Senior Director, Payroll (M2)

Save the Children; Fairfield (CT); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible schedules

Generous PTO

Health care benefits

Family leave benefits

Retirement savings plan

Wellness days

Employee Assistance Program

Learning & Growth opportunities

Job summary

Save the Children seeks a Senior Director of Payroll to lead payroll strategy and operations for U.S. entities, including expatriates, with a hands-on, player/coach approach.

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations, you’ll supervise the payroll team, manage vendors, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner across HR, Finance, IT, and Benefits to optimize processes. This role requires strong leadership, multi-state payroll expertise, and a focus on accuracy and data security, while driving

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree or equivalent; at least 7 years payroll experience with 3 years in supervision.
• Experience with multi-state payroll and state paid leave programs/regulations.
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations.
• Experience managing payroll vendors and third-party providers.
• Experience with time & attendance and payroll software (UKG and Tenrox a plus).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day payroll operations for three entities.
• Administer payroll for international expatriates and third country nationals abroad.
• Ensure pay is transmitted to banks, including international wire payments.
• Collaborate with Benefits on deductions, reconciliations, and leave impacts.
• Lead payroll audits and support financial statements and audits.
• Manage vendor relationships and platform evaluations.
• Train and coach payroll staff; manage payroll help desk.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and year-end W-2 processing.

Skills

MS Office

Excel

English proficiency

Payroll management

Vendor management

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

UKG

Tenrox

Job description

Save the Children

As the world changes, our mission stays the same. At Save the Children, you'll join a century-long legacy of integrity, accountability, and commitment to children. We value your curiosity and drive to learn, which is why we invest in your growth and empower you to innovate, collaborate, and create lasting impact for children. Together, we're building a culture of belonging that shapes a better future-for children and for each other.

The Role

The Senior Director of Payroll is a hands on, player/coach role within Save the Children, overseeing all aspects of payroll strategy and operations for entities within the United States, including international expatriates and third-country nationals working abroad.

Reporting to the Head of HR Operations and Employee Experience, you will ensure accurate, compliant, and timely payroll processing across the organization and serve as a key strategic partner to Human Resources, HRIS, Finance, and IT. You will lead the internal payroll team and manage external payroll vendors to deliver scalable, high-quality payroll services aligned with business objectives. You will be responsible for ensuring that Agency transformational projects that involve the payroll processes conform to regulatory and policy requirements while maximizing technical efficiencies and keeping data secure.

Location

Hybrid - Washington DC, Fairfield, CT or Lexington, KY office locations

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

*not inclusive of all role responsibilities. May be subject to change

Payroll Operations 70%

• Oversee day-to-day operations of the payroll team and processes associated with payroll, payroll tax, wage garnishments, and related transactions for three entities.
• Administer payroll for international expatriates and third country nationals working abroad including ensuring that international living allowance compensation is complete and accurate.
• Ensure pay is completely and accurately transmitted to banks as required including international wire payments.
• Assess payroll-related operations and identify areas to incorporate automation or improve efficiencies.
• Collaborate closely with Benefits team on deduction processing, benefits reconciliation, and leave related pay impacts.
• Serve as the payroll subject matter expert for federal, state, and local paid leave programs, including Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), state disability insurance programs, paid sick leave requirements, and wage replacement benefits. Partner with Benefits, HR, and leave administrators to ensure accurate employee payments, deductions, tax treatment, reporting, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee the payroll help desk along with resolution of complex payroll issues, employee concerns and inquiries and resolves errors related to payroll processing, deductions, or special pays.
• Manage payroll to banks' reconciliation processes, payroll general ledger reconciliation, payroll year end process, and review of audit reports and inquiries; ensures correction of payment issues prior to closing payroll.
• Lead payroll audits, support financial statements and all prepare reporting and information for audits involving payroll.
• Support and monitor the annual payroll team budget, working with leadership to forecast payroll-related expenses.
• Serve as subject matter expert in payroll related matters on all projects that impact payroll and timekeeping and lead change management activities to drive user adoption.
• Build and maintain communication and training for employees.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for federal, state, and local tax and payroll regulations, including year-end W-2 filings and corrections.
• Produce relevant payroll-related reporting and manage maintenance of all payroll/timekeeping internal processes, procedures, and policies.
• Support accounting with closing activities related to staffing costs, including month-end and year-end close.

