop and implement initiatives to improve payroll accuracy, operational efficiency, system reliability, and organizational effectiveness.
• Lead, develop, and supervise management and professional staff, including performance management, succession planning, workforce development, and continuous improvement.
• Direct citywide regular and supplemental payroll processing, retroactive adjustments, special payments, and year-end activities.
• Oversee PeopleSoft payroll calculations, final output reports, system interface files, and coordination of employee compensation disbursements.
• Oversee validation and reconciliation of earnings, deductions, benefits-related transactions, leave balances, and complex compensation provisions.
• Establish payroll processing standards, quality controls, and procedures, and coordinate with departments to resolve processing discrepancies.
• Provide executive oversight of the PeopleSoft payroll system, related applications, interfaces, reporting tools, and data integrity.
• Direct interpretation and implementation of labor agreements, compensation provisions, regulatory requirements, and policy changes in payroll system rules and configurations.
• Establish governance and quality assurance procedures for system changes, including requirements analysis, testing, validation, approvals, and implementation.
• Collaborate with technology teams and City departments on system enhancements, automation, modernization, data security, and analytical reporting.
• Ensure consistent implementation of payroll-related collective bargaining agreements and labor MOUs.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state laws, payroll tax regulations, the City Charter, Civil Service Commission Rules, local ordinances, and City personnel policies.
• Partner with DHR, Employee Relations, the City Attorney’s Office, and departmental leadership to interpret compensation provisions and assess payroll impacts.
• Establish compliance monitoring procedures, maintain current payroll policies, coordinate regulatory reviews, and address legal, financial, and operational risks.
• Direct payroll tax withholding, reconciliation, reporting, remittance, and year-end employee tax documentation.
• Oversee recording and reconciliation of payroll expenditures, liabilities, deductions, and employer contributions with City financial accounting systems.
• Establish financial controls and reconciliation procedures to identify discrepancies, prevent improper payments, and satisfy reporting and audit requirements.
• Collaborate with Controller’s accounting and financial reporting functions on complex payroll financial issues and advise executive leadership about financial exposures and compliance risks.
• Establish and maintain internal controls for payroll authorization, processing, reconciliation, reporting, and disbursement.
• Direct risk-based monitoring and quality assurance to identify errors, unauthorized transactions, control weaknesses, and systemic risks.
• Coordinate payroll-related audits and regulatory reviews, corrective action plans, and implementation of audit recommendations.
• Monitor payroll risk indicators, ensure segregation of duties and documentation, and report significant control deficiencies and corrective actions to executive leadership.
• Develop, implement, and maintain payroll business continuity and disaster recovery plans for system failures, disasters, cybersecurity incidents, and other emergencies.
• Establish contingency procedures, alternate processing methods, emergency authorization protocols, backup staffing arrangements, and recovery priorities.
• Coordinate with technology, cybersecurity, emergency management, and financial operations teams to assess vulnerabilities and test payroll recovery capabilities.
• Lead payroll emergency response, stakeholder communications, service restoration, and post-incident improvements.
• Serve as the Controller’s Office principal executive advisor on citywide payroll administration, policies, regulatory developments, and strategic initiatives.
• Collaborate with the Mayor’s Office, DHR, the City Attorney’s Office, the Treasurer and Tax Collector, and departmental executives on complex payroll matters and policy impacts.
• Develop and recommend citywide payroll policies, administrative standards, and operational improvements.
• Lead interdepartmental initiatives, resolve sensitive payroll issues, and present policy recommendations, operational assessments, and financial implications to senior City leadership.
• Develop, administer, and monitor the division’s operating budget, staffing plans, technology investments, and resource requirements.
• Prepare budget proposals, fiscal analyses, and resource recommendations; evaluate impacts of mandates, labor agreements, technology changes, and service demands.
• Oversee applicable contracts and vendor performance, identify cost-saving opportunities, and steward public resources responsibly.
• Establish and monitor performance indicators for payroll accuracy, timeliness, compliance, system reliability, efficiency, and customer service.
• Analyze payroll trends, processing exceptions, and operational data to identify systemic issues, mitigate risks, and improve service delivery.
• Lead process improvements, automation, workflow standardization, and technology enhancements.
• Promote organizational learning through staff development, procedural guidance, knowledge sharing, and executive reporting on performance and strategic initiatives.