Payroll Director

Vaco by Highspring; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring seeks an experienced Director of Payroll to lead end-to-end payroll operations for a large healthcare employer in New York State. You will ensure accuracy, compliance, and efficient processes across multi-state payrolls while partnering with HR and IT.

The role requires hands-on leadership, deep NYS/federal tax knowledge, and a track record of optimizing pay codes and payroll platforms. Hybrid work in New York is available with a competitive six-figure salary.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive, full-cycle payroll experience in a large organization.
• Deep knowledge of federal, New York State, and local payroll regs and multi-state withholding.
• Hands-on experience preparing payroll tax filings and year-end reporting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end multi-state payroll processing for a large workforce.
• Partner with HR and IT to optimize payroll/HRIS systems (Paylocity, Workday, ADP, Paycom).
• Direct federal, NYS, and local payroll tax filings and year-end reporting (W-2s, Form 941s).
• Perform pre-processing audits and monitor variances affecting payroll costs and GLs.
• Establish strong internal controls and audit readiness across payroll processes.
• Lead and develop a high-performing payroll team with clear SOPs.

Skills

Full-cycle payroll

Multi-state payroll

Payroll tax filings (941s, W-2s)

Excel proficiency

Education

CPP or CPA designation

Tools

Paylocity

Workday

ADP

Paycom

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Director of Payroll

to lead, optimize, and scale the end-to-end payroll operations for a premier healthcare employer in New York State with nearly 4,000 employees.

Reporting to senior finance leadership, this permanent executive role is responsible for ensuring payroll accuracy, regulatory compliance, internal controls, and system efficiency. The ideal candidate is a hands-on payroll leader with deep New York State and federal tax expertise, multi-state exposure, and a proven track record of optimizing payroll structures, pay codes, and enterprise software platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end multi-state payroll processing for a large, complex workforce. Drive cross-training, operational continuity, and performance metrics across the payroll team.


• Partner with HR and IT to optimize payroll and HRIS systems (including platforms such as Paylocity, Workday, ADP, and Paycom). Streamline pay codes, earnings/deductions structures, and department setups to eliminate manual workflows.


• Direct federal, New York State, and local payroll tax filings, reconciliations, and year-end reporting (W-2s, Form 941s, state filings). Manage multi-state tax withholding for remote and hybrid employees.


• Perform pre-processing audits and payroll outputs for accuracy. Identify trends or variances that impact workforce costs, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting.


• Establish and enforce robust internal control frameworks over payroll processing to mitigate operational risk, prevent overpayments, address misclassifications, and ensure full audit readiness.


• Lead, mentor, and build a high-performing payroll team, establishing clear standard operating procedures (SOPs) and driving a culture of continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 7+ years of progressive, full-cycle payroll experience, including direct leadership and team management responsibilities in a high-volume, complex organizational setting.


• Deep technical expertise in federal, New York State, and local payroll regulations, wage-and-hour laws, and multi-state tax withholding.


• Hands-on experience preparing and reviewing payroll tax filings, including Form 941s, W-2s, and state/local quarterly returns.


• Expert-level Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, complex formulas, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, reconciliations, and handling large data sets).

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Have)

• Background handling payroll within a Healthcare or Unionized environment.


• Hands-on experience configuring or managing enterprise payroll platforms such as Paylocity, Workday, ADP, or Paycom.


• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or CPA designation.

Director of Payroll

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid)

Salary: $200,000-210,000

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries (\"we,\" \"our,\" or \"Vaco by Highspring\") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.


• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.


• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.


• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.


• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/. Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

the individual's skill sets, experience and training;

licensure and certification requirements;

office location and other geographic considerations; and

other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).