Executive Payroll & Tax Operations Leader

Orion Associates Incorporated; Golden Valley (MN); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Orion Associates Incorporated, Meridian Services, and Zenith Services seek an Executive Administrator of Payroll Operations in Golden Valley, MN. This full-time, hybrid role leads payroll and tax operations across jurisdictions, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing with cross-functional collaboration.

You will supervise Payroll Directors, drive efficiency, and align payroll strategy with organizational goals while managing risk and vendor relationships.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive payroll or payroll operations experience.
• 5+ years experience leading or supervising payroll leadership.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field.
• Deep knowledge of payroll tax compliance, multi-state payroll, audits, and regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to lead complex organizations, influence senior stakeholders, and manage risk at scale.
• Strong strategic planning, financial acumen, and organizational leadership skills.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building capabilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to operational excellence, integrity, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership, strategic direction, and governance for enterprise-wide payroll and tax operations.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across payroll and tax functions.
• Provide executive leadership and governance for payroll tax compliance across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Oversee payroll tax filings, amendments, and year-end reporting (W-2, W-3, 941, 940, etc.).
• Monitor payroll performance, trends, risks, and key metrics through executive reporting.
• Collaborate with the CFO to align payroll operations with financial strategy and workforce planning.
• Identify and lead cost optimization initiatives related to payroll operations and vendors.
• Identify opportunities to enhance payroll efficiency, scalability, and automation.
• Drive standardization and best practices across payroll platforms and operating models.
• Evaluate solutions that strengthen data integrity, reporting, and compliance.
• Partner with internal leaders to address workforce changes impacting payroll processes.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, tax agencies, auditors, and regulators.
• Provide executive oversight of payroll- and tax-related budgeting and forecasting.

Skills

Payroll leadership

Stakeholder management

Regulatory compliance

Financial acumen

Strategic planning

Communication

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or related field

Master’s degree or CPP/CPA (preferred)

Job description

Orion Associates Incorporated, Meridian Services, and Zenith Services seek an Executive Administrator of Payroll Operations in Golden Valley, MN. This full-time, hybrid role leads payroll and tax operations across jurisdictions, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant processing with cross-functional collaboration.

You will supervise Payroll Directors, drive efficiency, and align payroll strategy with organizational goals while managing risk and vendor relationships.