Director of Payroll (Boston)

Reporting to the Controller, the Payroll Director provides strategic direction, vision, and team leadership and oversees all aspects of the University's complex in-house payroll operations ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements; accurate analysis and external reporting; and timely and accurate payments to employees

Key Responsibilities:

• The Director serves as a primary content expert and strategic adviser in policy matters involving payroll administration and payroll tax. The Director provides guidance and consulting services to Human Resources, department heads, and institutional leaders as appropriate; and ensures the ongoing development, maintenance, and improvement of work processes and action steps required to administer payroll activities efficiently and accurately, including designing workflow documentation and assuring effective relationships and communication with internal stakeholders across the institution.

• Lead the Payroll operations and provide oversight for the university's bi-weekly payroll for staff, Faculty, and student employment, etc., approximately 3,500 W-2 workers. Oversee the administration of the time and attendance system and practices; including monitoring and reporting on departments adherence to university pay policies developed to ensure compliance with Department of Labor requirements. Oversee cross-departmental work to implement and coordinate program changes, and upgrades to the HCM and Time & Attendance modules to ensure compliance with a variety of legal and regulatory requirements.

• Manage payroll compliance strategy including researching, monitoring, and interpreting current and proposed legislative developments, regulations, court cases, and issues relative to colleges and universities and advising Finance and Administration leadership on needed actions. This includes working with Human Resources, Student Employment, Accounts Payable and other University and outside experts to develop policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, including complex payroll matters resulting from multi-state employment arrangements.

• Oversee the timely and accurate preparation of compensation-related reports required by third parties, ADP and Sprintax Calculus, including quarterly Federal 941 and other state tax reports, and annual IRS Form W2s and Form 1042s. Prepare compensation data for the university’s workers' compensation audits. Serve as the principal liaison in managing relationships with outside vendors responsible for payroll operations and outsourced services, including designing and monitoring service level agreements and holding vendors accountable for delivery and contract compliance. Act as the primary contact for payroll information for internal and external audits.

• Lead and/or play a key functional role in transformation activities to upgrade existing and/or deploy new solutions for payroll operations and harmonize processes across multiple technology platforms. Work collaboratively with other stakeholders in and outside the Controller Office to recommend and implement technology solutions to comply with new regulatory or legal requirements and/or University policies and procedures; streamline the payroll processes; and deliver an exceptional customer experience to internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee a variety of compliance and operational functions for the Payroll department and work closely with the respective leaders/managers to ensure that appropriate internal controls are in place to prevent and detect errors and/or compliance issues; documentation required for departmental processes and procedures are accurate and up-to-date; outstanding items are resolved, and corrections processed timely; and abandoned property processes for payroll uncashed checks are completed and unclaimed funds are remitted timely and in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

• Work with the Controller to develop reports, including key performance indicators, designed to assist in the efficient and accurate operation of the payroll functions.

• Prepare ad-hoc financial reports and analyses and participate in special projects as requested by management.

• Participate in 40 hours of training/professional development annually that applies to the role with the intent of enhancing the overall knowledge and specific skills required to perform successfully in the position.

Preferred qualification:

• Master of Business Administration
• Certified Payroll Professional certificate
• Workday Payroll Pro Certificate
• Higher education experience

Required Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in directing a complex payroll with specific expertise in multi-state and federal regulations, including FLSA.
• Demonstrated expertise in managing a complex enterprise payroll system and previous experience with Workday and/or other HR/Payroll/Time and Attendance applications.
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and federal and (multi) state payroll tax laws.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, and time management skills.
• Ability to interact professionally with individuals at all levels of the organization and provide exceptional service to all constituents.
• Highly developed computer and design/system thinking skills.
• High integrity, discretion and ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated aptitude and desire to work as a member of a team and proven record of collaboration with departmental colleagues and stakeholders across the organization.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal supervision and exercise professional judgment in carrying out assigned responsibilities.
• Proven record of strong attention to detail and accuracy; managing multiple tasks simultaneously; and a desire to lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ability to calibrate short and long-term needs effectively and translate them into plans and recommendations that result in improved processes.