Director, Payroll Operations

Director, Payroll OperationsThe University of Texas at Austin is undertaking a once-in-a-generation transformation to build a world-class academic health system in Central Texas. Anchored by Dell Medical School and the growing UT Medicine clinical enterprise, this work includes building the operational infrastructure, systems, and capabilities required to support a complex academic medical center as it continues to grow toward 2030.A critical part of that transformation is the implementation of Workday HCM and UKG and the creation of Dell Medical School's first dedicated payroll function. The future-state payroll model must support a highly complex workforce that includes faculty, clinical staff, residents, hourly employees, multiple concurrent appointments, differentials, and shift and on-call rules while delivering accurate, compliant, timely, and auditable payroll at scale.Within this environment, Dell Medical School is seeking a Director of Payroll Operations to serve as the organization's senior payroll subject matter leader through implementation and into ongoing operations. Reporting to the Chief Human Resources Officer, this leader will initially play a key role on the Workday and UKG implementation team, translating payroll requirements into future-state processes, system design, testing, reconciliation, cutover readiness, and post-go-live stabilization. Following implementation, the Director will lead the organization's first dedicated payroll department.This is a builder role in the truest sense. The Director will establish the operating model, controls, governance, service expectations, team structure, and cross-functional processes for a new payroll function while ensuring UKG Pro/Workforce Management and Workday HCM work together as an integrated, scalable ecosystem. The successful leader will combine deep payroll expertise with hands-on UKG implementation experience, strong controls discipline, and the judgment to use automation and AI where they improve performance without compromising the deterministic and auditable nature of payroll.At UT and Dell Medical School, we are not simply implementing new HR technology — we are building the operational foundation for a rapidly growing academic health system.This is an opportunity to design a payroll function from the ground up, influence the architecture of two enterprise platforms, establish modern controls and service standards, and ultimately lead the team responsible for one of the organization's most critical employee experiences.Our mission and culture are grounded in:ExcellenceInnovationCollaborationCompassionStewardshipImpactAs Director of Payroll Operations, you will have the opportunity to:Build Dell Medical School's first dedicated payroll function and define its future-state operating model.Lead payroll design and readiness across a major Workday HCM and UKG implementation.Shape the integration architecture between Workday and UKG for a complex academic medical center workforce.Establish rigorous payroll controls, reconciliation practices, governance, and service expectations.Use automation and AI thoughtfully to improve testing, anomaly detection, issue triage, and employee support while preserving human accountability.Transition from implementation leader to ongoing head of payroll, building and leading the team that will operate the function after go-live.The ideal candidate is an accomplished payroll leader who combines deep operational expertise with hands-on technology implementation experience. You understand that payroll is both an employee experience and a high-risk financial process, and you bring the rigor necessary to ensure every payroll is accurate, timely, compliant, explainable, and auditable.You are equally comfortable designing a future-state operating model, working through detailed UKG configuration and integration decisions, reviewing complex test scenarios, reconciling payroll variances, and building the team and processes that will ultimately own the function.You are energized by building rather than maintaining. You can operate effectively when processes are still being defined, make sound decisions with incomplete infrastructure, challenge unnecessary legacy practices, and create disciplined, scalable ways of working that will support a growing academic medical center.You also bring practical judgment about automation and AI. You recognize where AI-assisted analysis, anomaly detection, test automation, and employee self-service can add value, while understanding that payroll calculations, controls, reconciliation, and certification must remain deterministic, traceable, and subject to appropriate human oversight.You bring:Deep hands-on experience with UKG Pro and/or UKG Workforce Management, including time, attendance, scheduling, and payroll-related processes.Demonstrated ownership of at least one full-cycle UKG implementation with accountability for workstream delivery, testing, readiness, and outcomes.Experience designing integrations between UKG and Workday or another HCM platform, including data mapping, APIs/connectors, interface specifications, testing, and reconciliation.Strong knowledge of complex payroll structures such as faculty pay, clinical and shift differentials, multi-rate employees, residents, multiple appointments, retroactivity, off-cycle payrolls, and garnishments.Strong grounding in payroll controls, segregation of duties, audit procedures, reconciliation, exception management, and operational reporting.The ability to build modern payroll workflows and service models rather than defaulting to legacy or distributed processes.Experience defining payroll KPIs and dashboards and using data to monitor accuracy, exceptions, service levels, and operational performance.Working knowledge of AI and agentic capabilities in payroll and workforce management, with the judgment to establish appropriate human approval gates, traceability, and governance.Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills in deadline-driven environments.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field.At least 7 years of experience leading a payroll function.Minimum of 1 year of experience with UKG Pro and/or UKG Workforce Management.Demonstrated experience leading complex payroll operations and working across HR, Finance, IT, and related functions.Experience developing payroll controls, reconciliations, testing, exception management, and operational reporting.Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment and proactively escalate integration, configuration, and payroll risks.Ability to satisfy applicable security requirements for positions with access to critical infrastructure, as required by Texas law and institutional policy.Preferred Qualifications10 or more years of experience leading a payroll function, with increasing responsibility for complex payroll operations and transformation.End-to-end UKG implementation ownership with responsibility for integration design, testing, cutover, and stabilization.Experience in a university, health system, or academic medical center payroll environment.Experience deploying, configuring, or governing AI or agentic capabilities within a payroll or workforce management platform, including human approval gates, escalation paths, and audit logging.UKG certification strongly preferred; Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification preferred.Experience building or significantly transforming a payroll function, operating model, or service delivery structure.Leadership RelationshipsThe Director of Payroll Operations reports to the Chief Human Resources Officer and will work closely with Finance, payroll accounting, Information Technology, HR leadership, implementation partners, managers, and other stakeholders across Dell Medical School and UT.During implementation, the Director will serve as the senior payroll and UKG workstream leader. Following go-live and stabilization, the role will transition into leadership of the ongoing payroll function and supervise a team expected to include a payroll manager, analysts, and service representatives.Salary Range$186,189+ depending on qualificationsRequired MaterialsResume/CV3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisorLetter of interest