Director of Payroll

General Purpose

The Director of Payroll serves as the senior operational leader for Payroll, reporting to the Vice President of HR Operations and Payroll, and is responsible for leading and scaling a high-performing, compliant payroll function across a large, multi-state, multi-facility healthcare organization. This role owns the full payroll lifecycle — including payroll processing, payroll compliance, wage and hour adherence, payroll operations, and service delivery excellence — and is expected to strengthen controls, develop payroll leadership capacity, and create the operational confidence needed for senior leadership to focus on broader HR Operations priorities. Partnering closely with HR, Finance, Legal, and facility leadership, the Director of Payroll ensures accurate, timely, and legally compliant compensation delivery to a workforce of 47,000+ employees, escalating material risks, strategic decisions, and significant compliance or service issues as appropriate.

The ideal candidate is a people-first payroll leader who has built and led payroll teams at scale, understands the nuances of multi-state and union payroll environments, and brings a strong compliance and operational maturity mindset to every process and decision. This leader should establish clear ownership and decision rights, disciplined escalation paths, standard operating procedures, root-cause analysis, payroll issue prevention practices, service metrics, data quality controls, and cross-training that reduce dependency on individual leaders and make the payroll function more self-sufficient over time.

KEY OUTCOMES (0-12 MONTHS)

• Accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across all entities
• Payroll function operates with clear leadership, thoughtful escalation, and strong day-to-day operational ownership
• Standardized, scalable payroll processes and controls with clear ownership, decision rights, and documented procedures
• Strong federal, state, and local tax compliance, audit readiness, and measurable service performance
• Payroll team has stronger leadership depth, clearer succession readiness, and documented processes that support measurable service and compliance outcomes.
• Trusted partnership with HR, Finance, Legal, HRIS, operations, and facility leaders.

Essential Duties

Payroll Processing & Service Delivery

• Direct end-to-end payroll processing for all entities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and compliance across multiple pay groups, frequencies, unions, and states.
• Establish clear ownership, decision rights, and tiered escalation paths across the payroll function to support disciplined operations and appropriate risk escalation.
• Establish and maintain payroll processing calendars, standard operating procedures, checklists, and quality assurance checkpoints to ensure consistent and error-free pay cycles.
• Oversee garnishment processing, voluntary deductions, retroactive pay calculations, and off-cycle payment requests with appropriate controls and documentation.
• Drive root-cause analysis and payroll issue prevention by identifying recurring errors, strengthening upstream data quality, reducing manual touchpoints, and improving process reliability.
• Deliver an outstanding service experience to employees across the organization through responsive, accurate, and people-centered payroll support.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and control measures to assess payroll accuracy, timeliness, compliance, and team performance.

Payroll Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws, tax regulations, and reporting requirements across all operating jurisdictions.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes impacting payroll and proactively implement process or system updates to maintain compliance.
• Lead payroll audit readiness activities, including documentation, internal controls, sample preparation, and remediation tracking for internal and external audits.
• Manage relationships with payroll service providers and ensure accuracy of tax registrations, rates, and filings across all jurisdictions.

People Leadership & Team Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing payroll team through clear expectations, coaching, continuous feedback, and professional development opportunities.
• Build the next generation of payroll leaders by developing managers and team leads, creating leadership depth, and strengthening succession readiness across the function.
• Lead and set the tone for a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning where team members are empowered to solve problems and consistently deliver results.
• Lead workforce planning for the payroll team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning.
• Promote cross-training, documentation, and knowledge sharing to reduce key-person risk, increase self-sufficiency, and build organizational resilience over time.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Partnership

• Serve as the payroll business owner for Workday Payroll, establishing payroll requirements, priorities, and desired outcomes, and partnering with the HRIS/technical team to ensure solutions effectively support payroll operations, reporting, and controls.
• Partner with HR Operations, Benefits, Compensation, Legal and Finance to ensure alignment on earnings, deductions, accruals, and general ledger reconciliation.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to facility administrators and regional leadership on payroll-related questions, policies, and escalations.
• Collaborate with Legal and Compliance on wage and hour matters, audit responses, and regulatory inquiries.
• Partner with the Sr. Payroll Tax and Compliance Analyst on payroll tax filings, reconciliations, amendments, and year-end reporting including W-2 processing, and tax agency correspondence.

Qualifications

Required

• Required 10+ years of progressive payroll leadership experience in complex, multi-state, multi-site, or enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing payroll teams of 15+ in a high-volume, service-oriented environment.
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax laws, wage and hour regulations, and compliance requirements.
• Strong understanding of payroll systems, preferably Workday and ADP Smart Compliance, including configuration, integrations, and reporting.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Experience in the healthcare or post-acute care industry.
• Experience with payroll service delivery in a shared services or centralized support model.
• Experience leading payroll through acquisitions, system implementations, or large-scale organizational change.
• CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) designation or equivalent certification.

Leadership Characteristics

• People-first leader who inspires trust, develops talent, and drives team performance through coaching, recognition, and accountability.
• Compliance-minded operator who brings rigor, discipline, and attention to detail to every payroll process and decision.
• Service-oriented leader with a passion for delivering accurate, timely pay and a positive employee experience.
• Strategic thinker who can see the big picture while managing the day-to-day details of a complex payroll operation.
• Calm under pressure — thrives in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments and leads teams through peak periods with composure and clarity.

Work Location

• This role is based at PACS Headquarters in downtown Salt Lake City, UT. Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates who reside outside the greater Salt Lake City area.

Travel

• Travel is expected across regions and facilities to build relationships and support implementation. Anticipated travel: 10% depending on business needs.

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Join PACS: Elevate Healthcare with Us!

PACS is elevating healthcare by revolutionizing our approach to leadership and quality care. Guided by our core values of love, excellence, trust, accountability, mutual respect, and commitment , we strive to foster a culture of compassionate care within our teams and the communities we serve. As we grow rapidly, exciting opportunities await you to engage in impactful projects and contribute valuable insights to stakeholders nationwide.

If you're ready to make a difference and embrace our mission of creating real change, we invite you to join us at PACS. Together, let's shape the future of healthcare!

Join Our Team and Thrive!

At PACS, we believe our employees are our greatest asset. That's why we offer an exceptional benefits package designed to enhance your well-being and support your lifestyle.

Our Comprehensive Benefits Include

• Health Coverage: Enjoy medical, dental, and vision plans to keep you and your family healthy.
• PTO and Vacation: Benefit from generous paid time off and holidays to relax and recharge.
• Financial Wellness: Take advantage of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) to manage your healthcare expenses effectively.
• Retirement Planning: Secure your future with our 401(k) plan, complete with company contributions to help you build your retirement savings.
• Support When You Need It: Our Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) provides confidential support for personal and professional challenges.

Join us at PACS and take advantage of a workplace that truly values you!

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applicants of every race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, and any other protected characteristic. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.