Interim Payroll Director — NA Transformation Lead

Addison Group; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 103,000 - 117,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k

Job summary

Addison Group is seeking an Interim Payroll Director in Chicago, IL to lead the design and execution of a large payroll transformation, moving from fragmented regional models to a standardized North America solution.

You will oversee end-to-end payroll operations across North America, align timekeeping and payroll processing with financial reporting, define SLAs and KPIs, and partner with senior leaders to drive governance and cost efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of the large payroll transformation strategy, transitioning from fragmented regional models to a standardized NA solution
• Drive phased or full-scale implementation of the payroll platforms and integrations aligned with enterprise systems (e.g., Dayforce, JDE)
• Establish governance, policies, and standards to ensure consistency across all Business Units
• Partner with executive stakeholder to align payroll strategy with overall HR and business priorities
• Oversee end-to-end payroll operations across all North America, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and service excellence
• Ensure seamless integration of timekeeping, payroll processing, and downstream financial reporting
• Define and manage service level agreements (SLAs), KPIs, and operational performance metrics
• Lead resolution of complex payroll issues and escalations across global markets
• Drive consistent employee experience through high-quality payroll service delivery
• Manage third-party providers in a complex outsourced environment, ensuring compliance and service delivery standards
• Optimize vendor footprint to reduce fragmentation and improve cost efficiency
• Establish strong governance frameworks to manage multi-vendor and regional provider models
• Ensure compliance with all local, regional, and global payroll regulations, tax laws, and statutory requirements
• Establish and maintain robust internal controls, audit readiness, and risk mitigation frameworks
• Partner with Legal, Finance, and Compliance teams on regulatory changes and implications
• Oversee data privacy and security compliance related to payroll and employee data
• Own payroll-related financial processes, including funding, reconciliation, accruals, and reporting
• Streamline and standardize payroll reporting to provide consolidated global insights
• Improve transparency and accuracy of payroll data for FP&A, and leadership
• Drive cost optimization through operating model redesign and vendor consolidation
• Lead the evolution of a payroll shared services model, including governance, processes, and service delivery design
• Standardize, simplify, and automate payroll processes across regions
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to reduce complexity, cost, and cycle time
• Build scalable solutions that support enterprise growth and future transformation
• Lead and develop a North America payroll organization, including regional teams and shared services resources
• Build strong partnerships with HR Operations, HR Technology, Finance, IT, and regional leadership
• Act as the North America payroll subject matter expert and trusted advisor to senior leadership
• Drive change management across regions to support transformation and adoption

Job description

Addison Group is seeking an Interim Payroll Director in Chicago, IL to lead the design and execution of a large payroll transformation, moving from fragmented regional models to a standardized North America solution.

You will oversee end-to-end payroll operations across North America, align timekeeping and payroll processing with financial reporting, define SLAs and KPIs, and partner with senior leaders to drive governance and cost efficiency.