Director of Payroll — Systems, Compliance & Team Leader

Aspire Public Schools; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 154,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plan (CalSTRS/CalPERS)

Paid time off

Job summary

Aspire Public Schools NorCal is seeking a Director of Payroll to lead and grow a payroll function across Northern California. You will own payroll compliance, processing, reporting, and tax filings while educating teammates on payroll matters.

You will streamline processes, ensure timely payroll delivery, and act as a technical payroll leader working with HRIS systems. The role emphasizes accuracy, cross-team collaboration, and adherence to federal and state regulations.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of payroll experience.
• 3 years of direct management experience.
• Experience with UltiPro (UKG) required.
• Working knowledge of accounting and benefit principles preferred.
• Experience in or strong interest in K-12 public education.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a high-performing payroll function and team to support internal teammates and external requirements.
• Manage 2-3 direct reports.
• Develop training materials and deliver live training sessions on payroll compliance, industry updates, and best practices; maintain a robust set of payroll tools and Q&A materials.
• Foster a customer service culture within the payroll team, upholding service level agreements and success metrics; oversee the payroll service desk ticket system.
• Serve as the SLA lead between Aspire NorCal and Aspire LA; participate in SLA review meetings and reports.
• Collaborate with Employee Services and Retirement Manager to resolve tax, benefit, and retirement questions.

Skills

Payroll leadership

UltiPro (UKG)

Payroll compliance

California wage laws

Excel advanced

Education

FPC/CPP designation

Bachelor's in Accounting or Business

Tools

UltiPro (UKG)

Job description

Aspire Public Schools NorCal is seeking a Director of Payroll to lead and grow a payroll function across Northern California. You will own payroll compliance, processing, reporting, and tax filings while educating teammates on payroll matters.

You will streamline processes, ensure timely payroll delivery, and act as a technical payroll leader working with HRIS systems. The role emphasizes accuracy, cross-team collaboration, and adherence to federal and state regulations.