Payroll Operations Leader

Payroll Operations Director

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm where our purpose is to create opportunities every day, for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. Even with more than 8,500 people, 130 U.S. locations, and a global reach, we promise to know you and help you.

CLA is dedicated to building a culture that invites different beliefs and perspectives to the table, so we can truly know and help our clients, communities, and each other.

About the Role

CLA is looking to hire a Payroll Operations Director. This role is a key member of the outsourcing HR Systems and Payroll (HRSP) team, providing leadership to the payroll processing service team while exceeding client expectations throughout the payroll process.

As a Payroll Operations Director, you will:

• Team Leadership: Oversee payroll processing within the payroll processing team, establish and hold accountability to deliver on best practice process that ensure a high-quality standard of client service is met. Identify and provide training and guidance to payroll pod leaders and payroll analysts. Assist in hiring, coaching, performance, and onboarding of family members. Create a unified team vision for client service and use data/metrics to support decision making and to create a team dashboard to gauge success. Provide support surrounding change management to help the team successfully adapt to the changing payroll environment. Support family members Inspired Careers through providing training opportunities, career path clarity and connection to behavioral competencies.
• Process Management: Work with the team to establish best practice workflows, work schedules, policies, and procedures to ensure client experiences are consistent and of high quality. Develop and implement business processes to assure accuracy and efficiency.
• Client Service: Manage client relationships and serve as the second escalation point as needed. Facilitate and approve client invoices including follow up to ensure maximized realization occurs. Partner with the implementation team to ensure a smooth handoff of client care and service. Contribute to proposals and establishing fee quotes if appropriate.
• Tax Management: Be a collaborative partner with the employment tax team to help ensure that appropriate guidance and process is in place to provide guidance to the team. Monitor progress on state tax registrations for payroll in collaboration with SALT and Employment Tax team. Oversee and manage quarterly tax filing process for the department. Serve as firm wide resource for payroll tax assistance.
• Team Communication: Establish a regular cadence to successfully keep pod leaders and payroll analysts engaged and informed of expectations, best practices, policies, and regulation changes, while ensuring a two-way flow of information sharing.
• Risk management: Understand firm policies and controls around cash access and independence and implement procedures to protect the firm and our clients. Identify sensitive issues and consult with firmwide service specialists in employee benefits, HR, national and state and local tax as needed.

What You Will Need

• 8 years of relevant experience, including supervisory responsibilities required.
• Bachelor's degree is required. Combination of relevant experience, education, and training may be accepted in lieu of degree.
• Degree in business, accounting, human resources, or related field preferred.
• CPP, PHR, SPHR, SHRM-CP, or SHRM-SCP required or ability to obtain within 180 days after hire
• Proficiency with Microsoft (MS) Office products, including MS Excel (or other spreadsheet experience)Experience with HCM/payroll software is required.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

Wellness at CLA

To support our CLA family members, we focus on their physical, financial, social, and emotional well-being and offer comprehensive benefit options that include health, dental, vision, 401k and much more.

To view a complete list of benefits, click here.