Director of Payroll, Compliance & Operations

Overview

**Join a leading enterprise, partnered with Aquent, where your strategic vision and operational expertise will directly shape the future of our organization’s vital financial processes. As a pivotal leader, you’ll not only drive efficiency and compliance across a multi-national payroll function but also empower a dedicated team to achieve excellence, directly impacting the financial well-being of every employee and contributing significantly to our continued growth and stability.**

Our partner is a dynamic and innovative enterprise at the forefront of its industry, committed to operational excellence and fostering a culture of precision and continuous improvement. They are seeking a visionary leader to take the helm of their payroll, compliance, and operations, ensuring seamless, accurate, and compliant financial processes for their workforce across diverse regions. This is an incredible opportunity to make a tangible difference, implementing strategies that will elevate the entire payroll function to a best-in-class standard.

**About the Role:**

We are looking for a strategic and hands-on leader to oversee the entire payroll function, ensuring both operational excellence and stringent regulatory adherence. You will develop and manage a team of payroll professionals, designing and implementing both short-term and long-term strategies for payroll processing, compliance, and systems. This role is crucial for maintaining the financial integrity of the organization, driving continuous improvements for accuracy, timeliness, and efficiency in end-to-end payroll for all employee types. You will serve as the company’s foremost subject matter expert on payroll compliance, navigating complex federal, state, and local labor laws and tax regulations across all jurisdictions.

**What You’ll Do:**

* **Strategic Leadership & Team Management:**
* Design and implement short-term and long-term strategies to achieve continuous improvements and efficiencies in payroll processing and delivery, establishing a vision for a scalable and best-in-class payroll function.
* Oversee, mentor, and develop a team of payroll professionals, fostering an environment of strong execution, deep expertise, and collaborative problem-solving.
* Manage budgets and resources effectively for the payroll department.
* **Compliance & Governance:**
* Ensure strict adherence to all applicable federal, state, and local labor laws, tax regulations, and company policies related to payroll, including multi-jurisdictional compliance.
* Proactively stay updated on the latest employment laws and regulations, implementing necessary updates and advising on the development of HR policies and procedures to maintain legal requirements.
* Serve as the primary point of contact and subject matter expert for payroll compliance for internal stakeholders, auditors (internal and external), and external vendors.
* Prepare detailed documentation and summaries to support internal and external audits and compliance requirements.
* Maintain and enforce internal control policies, procedures, pay policies, and procedural documentation (calendars, checklists, process maps) with respect to the payroll process.
* **Payroll Operations & System Management:**
* Oversee the day-to-day operations of the payroll team, guaranteeing the timely and accurate processing, validation, and reconciliation of payroll data and payments for all employee types.
* Analyze payroll data to identify trends and potential issues, presenting findings and accurate data summaries to senior management.
* Analyze, audit, reconcile, and resolve complex payroll and timekeeping processing and employee payroll issues to ensure compliance with company policy and legal requirements.
* Identify and implement process improvements for more efficient, accurate, and compliant payroll operations, leveraging technology and automation.
* Collaborate with the HRIS team and external vendors to ensure systems accurately reflect current compliance requirements, including tax and wage laws.
* **Cross-Functional Partnership:**
* Partner closely with HRIS, Tax, Benefits, and Accounting teams to ensure alignment, communication, and support for all regional payroll needs and new business activities.
* Drive results through influence and cross-functional collaboration, working across the business to align service and support strategic initiatives.

**What You’ll Bring:**

**Must-Have Qualifications:**

* Minimum of 8 years of experience in payroll management, with at least 5 years in a leadership role managing a team.
* Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
* Hands-on experience with different Payroll, Time and Attendance, and Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS).
* Proven track record of scaling and transforming payroll functions for greater operational efficiency.
* Expert knowledge of payroll compliance, with a strong, deep understanding of payroll tax laws and regulations across multiple jurisdictions.
* Strategic & Critical Thinker: Proven ability to design and implement strategic initiatives while maintaining a strong understanding of day-to-day operations and anticipating future organizational needs.
* Analytical & Detail-Oriented: Excellent analytical, data-driven decision-making, and problem-solving skills, with a commitment to high accuracy.
* Drives Results & Agility: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, work effectively under pressure, and make effective, timely decisions with complex or incomplete information.
* Communication & Collaboration: Excellent written and oral communication skills, including change management. Enjoys collaborating openly with diverse groups to build trust and achieve collective success.

**Nice-to-Have Qualifications:**

* Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
* Experience with a specific widely used application for HRIS.
* Experience in a Case Management/Contact Center environment.

**About Aquent Talent:**
Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world’s biggest brands.
Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. More information on our awesome benefits!
Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment—one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.