Platform and Vendor Management 20%

• Lead and manage relationships with external payroll vendors, tax providers, and third-party administrators.
• Oversee vendor performance, service-level agreements (SLAs), issue resolution, and continuous improvement
• Make recommendations, and in review and consideration for new payroll platforms along with acting as subject matter expert when systems that interact with payroll platforms are being considered for the agency.
• Support vendor implementations, transitions, and contract negotiations as needed.

Payroll Team Leadership 10%

• Train, develop, coach, lead, and supervise staff, clearly communicating organization, division and department priorities, and how their work contributes to our mission, ensuring that the working environment continually fosters diversity, inclusion, and belonging - supporting Save the Children values
• Provide coaching, performance feedback, and career development opportunities for payroll staff.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and escalation point for complex payroll matters.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration in challenging payroll scenarios, fostering calm, transparent communication and coordinated problem-solving to minimize employee impact and maintain trust.
• Remain current in current industry trends related to payroll.

Required qualifications for the role

• Minimum of a Bachelor Degree or equivalent experience, plus at least 7 years of Payroll experience with 3 years in a supervisory role.
• Experience administering payroll within a complex multi-state environment, including state paid leave programs and related regulatory requirements.
• Deep knowledge of federal, state, and local tax regulations related to payroll.
• Demonstrated success managing payroll vendors and third party providers
• Experience with time & attendance and payroll software, UKG and Tenrox a plus
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently, with minimal guidance, and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to acts as a resource for colleagues as a payroll subject matter expert.
• Strong understanding of federal and state payroll compliance laws.
• Strategic, lateral thinking and ability to translate findings into pragmatic solutions.
• Strong analytical capabilities with experience leveraging payroll and workforce data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Experience with leave management administration, state paid leave programs, or integrated leave and payroll solutions.
• Critical reasoning and demonstrated ability to solve complex business problems through resourcefulness
• Professional proficiency in MS Office suite, and with advanced Excel skills
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English

Preferred qualifications for the role

• Experience supporting payroll operations across non-profit or multi-entity organizational structures.
• Payroll platform implementation as it relates to HCM systems.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification
• International development payroll processing experience
• Project management experience
• Understanding of payroll accounting
• Experience supporting payroll in a shared services or matrixed organization

Compensation

Save the Children is offering the following salary ranges for this position, dependent on candidate location:

• Geo 1 - NY Metro, DC, and other locations with labor costs significantly above national average: Target Salary for this position is $119,425 - $133,475 base salary
• Geo 2 - Locations around the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $107,525 - $120,175 base salary
• Geo 3 - Locations significantly below the US National Labor Cost Average: Target Salary for this position is $96,050 - $107,350 base salary

The salary ranges listed above are for US based candidates. For candidates located outside of the US, salary ranges will be based on the salary scales of the local employer of record. Actual base salary may vary based on, but not limited to, relevant experience, base salary of internal peers, business sector, and geographic location (more information on job structure is available here).

About Us

We are looking to build an inclusive team at Save the Children. We offer a range of outstanding benefits to support this goal:

• Flexible schedules and time off:Flexible schedules, generous PTO, 11 paid holidays plus 2 floating holidays and hybrid working opportunities
• Health:Competitive health care, dental and vision coverage for you and your family
• Family:A variety of paid leaves: caregiver, parental/adoption, critical child illness and fertility benefits
• Employee Rewards Program: Annual merit increases and/or additional incentives for eligible employees
• Retirement: A retirement savings plan with employer contributions (after one year)
• Wellness: 15 safety and wellness days annually (if hired on or after July 1, safety and wellness days prorated to 8 days), mental health benefits and support through Calm and company-hosted events
• Employee Assistance Program: free and confidential assessments, short-term counseling, referrals, and follow-up services
• Learning & Growth: Access to internal and external learning & development opportunities and mentorships

Click here to learn more about how Save the Children US will invest in you.

Save the Children is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for the children it serves and helping protect the children with whom we are in contact. All Save the Children representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in any kind of child abuse.

Save the Children is committed to minimizing safety and security risks for our valued employees, ensuring all are given training, support and information to reduce their risk exposure while maximizing the impact of our programs for children and families. Our shared duty, both agency and individual, is to seek and maintain safe working conditions for all.

If you require disability assistance with the application or recruitment process, please submit a request to [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.