Director of Payroll

The Director of Payroll leads the university''s payroll function, providing strategic and operational oversight for all payroll processing, tax compliance, and payroll systems administration. This role directs the payroll team, serves as the institution''s primary owner of the Oracle Cloud HCM/Payroll platform, and partners with Finance, Human Resources, and campus leadership to ensure accurate, compliant, and timely pay for the university community. The Director is accountable for the internal controls, regulatory compliance, and system strategy that protect the university''s payroll operations at scale.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains new staff in the department.
• Oversees the daily workflow of the department.
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Direct the university''s end-to-end payroll operations, including biweekly and monthly payroll processing, ensuring accurate and on-time pay for all faculty, staff, and student employees. Serve as the executive-level owner of payroll accuracy, controls, and disbursement integrity.
• Lead the university''s Oracle Cloud HCM/Payroll strategy, including system configuration, testing, upgrades, and integration with Finance and HR systems. Serve as the institution''s primary subject matter expert during the Oracle implementation and as the ongoing owner of payroll system architecture post-go-live.
• Oversee multi-state and out-of-state tax compliance, including establishing and maintaining state withholding accounts, monitoring remote-employee footprint, and ensuring timely, accurate filing and payment across all applicable jurisdictions.
• Supervise, coach, and develop the payroll team, including hiring, performance management, workload distribution, and succession planning. Build team capability in Oracle and modern payroll practices.
• Own payroll compliance and audit readiness, including federal, state, and local wage and tax law, internal controls, SOX-aligned recordkeeping, and coordination with internal and external auditors.
• Partner with Finance, Human Resources, Budget, and academic and administrative leadership on compensation changes, labor cost reporting, benefits reconciliation, and year-end processes (W-2, ACA, 1042-S).
• Drive continuous improvement of payroll processes and internal controls, identifying automation opportunities within Oracle to reduce manual work and risk, and documenting standard operating procedures.