Director, Payroll Operations

About the role

This position sits within the Global Payroll and Employment Tax organization and is responsible for leading payroll operations across North America. The role focuses on running end-to-end payroll with accuracy, timeliness, and strong coordination across internal partners and external providers. It is based in Sunnyvale, California and follows a hybrid working model, with a mix of home and office work depending on team and business needs.

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in payroll operations within complex environments, including exposure to US and Canada payroll. Success in this role requires strong organization, comfort with deadlines, and the ability to handle recurring work alongside cross-functional initiatives and unusual issues. The position also demands a proactive leader who can drive compliance, continuous improvement, and team performance.

Key responsibilities

The Director will report to the Senior Director, Global Payroll & Employment Tax and will oversee NAMER payroll operations. This includes ensuring payroll is processed accurately and on schedule in line with company policies, tax requirements, and labor regulations.

The role includes managing, coaching, and developing the payroll operations team while building strong working relationships with partners in HRIT/Operations, Compensation, Benefits, Finance, and other related functions. The successful candidate will help improve end-to-end payroll inputs and outputs, oversee processing and reporting of salary, equity, bonuses, benefits, and taxes, and manage vendor relationships with payroll providers.

Other duties include preparing quarterly business review materials, KPIs, and payroll metrics; strengthening standard payroll procedures; maintaining strong internal controls and segregation of duties; supporting audits and annual reporting; and providing subject-matter expertise for projects that affect payroll operations. The role also involves maintaining SOX- and GDPR-aligned controls, and keeping policy and procedure documentation current.

Qualifications and experience

Applicants should have at least 10 years of experience in accounting, finance, or payroll operations, along with 5+ years of people leadership experience managing direct reports and teams of 5 or more.

Preferred background includes a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, finance, or a related field. Experience with ADP payroll platforms such as ADP Global View and ADP Streamline is considered an advantage. A strong command of US and Canada payroll processes, internal control concepts, and the impact of business or system changes is also valuable.

The employer is looking for someone who can think strategically while executing operationally, influence others effectively, and remain resilient under pressure. Additional strengths include a customer- and employee-centric mindset, collaboration, conflict resolution, familiarity with remote and globally distributed teams, and experience working across different international business practices. Strong written and verbal communication skills are important, and CPP certification or an equivalent credential is a plus.

Compensation and benefits

The expected base pay range for this role is $158,000 to $258,000 per year. Final compensation may vary depending on factors such as skills, experience, certifications, and work location. The overall package may also include an annual performance bonus, stock, benefits, and other incentive-based compensation.

Additional information

The organization promotes a culture built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun, and is committed to creating opportunities for employees to grow. Equal opportunity hiring is practiced across all protected characteristics, and reasonable accommodations are available for candidates with disabilities during the application or interview process. Accommodation requests are typically answered within three business days; non-disability-related follow-ups may not receive a response.

Applicants are also protected under pay transparency and non-discrimination policies, and the company may consider qualified candidates with arrest or conviction records where required by applicable law. Privacy and compliance notices for candidates are provided as part of the hiring process.

Working model

This role is designated as hybrid, meaning the employee will split time between working from home and working from a company office on selected days based on business needs.

Equal opportunity and accessibility

The company welcomes candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. It is committed to an inclusive, accessible hiring experience and can provide support such as alternate-format documents, accessible interview locations, service-animal accommodations, and sign-language interpretation when needed.