Director of Payroll

Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey (Goodwill NYNJ)

Position Summary

The Director of Payroll is a strategic and hands-on ("player-coach") leader responsible for the overall management, execution, governance, and continuous improvement of payroll operations across Goodwill NYNJ and its affiliated entities, including Good Temps. Reporting to the SVP of Finance, this role oversees payroll administration for a diverse workforce while ensuring compliance, accuracy, operational efficiency, and exceptional service delivery.

The Director of Payroll provides leadership and development for the payroll team while maintaining a strong operational presence and deep technical expertise in payroll processing, payroll systems, compliance, audit readiness, controls, reporting, and process improvement. The role serves as the organization's subject matter expert on payroll and is expected to actively participate in solving complex payroll issues, supporting critical payroll cycles, validating payroll accuracy through reconciliation and data triangulation, and leading strategic initiatives.

This leader will collaborate closely with Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, Retail Operations, Workforce Development, and Good Temps leadership to ensure payroll operations effectively support organizational goals and workforce needs.

In addition, the Director will play a key role in evaluating and developing opportunities for Good Temps to expand payroll administration services as a revenue-generating business line supporting nonprofit organizations, public agencies, workforce development organizations, and other external employers.

Essential Responsibilities

Payroll Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, develop, and manage the Payroll Department, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, collaboration, and customer service.
• Serve as a player-coach who balances strategic leadership with hands-on operational involvement in payroll activities.
• Oversee daily payroll operations, ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing.
• Establish departmental goals, performance metrics, service standards, and development plans.
• Create cross-training and succession planning strategies to ensure operational continuity.
• Provide coaching and technical expertise to payroll staff while maintaining a strong understanding of day-to-day processing requirements.
• Build and maintain a high-performing payroll team capable of supporting organizational growth and evolving business needs.

Multi-Entity Payroll Operations

• Direct all payroll activities across Goodwill NYNJ and affiliated entities.
• Ensure accurate and timely payroll processing for a diverse employee population, including salaried, hourly, retail, workforce development, and temporary staffing employees.
• Oversee payroll administration involving:
• Multiple pay frequencies
• Overtime and premium pay
• Shift differentials
• Leave programs
• Retroactive adjustments
• Garnishments and wage attachments
• Employee reimbursements
• Payroll tax compliance
• Review and approve payroll calculations, adjustments, exception reporting, and final payroll transmissions.
• Ensure payroll operations align with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.

Good Temps Payroll Integration, Business Development & Oversight

• Partner with Good Temps leadership to ensure payroll processes support business growth, workforce deployment, client requirements, and service delivery expectations.
• Develop integrated payroll processes across Goodwill NYNJ and Good Temps while preserving operational requirements unique to temporary staffing operations.
• Oversee payroll administration related to temporary employees, job assignments, time collection, pay rate management, client billing interfaces, and statutory compliance requirements.
• Evaluate opportunities to streamline systems, processes, reporting structures, and internal controls across organizations.
• Serve as the primary payroll liaison between Goodwill NYNJ and Good Temps leadership teams.
• Partner with executive leadership to evaluate and develop payroll service offerings as a potential revenue-generating business line for Good Temps.
• Identify opportunities to provide payroll administration, payroll processing, compliance support, and related workforce services to nonprofit organizations, public agencies, workforce development partners, and other external employers.
• Provide strategic guidance and operational due diligence regarding new payroll business opportunities, including market feasibility, compliance requirements, service delivery models, technology solutions, resource planning, pricing strategies, and profitability.
• Design, implement, and scale payroll operating models capable of supporting both internal payroll operations and external client payroll services.
• Establish service-level standards, governance structures, client onboarding processes, implementation methodologies, and operational procedures for third-party payroll service engagements.
• Collaborate with Business Development, Finance, Operations, and Information Technology teams on proposals, client presentations, contract reviews, implementation planning, and service expansion opportunities.
• Develop staffing models, capacity plans, and technology strategies necessary to support growth in payroll service offerings.

