Director of Payroll

Primary Work Address: 4000 Jones Bridge Road, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815 HHMI is focused on supporting and moving science forward in a variety of different ways ranging from conducting basic biomedical research, empowering educators, inspiring students, developing the next generation of scientists – even stretching into film and media production. Our Headquarters is in the greater Washington, DC metro area and is home to over 300 employees with expertise in investments, communications, digital production, biomedical sciences, and everything in between. The work housed here supports and augments the groundbreaking research conducted in HHMI labs across the nation. As HHMI scientists continue to push boundaries in laboratories and classrooms, you can be sure that your contributions while working here are making a difference. Howard Hughes Medical Institute is one of the nation’s largest private biomedical research philanthropies, employing roughly 2,600 people across three distinct populations: headquarters staff in Chevy Chase, Maryland; the Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia; and host-site scientists and staff embedded at more than 100 universities nationwide. HHMI is the employer of record for everyone, owning payroll, benefits, and visa sponsorship directly, which makes payroll a genuinely complex operation spanning multiple states and worker types.The Director of Payroll leads the payroll team and owns thefunctionend to end, from day-to-day accuracy to the systems and processes behind it. Why This Role Matters HHMI is not looking for someone to keep the current payroll process running as is. The mandate is to take it apart and rebuild it from first principles into a Workday-native, AI-first operation that reflects the best available technology rather than inheritedhabit. Where a step survives only because it has always existed, this role is expected to say so, and where a better tool or model exists, to make the case and build toward it. Payroll also sits at the seam between Finance and People & Culture, so the role only works if that partnership holds, with People & Culture trusting this person to get pay right, explain hard tradeoffs plainly, and bring them along on change rather than spring it on them. What You Will Actually Do Redesigns the payroll process from first principles. Maps how payroll works todaybyfindingwhat is slow, manual, error-prone, or simply unexamined. Thenrebuilds it around best practice. Treats the current process as a starting point to question, not a constraint to preserve. Owns the payroll function end to end, including compliance and controls. Runsaccurate, on-time, compliant pay across all HHMI populations, including foreign nationals, and the states and taxjurisdictionsin which they work, while leading the payroll team to that standard. Keeps payroll compliant across multi-state tax, wage and hour, foreign national withholding, and reporting obligations, and partners with ADP, which prepares W-2s and remits state payroll taxes.Alsobuilds controls that catch problems early and documents the process, so it does not live in one person’s head. Makes Workday do the work. Drivespayroll deeper into Workday, including configuration, automation, controls, and reporting.Cutthe workarounds and spreadsheets that sit alongside the system andreplacethem with the system itself. PutsAI to real use. Uses current AI tools to reduce manual effort, catch errors before they reach an employee’s paycheck, and free the team for higher-value work. Decides where AI genuinely helps,where it doesnot,andbuildsaccordingly. Buildscustomer service into the design. Buildsthe new process around the people it serves, so employees can get a clear, fast,accurateanswer about their pay. Treats responsiveness and accuracy as design goals rather than afterthoughts. Partners with P&Cand Science,andbriefsexecutive leadership. Works hand in glove with People & Cultureand Scienceon everything that touches pay, including onboarding, leaves, terminations, comp changes,time keeping,and benefits deductions. Also translates payroll strategy, risk, and tradeoffs into clear terms for the President, the COO, and the General Counsel, bringing recommendations rather than status. Leadsthe team. Sets direction for the payroll staff, develops their skills toward a more automated operation, and communicates clearly throughchange,so the team is brought along rather than left behind. What We Are Looking For Deep payrollexpertise. Knows payroll at a level few people do, including multi-state tax, wage and hour, garnishments, off-cycle and retro pay,year-end, and the full mechanics. Has designed payroll processes, not justoperatedthem. Workday command. Knows Workday payroll well enough to redesign around it, including how to configure it, automate it, and stop fighting it. Can tell the difference between a system limitation and a process the organization never bothered to fix. Fluent in current AI. Uses today’s AI tools in real work and has opinions about where they help. Can spot the manual steps a model should be doing and is comfortable building toward that. Not bound by the status quo and current on the field. Says so when a step exists only out ofhabit andis willing to consider and implement change rather than defend the inherited way. Stays current on the best practices, tools, and operating models at the leading edge of payroll, and brings that outsideviewrather than designing only from what HHMI has done before. Thinksstrategically andownsthe seam. Sees payroll as a system to be designed, not a task list to be completed, while still getting this Friday’s pay run right. When something falls between Finance and P&C,keeps itmoving until pay is correct and on time rather than waiting to find out whose job it is. Strong with two audiences and a real partnertoP&Cand Science. Can go deep with the team on the mechanics and then brief the President, COO, or General Counsel at the right altitude.TreatsPeople & Cultureand Scienceas partnersrather than a counterparty, brings them in early, and earns their trust to getpayright. Depth over tenure. HHMI is not counting years for this role. What matters is genuine subject-matter mastery of payroll and payroll process design, real command of Workday, and fluency with current AI tools. Nice to Have Benefitsexperience. Experience working with and understanding ofbenefits, gained from working closely with a benefits team. What This Role Is Not Not a role for someone who wants to run the existing process well and leave it there. The job is to redesign it. Not a pure compliance or processing role. The mechanics matter, but the point is to rethink how the function works, not just execute it. Not a role for someone who needs the status quo defended. This is not the seat for someone most comfortable when nothing changes. Not a back-office role removed from leadership. This role briefs the President, COO, and General Counsel and partners with P&C leadership directly. Practical Details This is a full-time, permanent HHMI position based at headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with a hybrid schedule. The Director of Payroll reports to the Chief Financial Officer and partners closely with People & Culture. Please direct inquiries to the Office of People & Culture. We encourage qualified candidates who are eligible to work in the United States to apply. Pleasenote,weare not able tosponsor a visa for this positionat this time. Compensation and Benefits Our employees are compensated from a total rewards perspective in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our Benefits at HHMI site to learn more. Compensation Range $185,378.40 (minimum) - $231,723.00 (midpoint) - $301,239.90 (maximum) Pay Type: Annual HHMI’s salary structure is developed based on relevant job market data. HHMI considers a candidate’s education, previous experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal consistency when making job offers. Typically, a new hire for this position in this location is compensated between the minimum and the midpoint of the salary range. HHMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer We use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires. #J-18808-Ljbffr