I. Job Summary
The Director of Payroll is a finance leader responsible for the governance, accuracy, and strategic execution of payroll operations supporting 60,000+ employees across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. This workforce is predominantly hourly, with a meaningful union-represented population, requiring expertise in complex pay rules and multi-jurisdictional compliance.
Operating within a Finance-led Shared Services model, this role ensures payroll integrity through strong internal controls, regulatory discipline, and continuous process optimization. At the same time, the Director serves as a strategic business partner, balancing compliance requirements with operational realities and delivering solutions that support the business while protecting the enterprise.
This leader must combine disciplined financial governance, advanced technical expertise, and the ability to navigate complex business realities.
II. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Define and execute a forward-looking global payroll strategy aligned to organizational growth, workforce expansion, and enterprise transformation initiatives.
Serve as the executive payroll authority for Finance, HR, Tax, Legal, and Internal Audit, providing risk assessments and strategic guidance.
Design and maintain a robust payroll governance framework, including controls, segregation of duties, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance oversight.
Anticipate and assess the payroll impact of acquisitions, divestitures, new market entries, regulatory changes, and organizational redesign.
Lead payroll transformation initiatives including operating model redesign, system implementations, automation strategies, and vendor optimization.
III. Qualifications
A. Required Qualifications
• Bachelors Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, or related field • 10+ years of progressive experience leading payroll and payroll tax functions • Certified Payroll Professional (CPP)
B. Technical and Professional Skills
• Deep knowledge of global payroll operations, controls, and compliance principles • Strong understanding of payroll tax, accounting, and financial reporting impacts • Advanced experience with Oracle HCM and ADP Smart Compliance • Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills • Strategic mindset with the ability to translate complex payroll concepts into executive-level insights
IV. Physical Requirements
Listed below are key points regarding physical demands, physical and occupational risks, and the work environment of the job.
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
• Frequently: Repetitive motions, eye/hand/foot coordination, constantly: sitting, talking, hearing • Office: This job primarily operates in a professional office environment and routinely requires the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copy machines, etc.
V. Benefits
At WM, each eligible employee receives a competitive total compensation package including:
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, and Short Term Disability • Stock Purchase Plan, Company match on 401K, and more! • Paid Vacation, Holidays, and Personal Days
Please note that benefits may vary by site.
If this sounds like the opportunity that you have been looking for, please click Apply.
ABOUT WM
WM (WM.com) is North America's largest comprehensive waste management environmental solutions provider. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity.
The company, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals.
WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most gas-to-electricity plants in North America.
WM's fleet includes nearly 11,000 natural gas trucks - the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America - where more than half are fueled by renewable natural gas.
To learn more about WM and the company's sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.
Equal Employment Opportunity
For United States: WM is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.
For Canada: WM is committed to the principle of equal employment for all applicants and employees, without discrimination on the basis of all grounds protected by applicable human rights legislation. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. Please notify us if you require accommodation.
Real ID
In order to travel by air or access federal property, federal law requires individuals have a REAL ID or an acceptable alternative. This position may require the successful candidate to travel by air for business reasons, or service federal property. Accordingly, successful candidates must have, or be willing to obtain, a REAL ID, or TSA approved alternative.
Waste Management is the largest environmental solutions provider in North America, serving more than 21 million municipal, commercial and industrial customers in the U.S. and Canada. We have invested in developing waste solutions for a changing world. Today, this includes not just disposal and recycling, but personal counseling to help customers achieve their green goals, including zero waste.
Waste Management is North America’s largest residential recycler and a renewable energy provider. We recover the naturally occurring gas inside landfills to generate electricity, called landfill-gas-to-energy. Waste Management’s fleet of natural gas trucks is the largest heavy-duty truck fleet of its kind in North America. With the largest network of recycling facilities, transfer stations and landfills in the industry, our entire business can adapt to meet the needs of every distinct customer segment.
As North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management services, our mission is to maximize resource value while minimizing impact in order to further both economic and environmental sustainability for all of our stakeholders.