Strategic HR Leader - Payroll & Client Services

City of Calgary; Calgary; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Calgary is seeking a senior HR leader for Pay & Client Services to guide payroll strategy across a large, unionized workforce. You will lead multiple payroll teams, drive process improvements, ensure compliance, and build strong relationships with leaders, employees, and union partners.

Reporting to the Assistant Manager of Pay and Client Services, you will champion governance, change management, and service excellence while supporting the city’s efforts to deliver quality public

Qualifications

• Two-year diploma or degree in HR, business administration or related field.
• Payroll Leadership Professional designation and 6+ years of progressive payroll management experience.
• Experience with SAP, Oracle or UKG in a multi-union environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a payroll team with accountability and continuous improvement.
• Oversee accurate, compliant payroll services for a large workforce.
• Plan workforce and resource allocation to meet service standards.
• Build relationships with leaders, HR partners, employees, and unions.
• Provide expertise in payroll legislation, policies, and collective agreements.
• Represent the organization in arbitration and assess impacts of bargaining.
• Identify opportunities to modernize processes and improve service.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives aligned with organizational goals.
• Ensure governance and audit readiness across payroll operations.

Skills

Payroll leadership experience

Communication skills

Unionized environment experience

Change management

Education

Two-year diploma or degree in HR / Business Administration

Payroll Leadership Professional designation

6+ years progressive payroll management experience

Tools

SAP

Oracle

UKG

Job description

The City of Calgary is seeking a senior HR leader for Pay & Client Services to guide payroll strategy across a large, unionized workforce. You will lead multiple payroll teams, drive process improvements, ensure compliance, and build strong relationships with leaders, employees, and union partners.

Reporting to the Assistant Manager of Pay and Client Services, you will champion governance, change management, and service excellence while supporting the city’s efforts to deliver quality public