Senior Director of Payroll, North America

DHL; Westerville (OH); Hybrid; Confidential; Full time

Job summary

DHL in Westerville, Ohio is seeking a Senior Director of Payroll to lead payroll, time and attendance, and employee data administration across the United States and Canada.

The role manages approximately 50,000 employees, leads 22 payroll professionals, and will define the payroll strategy for the next 1–3 years. The position is hybrid with relocation support considered.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in payroll or HR operations
• Senior leadership in a multinational
• Experience managing payroll for large populations (≥30,000)

Responsibilities

• Lead payroll across US and Canada
• Oversee time & attendance, and employee data administration
• Manage multi-state taxation, audits, and compliance
• Drive payroll transformation, system implementations, and standardization
• Support acquisitions, divestitures, and organizational changes
• Coach Payroll Managers and Senior Managers
• Partner with HR, Finance, Technology, Legal, and operations leadership
• Manage payroll budgets, service providers, and vendors
• Use data and KPIs to improve quality, efficiency, and employee experience

Skills

Payroll leadership

Executive communication

Stakeholder management

Vendor management

Payroll transformation

Team leadership

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

UKG

Dayforce

ADP

Job description

Westerville, Ohio | Hybrid | Relocation support considered Are you an experienced payroll leader who has managed large, complex, and geographically dispersed employee populations?

We are hiring a Senior Director of Payroll to lead payroll, time and attendance, and employee data administration across the United States and Canada. The organization supports approximately 50,000 employees, with complex payroll cycles across multiple US states.

You will lead approximately 22 professionals, including four direct reports at Manager and Senior Manager level, and will define the payroll strategy for the next one to three years.

Your Responsibilities

• Lead accurate, timely, and compliant payroll delivery across the United States and Canada.
• Develop a short and medium-term strategy for payroll, time and attendance, and employee data administration.
• Oversee multi-state taxation, overtime requirements, audits, compliance risks, controls, and complex payroll cycles.
• Lead payroll transformation, system implementation, automation, and process-standardization initiatives.
• Support acquisitions, divestitures, organizational changes, and the onboarding of new employee populations.
• Coach and develop Payroll Managers and Senior Managers while building succession within the organization.
• Partner with senior leaders across Human Resources, Finance, Technology, Legal, and business operations.
• Manage payroll technology budgets, service providers, and vendor relationships.
• Use operational data and performance indicators to improve quality, efficiency, compliance, and the employee experience.

What You Bring

• More than 10 years of relevant payroll or human resources operations experience.
• Senior leadership experience within a complex multinational organization.
• Experience managing payroll for a large employee population, ideally 30,000 employees or more.
• Strong knowledge of US payroll, including multi-state taxation, overtime, audits, controls, and compliance.
• Canadian payroll experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience leading teams through Payroll Managers or Senior Managers.
• Strong executive communication, stakeholder management, and escalation-management skills.
• Experience with payroll transformation, system implementation, acquisitions, divestitures, or large-scale organizational change.
• Experience with platforms such as UKG, Dayforce, or ADP is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing budgets and external service providers.
• Professional fluency in English. Spanish is an advantage but is not required.

A university degree or equivalent professional experience is expected. Payroll, human resources, or business certifications are desirable but not essential.

Working Arrangement

The position is based in Westerville, Ohio, and currently follows a hybrid model of approximately three days per week in the office. Candidates should already be based in Ohio or be willing to relocate. The hybrid arrangement may change in the future, so candidates should be comfortable with potentially increased office attendance. Visa sponsorship may be considered for a suitably qualified candidate.