Payroll Operations Manager

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage options

401k with company contributions

11 paid holidays

Job summary

ABB is seeking a Payroll Operations Manager for the US Front Office to lead a team delivering end-to-end payroll for about 18,000 employees in the US and Puerto Rico. The role centers on Workday payroll, timekeeping, benefits, and tax, requiring strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

Based onsite in Cary, NC, you will drive process improvement, automation, and controls while ensuring compliance with federal and state laws.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; 5 years of payroll and timekeeping experience; 2+ years of team leadership.
• Experience with Workday Payroll operations including post-production support.
• Strong understanding of payroll integrations with timekeeping, benefits, tax, banking, and third-party providers.

Responsibilities

• Lead US/PR payroll operations for ~18,000 employees across US and Puerto Rico.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for payroll production, controls, and employee experience.
• Drive process improvement, automation, and analytics; partner with HR, IS, Finance, Legal, Tax, and Benefits.

Skills

Team leadership

Workday Payroll operations

Payroll compliance

SaaS payroll systems

Excel / MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Workday Payroll

Timekeeping systems

Payroll integrations

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.

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.
• Implies, 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.
• People Management: Manages a team that supports ABB’s US/PR payroll service delivery model. Recruits, develops, and retains talented team members. Assists with resource allocation and resolution of resource conflicts. Coaches and guides team members on complex queries to help develop their process knowledge.
• Continuous Improvement: Designs, recommends, and implements processes that improve payroll controls, efficiency, and quality. Promotes a continuous improvement mindset by encouraging team members to challenge manual, repetitive, or inefficient processes. Identifies automation, self-service, case management, and workflow opportunities to reduce manual intervention, improve first-time accuracy, and strengthen end-to-end payroll controls. Partners with HRIS/IS to evaluate Workday Payroll releases, enhancement requests, integrations, and security impacts while supporting change management and user adoption.

Qualifications for the role

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with five years of payroll and timekeeping experience, including at least two years of team leadership experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with Workday Payroll operations, including post-production support.
• Strong understanding of payroll integrations with timekeeping, benefits, tax, banking, garnishment, general ledger, accounting, and third-party payroll service providers
• Experience in a front-office environment and with SaaS systems.
• Knowledge of HR and payroll practices, laws, policies, and procedures.
• Hands-on experience with multi-state and multi-company payroll.
• Exceptional analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, adapt to changing priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and time management skills.
• Professional demeanor and strong executive presence
• Ability to handle confidential information discreetly and protect employee privacy.
• Prior team management experience.
• Candidates must already have a work authorization that would permit them to work for ABB in the US.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPP certification
• Workday Payroll experience
• ADP experience
• Experience with Workday configuration analysis, end-to-end testing, security roles, release management, reporting, calculated fields, payroll dashboards, and analytics.
• Payroll tax platform or large-scale payroll transformation experience

What's in it for you

We empower you to take the lead, share bold ideas, and shape real outcomes. You’ll grow through hands‑on experience, mentorship, and learning that fits your goals. Here, your work doesn’t just matter, it moves things forward.

ABB is an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative Action employer for protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities at ABB.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their- sex (gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation), marital status, citizenship, age, race and ethnicity, inclusive of traits historically associated with race or ethnicity, including but not limited to hair texture and protective hairstyles, color, religious creed, national origin, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, genetic information, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal and state law.

For more information regarding your (EEO) rights as an applicant, please visit the following websites: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf

As an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative Action Employer for Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities, applicants may request to review the plan of a particular ABB facility between the hours of 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. EST Monday through Friday by contacting an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762.

Protected Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access ABB's career site as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling an ABB HR Representative at 1-888-694-7762 or by sending an email to [e-mail]. Resumes and applications will not be accepted in this manner.

ABB Benefit Summary For Eligible US Employees

[excludes ABB E-mobility, Athens union, Puerto Rico]

Go to MyBenefitsABB.com and click on "Candidate/Guest" to learn more

Health, Life & Disability

• Choice between two medical plan options: A PPO plan called the Copay Plan OR a High Deductible Health Plan (with a Health Savings Account) called the High Deductible Plan.
• Choice between two dental plan options: Core and Core Plus
• Vision benefit
• Company paid life insurance (2X base pay)
• Company paid AD&D (1X base pay)
• Voluntary life and AD&D – 100% employee paid up to maximums
• Short Term Disability – up to 26 weeks – Company paid
• Long Term Disability – 60% of pay – Company paid. Ability to “buy-up” to 66 2/3% of pay.
• Supplemental benefits – 100% employee paid (Accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, pet insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health Advocate support resources for mental/behavioral health, general health navigation and virtual health, and infertility/adoption
• Employee discount program

Retirement

• 401k Savings Plan with Company Contributions
• Employee Stock Acquisition Plan (ESAP)

Time off

ABB provides 11 paid holidays. Salaried exempt positions are provided vacation under a permissive time away policy.

Building a cleaner, smarter future takes all kinds of minds: the curious, the courageous, and the creative. That's why we welcome people from all backgrounds and experiences.