Senior Payroll Director

Director, Payroll Administration - Lead, Optimize, and Innovate!

• Location:Ashburn, VA
• Travel:~20% (US & Canada)
• Compensation:$139,500 - $159,000 + Bonus

Are you a payroll and HR operations leader with a passion for precision, compliance, and data-driven decision-making?

SSP America is seeking a Senior Director of Payrollto lead our payroll operations and HR helpdesk teams, ensuring seamless payroll processing, compliance, and world-class employee support.

• Lead and direct the payroll team in the accurate and timely processing of payroll for approximately 9,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada, ensuring compliance with internal policies, collective agreements, and applicable federal, state/provincial, and local laws.
• Manage end-to-end payroll processing, including wage disbursements, statutory and voluntary deductions, tax withholdings, garnishments, and benefits administration. Approve payroll liabilities and ensure accuracy in all related reporting.
• Act as a strategic partner to Accounting, Finance, HR, Operations, and IT, aligning payroll processes with organizational objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and support payroll system integrations, data accuracy, and system performance. Lead automation initiatives to improve compliance tracking, tax reporting, and funding workflows.
• Reconcile payroll-related general ledger and tax accounts. Support monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes by ensuring accurate data integration and resolving discrepancies in coordination with Finance.
• Monitor and ensure adherence to changing payroll legislation, wage and hour laws, and union agreements across jurisdictions. Lead payroll audits and ensure readiness for internal, external, and regulatory audits.
• Drive continuous improvement in payroll processes and systems. Implement controls to enhance efficiency, accuracy, compliance, and risk mitigation, including automation of tax configurations and workflows.
• Analyze payroll metrics and prepare executive-level reports to inform financial planning and strategic decisions.
• Manage relationships with third-party payroll providers and tax agencies. Oversee timely and accurate tax reporting and funding. Support system upgrades, special projects, and corporate audits.
• Uphold the highest standards of confidentiality and data security in all payroll processes.
• Take initiative in identifying and resolving payroll issues, escalating appropriately and ensuring root-cause analysis is conducted to prevent recurrence.

• Minimum of ten (10) years of payroll administration experience
• Minimum of five years' experience managing teams in a multi-jurisdiction or high-volume corporate environment, preferably in the hospitality industry.
• Must be technically proficient in US and Canada federal, state, provincial, and local payroll related employment laws.
• Proven experience processing high-volume payrolls (5,000+), including strong experience in payroll GL integration and reconciliations.
• Intermediate to advanced level skills in Microsoft Office Suite (i.e., Excel, Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint).
• Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Workday) for payroll. SAP SuccessFactors' payroll system experience is preferred.
• Must be able to establish and maintain eligibility to work in the United States.
• Must be able to travel ~20% as needed within the US and Canada, with overnight and extended stay.
• Must be able to pass and maintain a criminal background check and a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) clearance and/or a comprehensive Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) background check, as required.
  
  

  Preferred Qualifications:

  
  
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation demonstrating advanced knowledge and expertise in payroll compliance, systems, tax reporting, benefits, garnishments, accounting, and auditing practices.

• Strategic Impact -Oversee payroll accuracy, compliance, and optimization across the US and Canada.
• Data-Driven Leadership -Manage large-scale payroll data and analytics to enhance accuracy and minimize errors.
• Multi-National Scope -Work with US, Canadian, and union wage administration to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Enterprise-Level Innovation -Optimize payroll operations using HR helpdesk ticketing systems, automation, and HRIS technology.

SSP America is an equal opportunity employer. All decisions concerning the employment relationship will be made without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, age, disability, genetic information, or and other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. SSP America will provide reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process upon request as required to comply with applicable laws.