Strategic Payroll Management

• Develop and execute a payroll strategy aligned with organizational goals, workforce needs, compliance requirements, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Lead departmental transformation efforts focused on automation, standardization, efficiency, and scalability.
• Evaluate payroll technologies and emerging industry trends to enhance operational effectiveness.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and reporting metrics to measure payroll performance and service delivery.
• Lead payroll-related projects including system implementations, upgrades, and organizational change initiatives.
• Act as a strategic advisor to senior leadership on payroll-related risks, opportunities, and operational improvements.

Payroll Systems & Technology Leadership

• Serve as the business owner and subject matter expert for payroll systems and related technologies.
• Oversee payroll system administration, configuration, testing, maintenance, and optimization.
• Ensure effective integration between payroll, HRIS, workforce management, timekeeping, benefits administration, finance, and staffing platforms.
• Lead payroll system implementations, upgrades, conversions, and process redesign initiatives.
• Partner with IT, HR, Finance, and external vendors to maintain data integrity and system effectiveness.
• Evaluate and recommend technology solutions that improve payroll accuracy, reporting capabilities, compliance, and employee experience.

Compliance, Audit & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations and wage-and-hour laws.
• Maintain strong internal controls and governance practices to mitigate payroll risk.
• Lead payroll-related audits and coordinate responses to internal, external, regulatory, financial, and tax audits.
• Oversee payroll tax filings, year-end reporting, reconciliations, and regulatory submissions.
• Ensure compliance with collective bargaining agreements, nonprofit regulations, staffing industry requirements, and applicable employment laws.
• Develop and maintain payroll policies, procedures, control documentation, and audit trails.
• Monitor regulatory developments and proactively implement necessary operational changes.

Reconciliation, Reporting & Data Triangulation

• Lead payroll reconciliation activities and ensure balancing between payroll, human resources, timekeeping, benefits, tax, and general ledger systems.
• Perform data triangulation and analytical reviews to identify discrepancies, trends, process gaps, and compliance risks.
• Validate payroll accuracy through reporting, exception analysis, audits, and system controls.
• Partner with Finance and Accounting to ensure accurate payroll accruals, journal entries, account reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Investigate and resolve complex payroll discrepancies and implement corrective and preventive controls.
• Develop meaningful payroll analytics and dashboards to support business decision-making.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Partnership

• Serve as a trusted partner to Human Resources, Finance, Accounting, Information Technology, Retail Operations, Workforce Development, and Good Temps leadership.
• Collaborate on organizational initiatives involving compensation, benefits, workforce planning, labor management, compliance, and employee experience.
• Manage relationships with payroll providers, tax authorities, auditors, benefit vendors, consultants, and regulatory agencies.
• Present payroll trends, compliance findings, operational metrics, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive payroll leadership experience in a complex, multi-site, multi-entity environment.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading and developing payroll teams.
• Deep knowledge of payroll operations, payroll tax regulations, wage-and-hour laws, and compliance requirements.
• Demonstrated expertise in payroll systems, HRIS platforms, workforce management systems, and related technologies.
• Experience with audit management, internal controls, payroll reconciliations, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven ability to function as both a strategic leader and a hands-on payroll practitioner.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
• Experience in nonprofit, workforce development, staffing, retail, healthcare, or multi-location organizations.
• Experience supporting temporary staffing payroll operations and client-based workforce solutions.
• Experience developing or managing outsourced payroll services or shared-services business models.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Payroll Operations Management
• Business Development & Revenue Strategy
• Team Leadership & Coaching
• Payroll Systems Expertise
• Compliance & Risk Management
• Audit & Internal Controls
• Financial Acumen
• Data Analysis & Triangulation
• Process Improvement
• Client Relationship Management
• Change Management
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Operational Excellence
• Executive Presence

Leadership Profile

The ideal Director of Payroll is a highly collaborative and technically proficient leader who combines strategic vision with operational excellence. This individual is equally comfortable developing a long-term payroll strategy, evaluating new revenue-generating business opportunities, presenting to executive leadership, conducting payroll audits, troubleshooting complex payroll issues, supporting a payroll processing cycle, or leading a system implementation. The successful candidate will build scalable payroll operations that support both Goodwill NYNJ and Good Temps while positioning payroll as a value-added service capable of supporting external nonprofit and public-sector organizations.

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