Payroll Director: UKG Strategy & Operations

The Bold Side; Miami Gardens (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Bold Side, LLC is seeking a strategic Director of Payroll to lead payroll strategy, operations, compliance, controls, technology, and continuous improvement for a growing organization in the Fort Lauderdale market. This senior role requires hands-on UKG proficiency and the ability to partner with Finance, HR, Benefits, Accounting, Legal, and leadership.

The successful candidate will drive accuracy, timeliness, scalability, and strong internal controls while building a high-performing payroll

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Significant progressive payroll experience with leadership responsibility.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of UKG payroll systems.
• Experience with UKG Pro, UKG Ready, UKG Workforce Management or related UKG functionality preferred.
• Experience with high-volume, multi-state payroll.
• CPP or FPC certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for payroll, ensuring accurate and timely processing.
• Lead payroll operations across entities, locations, and jurisdictions.
• Serve as subject-matter expert for UKG payroll and workforce management systems.
• Leverage UKG to optimize processing, reporting, workflows, controls, and integrations.
• Collaborate with HRIS, HR, Finance, and IT on UKG configurations, testing, and improvements.
• Develop and maintain payroll policies, calendars, and governance standards.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage, tax, and reporting requirements.
• Oversee payroll audits and internal/external audit readiness.
• Identify opportunities to automate and standardize payroll processes.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Policy development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/HR/Business Administration

Tools

UKG payroll systems

UKG Pro/Ready/Workforce

Payroll compliance tools

Job description

The Bold Side, LLC is seeking a strategic Director of Payroll to lead payroll strategy, operations, compliance, controls, technology, and continuous improvement for a growing organization in the Fort Lauderdale market. This senior role requires hands-on UKG proficiency and the ability to partner with Finance, HR, Benefits, Accounting, Legal, and leadership.

The successful candidate will drive accuracy, timeliness, scalability, and strong internal controls while building a high-performing payroll