Payroll Operations Manager

ABB Inc.; Cary (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

ABB Inc. is seeking an US Front Office - Payroll Operations Manager to lead a team responsible for end-to-end payroll delivery for ~18,000 US and Puerto Rico employees, including union and non-union populations, leveraging Workday Payroll and integrated timekeeping, benefits, tax, finance, and third-party providers.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across payroll production, compliance, controls, and employee experience, partnering with vendors, HR, IS, Finance, Legal,

Qualifications

• End-to-end payroll delivery for US/PR employees using Workday Payroll and integrated timekeeping, benefits, tax, finance, and providers.
• Provides strategic and operational leadership across payroll production, compliance, controls, and employee experience.
• Leads cross-functional transformation initiatives and vendor governance to support scalable payroll operations.

Responsibilities

• Ensure payroll services are delivered in compliance with laws and ABB policy directives.
• Lead payroll operations, improve processes, and optimize automation and data integrity.
• Foster strong partnerships with HR, IS, Finance, Legal, Tax and business stakeholders to deliver reliable payroll services.

Skills

Payroll operations

Team leadership

Process improvement

Vendor governance

Data analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Workday Payroll

Payroll systems

Job description

At ABB, we help industries run leaner and cleaner-and every person here makes that happen. You'll be empowered to lead, supported to grow, and proud of the impact we create together. Join us and help run what runs the world.

This position reports to:

Head of Payroll, US/PR

Your role and responsibilities:

The US Front Office - Payroll Operations Manager manages a team responsible for end-to-end payroll delivery for approximately 18,000 US and Puerto Rico employees, including union and non-union populations, using Workday Payroll and integrated timekeeping, benefits, tax, finance, and third-party provider solutions.

This role provides strategic and operational leadership across payroll production, compliance, controls, employee experience, vendor governance, system optimization, data integrity, and cross-functional transformation initiatives. The position partners with vendors, payroll functions, HR, IS, Finance, Legal, Tax, Benefits, and business stakeholders to share best practices, deliver projects, capture lessons learned, and support scalable payroll operations.

Additionally, this role will establish priorities, coordinate activities, drive process improvement, advance automation and analytics, support post-production operations, and contribute to the evaluation and redesign of processes and technical solutions.

The work model for the role is onsite in Cary, NC. #LI-Onsite

You will be mainly accountable for:

• Strategy & Planning: Ensures US/PR payroll services are delivered in accordance with ABB policy directives and applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Proposes and implements the strategic direction of the US/PR Payroll Services organization. Champions ABB core values and LEAN initiatives.
• Operational Services: Provides subject matter expertise related to payroll operations. Researches and interprets federal and state regulatory requirements to resolve issues for payroll processing.*Implements, maintains, and reviews payroll processing systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions, including salaries, time entries, benefits, garnishments, taxes, fringe benefits, imputed income, and other deductions. Contributes expertise to local and global projects with responsibility for assigned KPIs and deliverables. Implements streamlined practices and processes across areas of responsibility to reduce cost, strengthen internal controls, improve efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction.
• Customer Experience: Ensures team members deliver excellent customer service by providing accurate payroll information and responding to employee inquiries timely and professionally. Builds strong relationships with Human Resources and other cross-functional stakeholders to understand customer needs and deliver exceptional service. Provides feedback, training, and guidance to customer-facing teams to support accurate and consistent responses to payroll-related inquiries. Promotes employee awareness and adoption of self-service capabilities whenever appropriate.